Impatiens sakeriana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Balsaminaceae |
Genus: | Impatiens |
Species: | I. sakeriana |
Binomial name | |
Impatiens sakeriana Hook.f. (1863) | |
Impatiens sakeriana is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Balsaminaceae. It is native to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea and grows in mountain forest understory habitat at elevations up to 3000 meters. [2] I. sakeriana is most often cited for its role in sunbird pollination. It can be locally common in parts of its range, but its habitat is threatened by agriculture. [1]
Impatiens sakeriana is a shrub with a maximum height of 3-4 meters, though it is typically shorter than this. [3]
The flowers possess red and yellow standard petals with large blotches of deep crimson. They also possess characteristic backward pointing spurs that may extend up to 2.5 cm toward the supporting pedicel. These are present throughout the entire year.
The leaves grow in whorls of 3–8, although they occasionally grow in opposite configuration, and are roughly 5-15 cm in length. They are oblong-lanceolate in shape, with crenated or serrated edges with short cilia on the teeth or within the crenatures. [4] The cilia traps tiny air bubbles, giving the leaves a silvery sheen that becomes pronounced when they are held under water.
Impatiens sakeriana is endemic along the Cameroon Line of volcanoes found in tropical west Africa. It can be found on terrestrial Mount Cameroon, as well as the island of Bioko. [3] Much of the distribution of Impatiens sakeriana is limited due to human disturbance in tropical Africa, and may become extinct in the following years. [3]
Impatiens sakeriana is a perennial species found in moist, shady regions of montane rainforests, particularly along stream sides and occasionally in edge habitat ranging from 900 to 3000 meters above sea level. [3] It is found at the highest elevation of all Impatiens in the highlands of Cameroon. I. sakeriana is adapted to grow on andisols, which is usually moist because of the high rainfall and humidity and their high capacity to retain water. [5] The mean monthly air temperature varies from 27 to 35°C. [5]
Typical plants that I. sakeriana associates with in the Northwest Region of Cameroon include Astropanax abyssinicus , Bersama abyssinica , Syzygium guineense , and Ixora foliosa . [6]
Impatiens sakeriana supports red inflorescences, a color characteristic of Ornithophily. [6] Each inflorescence supports two protandrous flowers, which begin with a 3–4 day male phase, before converting to a female phase for a similar length of time. [3] The long peduncles (which range from 3.7-11.7 cm) and pedicels(which range from 1-2.6 cm) [3] are oriented outward into the free space around the plant. Flowers that orient themselves away from the plant are considered a characteristic of plants pollinated by hovering birds. [7]
It has been shown that the sunbirds Cyanomitra oritis and Cinnyris reichenowi are the primary pollinators of I. sakeriana, with insects being at most a minor contributor. [6] Cyanomitra oritis in particular is an effective pollinator and is syntopic with I. sakeriana, while Cinnyris reichenowi frequently will engage in flower piercing and nectar thievery. It is hypothesized that the adaptations associated with ornithophily present in this plant may have evolved to reduce the effectiveness of nectar robbing, leaving only hovering pollinators with access to the nectar. The anthers, which are located inside of the corolla, allows the pollen to be placed onto the head of visiting birds, but not those that pierce the base. [3]
Its specific epithet sakeriana honors Alfred Saker, an English missionary who accompanied explorer Richard Francis Burton and botanist Gustav Mann on their ascent of Mount Cameroon in 1861. [8]
Protea cynaroides, also called the king protea, is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of Protea, having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region.
Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly in the males. Many species also have especially long tail feathers. Their range extends through most of Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, South-east Asia and southern China, to Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Species diversity is highest in equatorial regions.
The beautiful sunbird, formerly placed in the genus Nectarinia, is a sunbird. It is native to tropical Africa, its range extending from Senegal and Guinea in the west to Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya in the east.
Impatiens is a genus of more than 1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and the tropics. Together with the genus Hydrocera, Impatiens make up the family Balsaminaceae.
The purple sunbird is a small bird in the sunbird family found mainly in South and Southeast Asia but extending west into parts of the Arabian peninsula. Like other sunbirds they feed mainly on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. They have a fast and direct flight and can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird but often perch at the base of flowers. The males can appear all black in harsh sunlight but the purple iridescence is visible on closer observation or under good light conditions. Females are olive above and yellowish below.
