Psittacanthus calyculatus

Psittacanthus calyculatus, (erva de passerinho), is a species of neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to Colombia, Mexico , the Mexican Gulf and Venezuela.[2]

Psittacanthus calyculatus
Psittacanthus calyculatus in de Candolle in 1830
Psittacanthus calyculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Psittacanthus
Species:
P. calyculatus
Binomial name
Psittacanthus calyculatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Loranthus calyculatus DC.
  • Hyphipus trigona Raf.
  • Chatinia calyculata (DC.) Tiegh.
  • Loranthus jacquinii DC.
  • Loranthus pedunculatus Spreng. ex Steud.
  • Loranthus plumieri Cham. & Schltdl.
Psittacanthus calyculatus

Description

Psittacanthus calyculatus is hairless, with nearly terete branches.[3] The leaves are opposite and ovate or lanceolate, having almost no petiole, and without veins.[3] The inflorescences are terminal and in groups of three yellow to scarlet flowers which have cup-shaped bracts under them.[3]

Life cycle

In October or November, the fruit matures, and is eaten by a bird, who voids the seed. By November, if the defecation site is a suitable branch, the seed may have infected the host, and initial buds will start to appear.[4] Vegetative growth continues, until, four years after the initial infection, the plant flowers in November, with fruit becoming mature the following year from October to February.[4] Thus, there are some five years required for its life-cycle.[4]

Ecology

Vasquez Collazo and Geils (2002) report eleven observed conifer hosts for Psittacanthus calyculatus: Abies religiosa, Pinus douglasiana, P. lawsonii, P. leiophylla, P. michoacana, P. pseudostrobus, P. teocote, P. montezumae, P. herrerai, P. pringlei, and P. rudis.[4]

At least nineteen bird species (insectivores, omnivores, and granivores) have been seen feeding on the fruits.[4]

Taxonomy

Psittacanthus calyculatus was first described by de Candolle in 1830 as Loranthus calyculatus,[5][6] and in 1834, Don assigned it to the new genus Psittacanthus.[1][3]

Etymology

Psittacanthos comes from the Greek psittakos (parrot), and the Greek anthos (flower), chosen according to Don,[3] possibly because of the bright colours. Calyculatus is the Latin for provided with a calyculus which is a cup-like structure below the calyx, formed by a whorl of bracts[7]

gollark: Ugh.
gollark: <@432069474858958848> submit entry.
gollark: <@!137565402501742592> You "exist", submit thing.
gollark: Anyway, once you've finished actively using it and gathering submissions and whatever, you should* release it for osmarks.net use.
gollark: Fascinating.

References
  1. "IPNI: Psittacanthus calyculatus". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  2. Govaerts, R. et. al. 2018. "Plants of the World online: Psittacanthus calyculatus". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  3. Don, G. 1834. "A general history of the dichlamydeous plants :comprising complete descriptions of the different orders...the whole arranged according to the natural system 3: 415".
  4. Vasquez Collazo, I, Geils, B.W. 2002. "Chapter 2 Psittacanthus in Mexico" (PDF). In Mistletoes of North American Conifers. Retrieved 24 May 2018
  5. "IPNI: Loranthus calyculatus". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  6. de Candolle, A.P. 1830. Collection de memoires pour servir a l'histoire du regne vegetal. Sixieme memoire sur la famille des Loranthacees vi. t. 10.
  7. Stearn, W.T. 2004. Botanical Latin 4th Edition, p.380. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.