Laurelia sempervirens | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Phylum: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Magnoliids |
Order: | Laurales |
Family: | Atherospermataceae |
Genus: | Laurelia |
Species: | L. sempervirens |
Binomial name | |
Laurelia sempervirens | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Laurelia sempervirens is a species of evergreen tree in the family Atherospermataceae (formerly Monimiaceae). Common names include Peruvian nutmeg, [3] tihue or trihue (from the Mapuche language), and Chilean laurel [4] or Chilean sassafras.
It is endemic to Chile, occurring at 34–41° south latitude. It requires a warm subtropical to tropical climate that is cool but also frost-free or with only very slight winter frosts not below −4 °C (25 °F), with high summer heat, rainfall and humidity. It grows best on well-drained, slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter. This is typical laurel forest habitat. However, the southern hemisphere genus Laurelia is not closely related to the laurels (Lauraceae), despite the similarity.
The tree is known as triwe in Huilliche and laurel in Spanish. [5] It is the ritual tree of the Huilliche people of Futahuillimapu. [5]
The tihue is a large (up to 30 m (98 ft) tall and 2 m (6.6 ft) in diameter) evergreen tree with smooth, pale yellow bark. The bark cracks when ageing, coming off in roughly circular plates. The wood and the leaves are strongly aromatic. The bright green leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, and are oblong in shape, narrowed at the base. The leaves are leathery, shiny, 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) wide. The serrated edges of the leaves help to distinguish this tree from the closely related Laureliopsis philippiana , which has more deeply toothed leaf margins.
The tihue bears bundles of small yellow unisexual flowers, both male and female on every tree (monoecious). [6] The fruit is a greenish achene with seeds bearing feathery anemophilous filaments. The seed is dispersed by the wind (anemochory).
Its wood is pale yellow in colour, with a fine and homogeneous texture: the growth rings are not conspicuous. The tree is threatened by habitat loss. It has been introduced into Spain [7] and into Cornwall [8] and planted in Sussex [9] in the UK. The leaves of Laurelia sempervirens were used by Mapuche Amerindians for treating headache and as a diuretic. [10]
Araucaria araucana, commonly called the monkey puzzle tree, monkey tail tree, piñonero, pewen or Chilean pine, is an evergreen tree growing to a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft) and a height of 30–40 m (98–131 ft). It is native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina. It is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. Because of the prevalence of similar species in ancient prehistory, it is sometimes called a living fossil. It is also the national tree of Chile. Its conservation status was changed to Endangered by the IUCN in 2013 due to the dwindling population caused by logging, forest fires, and grazing.
Meryta sinclairii, the puka or pukanui, is a large-leaved evergreen tree endemic to New Zealand that grows to about 8 m tall, with the distinctly tropical appearance typical of the genus. There are about 27 species of Meryta, all small, resinous trees of the subtropical and tropical Pacific Ocean.
The Huilliche, Huiliche or Huilliche-Mapuche are the southern partiality of the Mapuche macroethnic group in Chile and Argentina. Located in the Zona Sur, they inhabit both Futahuillimapu and, as the Cunco or Veliche subgroup, the northern half of Chiloé Island. The Huilliche are the principal indigenous people of those regions. According to Ricardo E. Latcham the term Huilliche started to be used in Spanish after the second founding of Valdivia in 1645, adopting the usage of the Mapuches of Araucanía for the southern Mapuche tribes. Huilliche means 'southerners' A genetic study showed significant affinities between Huilliches and indigenous peoples east of the Andes, which suggests but does not prove a partial origin in present-day Argentina.
Fitzroya is a monotypic genus in the cypress family. The single living species, Fitzroya cupressoides, is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains and coastal regions of southern Chile, and only to the Argentine Andes, where it is an important member of the Valdivian temperate forests. Common names include alerce, lahuén, and Patagonian cypress. The genus was named in honour of Robert FitzRoy.