Loten's sunbird, also known as the long-billed sunbird or maroon-breasted sunbird, is a sunbird endemic to peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Named after Joan Gideon Loten, who was the Dutch governor of colonial Ceylon, it is very similar to the purple sunbird that is found in the same areas and also tends to hover at flowers for nectar, but can be distinguished by the longer bill, the maroon band on the breast and brownish wings. Like other sunbirds, it is also insectivorous and builds characteristic hanging nests.
Babiana ringens, the rat's tail, is a flowering plant endemic to Cape Province of South Africa. The foliage is long and erect with an inflorescence consisting of a sterile main stalk adapted for ornithophily, pollination by birds. The plant bears bright red, tubular flowers on side branches close to the ground. It is a perennial that grows in nutrient-poor sandy soil and flowers during the winter rains.
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.
Impatiens capensis, the orange jewelweed, common jewelweed, spotted jewelweed, jewelweed, spotted touch-me-not, or orange balsam, is an annual plant in the family Balsaminaceae that is native to North America. It is common in bottomland soils, ditches, and along creeks, often growing side by side with its less common relative, yellow jewelweed.
The malachite sunbird is a small nectarivorous bird found from the highlands of Ethiopia southwards to South Africa. They pollinate many flowering plants, particularly those with long corolla tubes, in the Fynbos.
Impatiens pallida, with the common names pale jewelweed, pale touch-me-not, or yellow jewelweed, is a flowering annual plant in the family Balsaminaceae native to Canada and the United States. It grows in moist to wet soils, generally alongside the closely related Impatiens capensis, producing flowers from midsummer through fall.
The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.
The greater double-collared sunbird is a small bird in the sunbird family. It was formerly placed in genus Nectarinia.
The copper-throated sunbird is a small passerine within the Nectariniidae family. They sustain themselves by consuming nectar as well as small invertebrates. As a member of the Nectariniidae family, they possess downward curved beaks and have pectoral tufts of yellow feathers. They are found in south-eastern Asia, predominantly in coastal regions.
The copper sunbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to tropical Africa, its range extending from Senegal and Guinea in the west to South Sudan and Kenya in the east, and southwards to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The black-bellied sunbird(Cinnyris nectarinioides) is a small sunbird located primarily in Africa. Two subspecies are recognized: the Cinnyris nectarinioides erlangeri, which is smaller and found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya; and the Cinnyris nectarinioides nectarinioides, which is larger and found in Kenya and Tanzania. This bird inhabits savannah, wetlands, and terrestrial freshwater areas.
The northern double-collared sunbird, is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Dudleya pulverulenta is a species of perennial succulent plant known by the common names chalk lettuce, chalk dudleya, and chalk liveforever. It is one of the largest Dudleya, with a silvery, waxy rosette that may greatly contrast with its habitat. It is also regarded as one of the most distinctive members of the Dudleya, with one of the most specialized inflorescences in the genus, adapted to hummingbird pollination through its red pendent flowers, the longest corolla, and the highest nectar output. Dudleya pulverulenta has the largest range of all Dudleya, over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), being found from southern Monterey County in California to the Sierra de San Borja in southern Baja California. It is closely related to Dudleya arizonica, a smaller desert species that tends to lack the specialized floral traits, and Dudleya anthonyi, which differs in a few morphological traits and is restricted to the San Quintín Volcanic Field.
Mimulus alatus, the sharpwing monkeyflower, is an herbaceous eudicot perennial that has no floral scent. It is native to North America and its blooming season is from June to September. The flowering plant has green foliage and blue to violet flowers. It has a short life span compared to most other plants and a rapid growth rate. Like other monkey-flowers of the genus Mimulus, M. alatus grows best in wet to moist conditions and has a bilabiate corolla, meaning it is two-lipped. The arrangement of the upper and lower lip petals suggests a monkey’s face. The winged stems together with the monkey face give the plant its common name.
Daubenya zeyheri (Kunth) J.C.Manning & A.M.van der Merwe is one of the 8 bulbous species in the genus Daubenya, all endemic to the winter rainfall Strandveld of South Africa, and mostly growing on doleritic clays along the West Coast, Western Cape. It is closely related to Daubenya marginata J.C.Manning & A.M.van der Merwe.