Eupomatia

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Eupomatia
Eupomatia laurina.jpg
1855 illustration of
Eupomatia bennettii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Eupomatiaceae
Genus: Eupomatia
R.Br. [1]
Type species
Eupomatia laurina
Species

Eupomatia is a genus of three species of plants in the ancient family Eupomatiaceae, and is the sole genus in the family. Eupomatiaceae is recognised by most taxonomists and classified in the plant order Magnoliales. The three described species are shrubs or small trees, native to the rainforests and humid eucalypt forests of eastern Australia and New Guinea. The type species Eupomatia laurina was described in 1814 by Robert Brown.

Contents

Description

Plants of this family are evergreen shrubs or small trees. The leaves are simple and alternate, without hairs or stipules, and may be distichous or spirally arranged. Leaf blades are somewhat leathery, with pinnate venation (with a midrib and pairs of veins branching off on either side) and entire (not toothed) margins. Tertiary venation is reticulate, i.e. net-like. [2] [3]

The flowers are fragrant, bisexual, axillary or terminal, usually single but occasionally in clusters of 2 or 3. They are initially fully covered by a cap known as a calyptra. The perianth (i.e. petals and sepals) is absent. Female parts mature before the males parts. Stamens and staminodes are numerous and petal-like, arranged in a spiral following the Fibonacci sequence, [4] and detaching as a whole after maturity. The ovary is inferior, locules are numerous, style is absent and the stigma sessile. [2] [3]

The fleshy fruit is an aggregate and berry-like with numerous seeds. The endosperm is ruminate (i.e. grooved or wrinkled). [2] [3]

Systematics

The APG IV system of 2016 places this family in the order Magnoliales under the clade magnoliids , [5] where it has been through the history of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It is most closely related to the family Annonaceae. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Website also considers Eupomatiaceae a sister group of the family Annonaceae in the terminal clade in the order's evolution. [6]

Magnoliidae

Canellales

Piperales

Magnoliales

Myristicaceae

Magnoliaceae

Degeneriaceae

Himantandraceae

Eupomatiaceae

Annonaceae

Laurales

Species

As of 9 November 2023, Eupomatia contains the following three species. [1]

The species occur in tropical and subtropical rainforests

Ecology

Protogynous and autocompatible flowers, with a reduction in selfing through herkogamy, diurnal synchronization of anthesis and the tendency of the same plant to not flower on two consecutive days. Anthesis lasts one or two days, at the height the flower behaves functionally as a female, showing its gynoecium and with open staminodes, while the stamens remain below the flower. The flower later behaves as a male with the intrastaminal staminodes folded inwards hiding the gynoecium and with erect stamens. The staminodes secrete an oily exudate and emit a fruity smell that attracts beetles, particularly of the genus Elleschodes (Curculionidae), that visit the flowers in both phases, in addition the synandria fall to the ground (cantharophily pollination). [7] The fruit is sweet and aromatic and it is dispersed by birds and mammals (zoochory). The fruit is also eaten by humans.

Phytochemistry

Plants contain unusual lignans and alkaloids (sampangine, eupolauridine, eupomatidine-1, liriodenine and lanuginosine, antimicrobials and antifungals) such as proanthocyanidins, cyanidin and flavonoids, in particular velutin. Iridoids, flavonols and ellagic acid are absent. Cyanogenesis absent.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zingiberales</span> Order of flowering plants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geraniaceae</span> Family of plants

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<i>Amborella</i> Species of shrub

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annonaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Annonaceae are a family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest family in the Magnoliales. Several genera produce edible fruit, most notably Annona, Anonidium, Asimina, Rollinia, and Uvaria. Its type genus is Annona. The family is concentrated in the tropics, with few species found in temperate regions. About 900 species are Neotropical, 450 are Afrotropical, and the remaining are Indomalayan.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myristicaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Myristicaceae are a family of flowering plants native to Africa, Asia, Pacific islands, and the Americas and has been recognized by most taxonomists. It is sometimes called the "nutmeg family", after its most famous member, Myristica fragrans, the source of the spices nutmeg and mace. The best known genera are Myristica in Asia and Virola in the Neotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parnassiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernandiaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloranthaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Chloranthaceae is a family of flowering plants (angiosperms), the only family in the order Chloranthales. It is not closely related to any other family of flowering plants, and is among the early-diverging lineages in the angiosperms. They are woody or weakly woody plants occurring in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Madagascar, Central and South America, and the West Indies. The family consists of four extant genera, totalling about 77 known species according to Christenhusz and Byng in 2016. Some species are used in traditional medicine. The type genus is Chloranthus. The fossil record of the family, mostly represented by pollen such as Clavatipollenites, extends back to the dawn of the history of flowering plants in the Early Cretaceous, and has been found on all continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trimeniaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

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<i>Degeneria</i> Genus of flowering plants

Degeneria is a genus of flowering plants endemic to Fiji. It is the only genus in the family Degeneriaceae. The APG IV system of 2016, recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Magnoliales in the clade magnoliids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himantandraceae</span> Family of plants

Himantandraceae is a family of flowering plants recognized by the APG II system of 2003, assigned to the order Magnoliales in the clade magnoliids. The family consists of only one genus, Galbulimima, of probably two species, trees and shrubs, found in tropical areas in Southeast Asia and Australia.

<i>Ruppia</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Ruppia, also known as the widgeonweeds, ditch grasses or widgeon grass, is the only extant genus in the family Ruppiaceae, with eight known species. These are aquatic plants widespread over much of the world. The genus name honours Heinrich Bernhard Rupp, a German botanist (1688-1719). They are widespread outside of frigid zones and the tropics.

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Hydatellaceae are a family of small, aquatic flowering plants. The family consists of tiny, relatively simple plants occurring in Australasia and India. It was formerly considered to be related to the grasses and sedges, but has been reassigned to the order Nymphaeales as a result of DNA and morphological analyses showing that it represents one of the earliest groups to split off in flowering-plant phylogeny, rather than having a close relationship to monocots, which it bears a superficial resemblance to due to convergent evolution. The family includes only the genus Trithuria, which has at least 13 species, although species diversity in the family has probably been substantially underestimated.

<i>Elleschodes</i> Genus of beetles

Elleschodes is a genus of true weevils occurring in Australia, particularly Queensland. Some species are pollinators of trees in the genus Eupomatia.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eupomatia R.Br". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Flora of Australia, Volume 2 Winteraceae to Platanaceae (2 ed.). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. 1999. p. 13. ISBN   0-643-05965-2 . Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Eupomatiaceae". Families of Flowering Plants of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Environment Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. Endress, Peter K. (2003). "Early Floral Development and Nature of the Calyptra in Eupomatiaceae (Magnoliales)". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 164 (4): 489–503. doi:10.1086/375319. JSTOR   10.1086/375319.
  5. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 181: 1–20. doi: 10.1111/boj.12385 . Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. Stevens, P.F. "Magnoliales". Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  7. Armstrong, Joseph E.; Irvine, Anthony K. (December 1990). "Functions of Staminodia in the Beetle-Pollinated Flowers of Eupomatia laurina". Biotropica . 22 (4): 429–431. doi:10.2307/2388563. JSTOR   2388563.