The Atherospermataceae, commonly known as the southern sassafrases, are a family of broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs. The family includes 14 species in seven genera. The atherosperms are today mostly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, with two species native to southern Chile and 12 species native to Australasia. Wood is commercially harvested from rainforest species of this family, and is used both in construction and in fine cabinet making.
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and elongated leaves, known as "laurophyll" or "lauroid". Plants from the laurel family (Lauraceae) may or may not be present, depending on the location.
Parrotia persica, the Persian ironwood, is a deciduous tree in the family Hamamelidaceae, closely related to the witch-hazel genus Hamamelis. It is native to Iran's Caspian region and Azerbaijan. It is endemic in the Alborz mountains, where it is found mainly in Golestan National Park.
Podocarpus nubigenus is a species of podocarp, endemic to the Valdivian temperate forests of southern Chile and adjacent southwestern Argentina. It is the southernmost podocarp in the world. It grows from 38°S to Ultima Esperanza (53°S), in wet and swampy soils. It can settle clear grounds, with a faster growth than the other Chilean Podocarpaceae.
Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.
Gomortega keule is a species of tree endemic to Chile. It is the sole species of the genus Gomortega and, according to the APG IV system of 2016, of the monotypic family Gomortegaceae, assigned to the order Laurales in the clade magnoliids.
Drimys winteri, the Winter's bark, foye or canelo, is a slender tree in the family Winteraceae, growing up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. It is native to the Magellanic and Valdivian temperate forests of Chile and Argentina, where it is a dominant tree in the coastal evergreen forests. It is found below 1,200 m (3,900 ft) between latitude 32° south and Cape Horn at latitude 56°. In its southernmost natural range it can tolerate temperatures down to −20 °C (−4 °F). The plant is renowned for its phenotypic plasticity being able to grow in different sites from "extreme arid zones to wetlands along Chile". The tree does also grow in places with various types and degrees of competition from other plants.
Weinmannia trichosperma, the tineo, is an evergreen tree in the family of Cunoniaceae, it is native to Chile and Argentina: 35 to 47°S. endemic to laurel forest habitat.
Latua pubiflora(Griseb.) Baillon, is the single species of the monotypic genus LatuaPhil., endemic to the coastal mountains of southern Chile. A shrub or small tree to 10 m in height, bearing attractive, magenta-to-red, hummingbird-pollinated flowers, it is extremely poisonous – hallucinogenic (deliriant) in smaller doses – due to tropane alkaloid content and is used by Chilean machi (shamans) of the Mapuche–Huilliche people in traditional medicine, as a poison and to enter trance states. Its elegant flowers and yellow tomato-like fruit are attractive enough to merit its cultivation as an ornamental.
Crinodendron patagua, the patagua or lily of the valley tree, is an evergreen tree that grows in Chile from 33° to 36° South latitude, up to 1200 m (4000 ft) above sea level in elevation. It lives in wet places and prefers ravines. An endangered associate tree is the Chilean wine palm, Jubaea chilensis, whose distribution was much wider prehistorically. This tree reaches a height up to 10 m (33 ft).
Citronella mucronata, the huillipatagua, naranjillo, or Chilean citronella tree, is an evergreen tree endemic to Chile. It grows in the Chilean matorral region of central Chile from 30º to 40° south latitude.
Laurelia novae-zelandiae, also called pukatea, is a large evergreen tree, endemic to the forests of New Zealand. Pukatea has 'toothed' leaves and produces small flowers. It is a species in the Atherospermataceae family, typical representative of laurel forest ecoregion.
Endiandra virens is an Australian tree in the laurel family. Growing from Boorganna Nature Reserve north west of Taree, New South Wales to Kin Kin in Southern Queensland. Common names include White Apple, Plumwood, and New South Wales Walnut.
Lomatia hirsuta, known as radal, is a tree native to Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
Amomyrtus meli, known as meli, is a species of tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to Chile and grows from Arauco to Chiloe. It grows mostly on moist and shaded sites.
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