Montrichardia arborescens

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Montrichardia arborescens
Montrichardia arborescens - flower - Suriname.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Montrichardia
Species:
M. arborescens
Binomial name
Montrichardia arborescens
Synonyms [3]
  • Arum arborescensL.
  • Caladium arborescens(L.) Vent
  • Pleurospa reticulataRaf.
  • Philodendron arborescens(L.) Kunth
  • Caladium arboreumKunth
  • Arum aculeatum(G.Mey.) Steud.
  • Philodendron arboreum(Kunth) Kunth
  • Montrichardia aculeatum(G.Mey.) Crueg
  • Montrichardia arborea(Kunth) Schott
  • Montrichardia fendleriSchott
  • Montrichardia splitgerberiSchott
  • Montrichardia arborescens var. aculeata(G.Mey.) Engl.

Montrichardia arborescens, the yautia madera, or moco-moco, [4] is a tropical plant grows along river banks, swamps, or creeks to a maximum height of 9'. They consist of arrow shaped leaves that are food sources for animal species. [5] The plant produces inflorescences which then leave a fruit of Montrichardia arborescens which is edible and can be cooked. [6] Its fruiting spadices produces large infructescences, which contain about 80 edible yellow fruits. [7]

Contents

Distribution

Montrichardia arborescens is most commonly found in South America in areas of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica including Puerto Rico, Panama, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, and more. [8] Montrichardia arborescens is native to the tropical Americas and the West Indies. [9]

Habitat and ecology

Montrichardia arborescens is a perennial halophytic shrub [10] that grows most commonly in a bay, mangrove habitat. [11] They most suitably grow along the banks of rivers, creeks and in swamps. [5] They also grow in salt water, brackish water, and fresh water. [5] M. arborescens usually live a short viable life and can not withstand low temperatures. [5] They grow best with full sun or in partial shade and can withstand most types of soil. [5] As with many Araceae they basically need lots of water but they do have some drought tolerance. [5] This species is often cultivated in or besides ponds because they form unusual and impressive stands. [12] The geophytic tropical Araceae are seldom cultivated in gardens because they require more constant care. [12]

Morphology

illustration of moucou-moucou leaves Sepp-Surinaamsche vlinders - pl 052 plate descr. as Phalaena thunberghiana or thunbergiana.jpg
illustration of moucou-moucou leaves

The plant usually stems to 3m (occasionally to seven meters (22 feet). [13] and is often swollen at base. It can grow up to 25 cm in diameter and sometimes with short prickles. Leaf stalks can grow up to 30 cm long, and the blades can range 10–30 cm with a distinct triangular outline except for lobes at base. [14] The spadix of Montrichardia arborescens is cylindrical or ellipsoid that forms at maturity. [15] Seeds of M. arbores978-1-60469-cens usually float to shore and germinate. [16]

Flowers and fruit

illustration of moucou-moucou Montrichardia arborescens - Curtis v. 128 Ser.3 no.58 pl.jpg
illustration of moucou-moucou

Flowers of M. arborescens, consist of a spadix (typical to the family Araceae) which is a type of spike inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. The spadix of contains uni-sexual flowers without a perianth. [17] The pistillate flowers are located in the base portion of the inflorescence, and the staminate flowers are located in the apical portion. [17] In the zone between male flowers and female flowers there are also vestigial flowers. [15] In a study done by M. Weber and H. Halbritter to examine M. arborescens pollen, their findings indicated that there is rapid pollen tube formation. [9] The ultra structure of the pollen protoplast was characterized by many mitochondria, ER strands, dictyosomes, and microtubules. [9] It seemed that the walnut size seeds [18] need quick germination since the wall is missing and thus a protective coating around the easily damaged pollen protoplast is absent. [9] Further studies are needed to clarify how the pollen wall and pollen tube are formed. [9] The representative molecular barcode of Montrichardia arborescens can be found at the Encyclopedia of life page. [11]

Usage

Food

The fruiting spadix of Montrichardia arborescens is edible. [19] The seeds can be cooked or toasted. [19] Aroids such as M. arborescens have long been a food staple to many tropical populations across the world. [7] Aroids can provide high yielding nutritious crops which can be substances for specialist diets. [7]

