Echeveria gibbiflora

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Echeveria gibbiflora
Echeveria gibbiflora 001.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Crassulaceae
Genus: Echeveria
Species:
E. gibbiflora
Binomial name
Echeveria gibbiflora
DC.
Synonyms [1]
  • Cotyledon gibbiflora(DC) Baker (1869)
  • Echeveria grandifoliaHaworth (1828)
  • Echeveria campanulataKunze (1843)

Echeveria gibbiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. [2] [3] [4] It was described by Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1828. It occurs in Mexico and Guatemala. [1]

Contents

Description

Echeveria gibbiflora is a large species of Echeveria , [2] [1] producing rosettes of 15 leaves, a tall flowering stem up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in height, and an average of 160 flower buds. [5] The red, tubular flowers are about 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) long with 10 stamens and 5 styles. [5] [6] It flowers between September and January. [2] [5] The dry fruits each produce approximately 200 small seeds. [5]

Ecology

Each flower is open for between 7–8 days and is visited by nectar-seeking broad-billed hummingbirds (Cynanthus latirostris). [6] The American bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) has been documented foraging for aphids that occur among the flowers. [6]

Uses

Echeveria gibbiflora has been used in Mexican folk medicine as a contraceptive, as a vaginal postcoital rinse. [7] [3]

Cultivars include E. gibbiflora 'Carunculata' (also spelled 'Caronculata'), [8] E. gibbiflora 'Metallica', and E. gibbiflora 'Violescens'. [9]

Related Research Articles

Gametophyte Haploid stage in the life cycle of plants and algae

A gametophyte is one of the two alternating multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of chromosomes. The gametophyte is the sexual phase in the life cycle of plants and algae. It develops sex organs that produce gametes, haploid sex cells that participate in fertilization to form a diploid zygote which has a double set of chromosomes. Cell division of the zygote results in a new diploid multicellular organism, the second stage in the life cycle known as the sporophyte. The sporophyte can produce haploid spores by meiosis that on germination produce a new generation of gametophytes.

Flowering plant The clade of seed plants that produce flowers

The flowering plants, also known as Angiospermae, or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants, with 64 orders, 416 families, approximately 13,000 known genera and 300,000 known species. Like gymnosperms, angiosperms are seed-producing plants. They are distinguished from gymnosperms by characteristics including flowers, endosperm within their seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. Etymologically, angiosperm means a plant that produces seeds within an enclosure; in other words, a fruiting plant. The term comes from the Greek words angeion and sperma (seed)

Pollinator

A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.

Coevolution Two or more species influencing each others evolution

In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well as gene-culture coevolution.

Germination Process by which an organism grows from a spore or seed

Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or similar structure. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ferns, bacteria, and the growth of the pollen tube from the pollen grain of a seed plant.

Pollination Biological processes occurring in plants

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from a male part of a plant to a female part of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents are animals such as insects, birds, and bats; water; wind; and even plants themselves, when self-pollination occurs within a closed flower. Pollination often occurs within a species. When pollination occurs between species it can produce hybrid offspring in nature and in plant breeding work.

Crassulaceae A family of flowering plants comprising members popular for horticulture and characterized by a peculiar photosynthetic metabolism adapted to arid conditions

The Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). Flowers generally have five floral parts. Crassulaceae are usually herbaceous but there are some subshrubs, and relatively few treelike or aquatic plants. Crassulaceae are a medium size monophyletic family in the core eudicots, among the order Saxifragales, whose diversity has made infrafamilial classification very difficult. The family includes approximately 1,400 species and 34–35 genera, depending on the circumscription of the genus Sedum, and distributed over three subfamilies. Members of the Crassulaceae are found worldwide, but mostly in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce, although a few are aquatic.

<i>Heliconia</i> Genus of plants

Heliconia, derived from the Greek word Ἑλικώνιος, is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the western Pacific and Maluku. Many species of Heliconia are found in the tropical forests of these regions. Most species are listed as either vulnerable or data deficient by the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Several species are widely cultivated as ornamentals, and a few are naturalized in Florida, Gambia, and Thailand. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, toucan beak, wild plantain, or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers (Strelitzia). Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as "heliconias".

<i>Echeveria</i> Genus of succulents

Echeveria is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, native to semi-desert areas of Central America, Mexico and northwestern South America.

Entomophily Form of pollination by insects

Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, sometimes with conspicuous patterns leading to rewards of pollen and nectar; they may also have an attractive scent which in some cases mimics insect pheromones. Insect pollinators such as bees have adaptations for their role, such as lapping or sucking mouthparts to take in nectar, and in some species also pollen baskets on their hind legs. This required the coevolution of insects and flowering plants in the development of pollination behaviour by the insects and pollination mechanisms by the flowers, benefiting both groups.

Zoophily

Zoophily is a form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by animals, usually by invertebrates but in some cases vertebrates, particularly birds and bats, but also by other animals. Zoophilous species frequently have evolved mechanisms to make themselves more appealing to the particular type of pollinator, e.g. brightly colored or scented flowers, nectar, and appealing shapes and patterns. These plant-animal relationships are often mutually beneficial because of the food source provided in exchange for pollination.

