A mycorrhiza is a mutual symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, its root system. Mycorrhizae play important roles in plant nutrition, soil biology and soil chemistry.
The serpentine subgroup are greenish, brownish, or spotted minerals commonly found in serpentinite rocks. They are used as a source of magnesium and asbestos, and as a decorative stone. The name is thought to come from the greenish color being that of a serpent.
Endemism is the state of a species being native to a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is exclusively found in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be endemic to that particular part of the world. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range.
Ultramafic rocks are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content, generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are composed of usually greater than 90% mafic minerals. The Earth's mantle is composed of ultramafic rocks. Ultrabasic is a more inclusive term that includes igneous rocks with low silica content that may not be extremely enriched in Fe and Mg, such as carbonatites and ultrapotassic igneous rocks.
An arbuscular mycorrhiza is a type of mycorrhiza in which the symbiont fungus penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a vascular plant forming arbuscules.
Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially antigorite, lizardite, and chrysotile or white asbestos, all of which are commonly found in ultramafic rocks. The term "serpentine" is commonly used to refer to both the soil type and the mineral group which forms its parent materials.
Lasiocroton is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1859. The genus is endemic to the West Indies. It is a member of the Leucocroton alliance, which also includes Leucocroton and Garciadelia. Species in this alliance are dioecious.
- Lasiocroton bahamensisPax & K.Hoffm. - Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti
- Lasiocroton fawcettiiUrb. - Jamaica
- Lasiocroton gracilisBritton & P.Wilson - SE Cuba
- Lasiocroton gutierreziiJestrow - Cuba
- Lasiocroton harrisiiBritton - Jamaica
- Lasiocroton macrophyllus(Sw.) Griseb. - Jamaica
- Lasiocroton microphyllus(A.Rich.) Jestrow - Cuba
- moved to other genera (Bernardia Croton Leucocroton)
- Lasiocroton cordifoliusBritton & P.Wilson - Leucocroton cordifolius (Britton & P.Wilson) Alain
- Lasiocroton prunifoliusGriseb. - Croton punctatusJacq.
- Lasiocroton subpeltatusUrb. - Leucocroton subpeltatus(Urb.) Alain
- Lasiocroton trelawniensisC.D.Adams - Bernardia trelawniensis(C.D.Adams) Jestrow & Proctor
This list covers known nickel hyperaccumulators, accumulators or plant species tolerant to nickel.
Koanophyllon is a genus of plants in the sunflower family. They are perennials and shrubs and are native to South America, Central America, the West Indies, Mexico, with a few species range extending into the United States. The flowers are white to pinkish.
Geissois is a genus of trees and shrubs in the plant family Cunoniaceae. It includes about 19 species mostly found in New Caledonia, but also in Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Leaves are opposite, palmate with 3-9 leaflets, with entire margin and intrapetiolar stipules. The inflorescences are simple racemes and bottle-brush like. The flowers have four red sepals, lacking petals, with many long red stamens. The fruit is a capsule, the seeds flat and winged. The genus includes several nickel hyperaccumulator and one aluminum hyperaccumulator, Geissois polyphylla.
Barren vegetation describes an area of land where plant growth may be sparse, stunted, and/or contain limited biodiversity. Environmental conditions such as toxic or infertile soil, high winds, coastal salt-spray, and climatic conditions are often key factors in poor plant growth and development. Barren vegetation can be categorized depending on the climate, geology, and geographic location of a specific area.
Camissonia benitensis is a species of evening primrose known by the common names San Benito suncup and San Benito evening primrose. It is endemic to California, where its range includes far southern San Benito County, far western Fresno County, and far eastern Monterey County.
The Cuban dry forests are a tropical dry forest ecoregion that occupies 65,800 km2 (25,400 sq mi) on Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. The ecoregion receives 1,000–2,000 mm (39–79 in) of rainfall annually. Cuban dry forests can be differentiated into evergreen forests, semi-deciduous forests, mogotes, and sclerophyllous low forests.
Harmonia stebbinsii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Stebbins' tarweed, or Stebbins' madia. It is endemic to northern California, where it is limited to the Klamath Mountains and adjacent slopes of the North Coast Ranges. It is a member of the serpentine soils plant community in these mountains, found at elevations of 1100–1600 meters. It is a rare annual herb producing a bristly stem up to about 25 centimeters tall studded with black resin glands. Its bristly leaves grow up to about 2 centimeters long and are mostly gathered near the base of the plant. The inflorescence is an array of flower heads lined with hairy, glandular, purple-tipped phyllaries. The head has a few yellow ray florets several millimeters long and yellow disc florets. The fruit is an achene tipped with a pappus.
Streptanthus polygaloides is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name milkwort jewelflower. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California, where it grows in woodlands and chaparral, generally on serpentine soils.
An ectomycorrhiza is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont, or mycobiont, and the roots of various plant species. The mycobiont is often from the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, and more rarely from the Zygomycota. Ectomycorrhizas form on the roots of around 2% of plant species, usually woody plants, including species from the birch, dipterocarp, myrtle, beech, willow, pine and rose families. Research on ectomycorrhizas is increasingly important in areas such as ecosystem management and restoration, forestry and agriculture.
Cenococcum geophilum Fr., synonym Cenococcum graniforme (Sow.) Ferd. and Winge, is an Ascomycete fungal species and is the only member in the genus Cenococcum. It is one of the most common ectomycorrhizal fungal species encountered in forest ecosystems. The geographic distribution of the species is notably cosmopolitan; it is found in ecosystems with a wide range of environmental conditions, and in many cases in high relative frequency. Because of its wide distribution and abundance in forest soils, it is one of the most well-studied ectomycorrhizal fungal species. While the species has long been known to be sterile and not produce asexual or sexual spores, cryptic sexual stages may exist. The hyphae produced by C. geophilum are characterized by their thick (1.5-8 um), straight and jet black appearance with little branching. They usually form monopodial (unbranched) ectomycorrhizas. The mantles of C. geophilum ectomycorrhizas are usually thick with few to many emanating hyphae.
Tetralix is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Cuba. Adapted to serpentine soils, they are nickel hyperaccumulators.
Sapphoa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to Cuba. Adapted to serpentine soils, they are nickel hyperaccumulators.
Schmidtottia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, native to eastern Cuba. Adapted to serpentine soils, they are nickel hyperaccumulators.