Geitonogamy is a type of self-pollination. Geitonogamous pollination is sometimes distinguished from the fertilizations that can result from it, geitonogamy. If a plant is self-incompatible, geitonogamy can reduce seed production.

<i>Quassia amara</i>

Quassia amara, also known as amargo, bitter-ash, bitter-wood, or hombre grande is a species in the genus Quassia, with some botanists treating it as the sole species in the genus. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus who named it after the first botanist to describe it: the Surinamese freedman Graman Quassi. Q. amara is used as insecticide, in traditional medicine and as additive in the food industry.

Double fertilization Complex fertilization mechanism of flowering plants

Double fertilization is a complex fertilization mechanism of flowering plants (angiosperms). This process involves the joining of a female gametophyte with two male gametes (sperm). It begins when a pollen grain adheres to the stigma of the carpel, the female reproductive structure of a flower. The pollen grain then takes in moisture and begins to germinate, forming a pollen tube that extends down toward the ovary through style. The tip of the pollen tube then enters the ovary and penetrates through the micropyle opening in the ovule. The pollen tube proceeds to release the two sperm in the megagametophyte.

Flower Structure found in some plants; aka: blossom

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Flowers may facilitate outcrossing resulting from cross pollination or allow selfing when self pollination occurs.

Nectarivore

In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants.

Ornithophily Pollination by birds

Ornithophily or bird pollination is the pollination of flowering plants by birds. This sometimes coevolutionary association is derived from insect pollination (entomophily) and is particularly well developed in some parts of the world, especially in the tropics, Southern Africa, and on some island chains. The association involves several distinctive plant adaptations forming a "pollination syndrome". The plants typically have colourful, often red, flowers with long tubular structures holding ample nectar and orientations of the stamen and stigma that ensure contact with the pollinator. Birds involved in ornithophily tend to be specialist nectarivores with brushy tongues and long bills, that are either capable of hovering flight or light enough to perch on the flower structures.

<i>Montanoa tomentosa</i>

Montanoa tomentosa is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family which is native to Mexico and much of Central America. Its local common name is zoapatle. This small yellow-flowered shrub is best known for its use in traditional herbal medicine.

Flowering synchrony is the amount of overlap between flowering periods of plants in their mating season compared to what would be expected to occur randomly under given environmental conditions. A population which is flowering synchronously has more plants flowering at the same time than would be expected to occur randomly. A population which is flowering asynchronously has fewer plants flowering at the same time than would be expected randomly. Flowering synchrony can describe synchrony of flowering periods within a year, across years, and across species in a community. There are fitness benefits and disadvantages to synchronized flowering, and it is a widespread phenomenon across pollination syndromes.

<i>Echeveria chihuahuaensis</i> Species of plant native to Mexico

Echeveria chihuahuaensis is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Crassulaceae. It is native to Mexico. It is a diploid species, with a chromosome count of 50.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Echeveria gibbiflora DC, 1828". www.crassulaceae.ch (in German). International Crassulaceae Network.
  2. 1 2 3 "Echeveria gibbiflora". chicagobotanic.org. Chicago Botanic Garden.
  3. 1 2 Cordero-Martinez, Joaquín; Aguirre-Alvarado, Charmina; Guzmán-Soriano, Jessica Gabriela; Sánchez-Arroyo, Cinthia Erika; Flores-Alonso, Juan Carlos; Rodríguez-Páez, Lorena (27 July 2016). "Effects of aqueous crude extract of Echeveria gibbiflora on mouse sperm function". Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine. 62 (5): 343–52. doi: 10.1080/19396368.2016.1203044 . PMID   27463087.
  4. "Ruth's Tips: Echeveria 'Mauna Loa' an unusual beauty". mercurynews.com. The Mercury News. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Parra-Tabla, V.; Vargas, C. F.; Eguiarte, L. E. (August 1998). "Is Echeveria gibbiflora (Crassulaceae) fecundity limited by pollen availability? An experimental study". Functional Ecology. 12 (4): 591–595. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2435.1998.00229.x . ISSN   0269-8463.
  6. 1 2 3 Parra, Victor; Vargas, C. Fabian; Eguiarte, Luis E. (February 1993). "Reproductive biology, pollen and seed dispersal, and neighborhood size in the hummingbird-pollinated Echeveria gibbiflora (Crassulaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 80 (2): 153–159. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1993.tb13783.x.
  7. Delgado, N. M.; Taboada Ramirez, J.; Ortega Hernández, A.; Merchant-Larios, H.; Sánchez-Vázqueź, M. L.; Ramirez, G.; Reyes, R. (1999). "Effects of a purified fraction from Echeveria gibbiflora aqueous crude extract on guinea-pig spermatozoa". Phytotherapy Research. 13 (1): 46–49. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199902)13:1<46::AID-PTR373>3.0.CO;2-S . ISSN   0951-418X. PMID   10189950.
  8. "Echeveria gibbiflora 'Caronculata' De Smet". www.crassulaceae.ch (in German). International Crassulaceae Network. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  9. Eggli, Urs (2012). Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Crassulaceae. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9783642558740.