Medicinal

In Suriname, the milky juice of the stem is used in the treatment of deep external cuts. [5] Its sap was first determined to be caustic and can cause dermatitis. [20] It was later found that it can also be used against nose bleeds, sore eyes, and the sap can also be applied to ulcers in a poultice. [20] Dried roots and leaves can also be taken to relieve hypertension and shoot juices for other shamanic practices. [20]

Other usage

Montrichardia arborescens has other uses as well. The fibers in the stem can be used to make cords, the berries and fruit spikes can be used for fish bait, and the tissue in the stem can be used to make paper. [21]

Other common names [5]

Related Research Articles

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

The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe. Also known as the arum family, members are often colloquially known as aroids. This family of 114 genera and about 3,750 known species is most diverse in the New World tropics, although also distributed in the Old World tropics and northern temperate regions.

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

Amorphophallus is a large genus of some 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Arum family (Araceae), native to Asia, Africa, Australia and various oceanic islands. A few species are edible as "famine foods" after careful preparation to remove irritating chemicals. The genus includes the Titan arum of Indonesia, which has the largest inflorescence of any plant in the genus, and is also known as the 'corpse flower' for the pungent odour it produces during its flowering period, which can take up to seven years of growth before it occurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spadix (botany)</span> Type of inflorescence

In botany, a spadix is a type of inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadices are typical of the family Araceae, the arums or aroids. The spadix is typically surrounded by a leaf-like curved bract known as a spathe. For example, the "flower" of the well known Anthurium spp. is a typical spadix with a large colorful spathe.

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

Philodendron is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. As of June 2013, the Plants of the World Online accepted 621 species; other sources accept different numbers. Regardless of number of species, the genus is the second-largest member of the family Araceae, after genus Anthurium. Taxonomically, the genus Philodendron is still poorly known, with many undescribed species. Many are grown as ornamental and indoor plants. The name derives from the Greek words philo- 'love, affection' and dendron 'tree'. The generic name, Philodendron, is often used as the English name.

<i>Xanthosoma</i> Genus of plants

Xanthosoma is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. The genus is native to tropical America but widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical regions. Several are grown for their starchy corms, an important food staple of tropical regions, known variously as malanga, otoy, otoe, cocoyam, tannia, tannier, yautía, macabo, ocumo, macal, taioba, dasheen, quequisque, ʻape and as Singapore taro. Many other species, including especially Xanthosoma roseum, are used as ornamental plants; in popular horticultural literature these species may be known as ‘ape due to resemblance to the true Polynesian ʻape, Alocasia macrorrhizos, or as elephant ear from visual resemblance of the leaf to an elephant's ear. Sometimes the latter name is also applied to members in the closely related genera Caladium, Colocasia (taro), and Alocasia.

<i>Anthurium</i> Genus of plants

Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, pigtail plant, and laceleaf.

<i>Arum maculatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Arum maculatum, commonly known as cuckoopint, jack-in-the-pulpit and other names, is a woodland flowering plant species in the family Araceae. It is native across most of Europe, as well as Eastern Turkey and the Caucasus.

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

Lysichiton is a genus in the family Araceae. These plants are known commonly as skunk cabbage or less often as swamp lantern. The spelling Lysichitum is also found. The genus has two species, one found in north-east Asia, the other in north-west America.

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

Monstera is a genus of 59 species of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae, native to tropical regions of central and south America.

<i>Arum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae

Arum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely related to the true lilies Lilium. Plants in closely related Zantedeschia are also called "arum lilies".

<i>Sauromatum venosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Sauromatum venosum is a species of plant in the arum family, Araceae. It is native to Asia and Africa, where it grows in forests and riparian meadows.

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

Ambrosina is a genus in the family Araceae that consists of only one species, Ambrosina bassii, and the only genus in the tribe Ambrosineae. This species is the smallest terrestrial aroid in the Mediterranean, growing only to 8 cm tall. It is usually found growing in woodlands on north faces of hillsides and in humus soil that is covering limestone. It is distributed in Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, southern mainland Italy, Tunisia, and Algeria.

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

Bucephalandra is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. There are 30 species of Bucephalandra which have been discovered in Borneo and have been formally described by S.Y. Wong and P.C. Boyce. Most of the species are found in Borneo. Bucephalandra are usually found growing as dense mats over stones or rocks in streams or rivers in moist tropical forest.

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

Holochlamys is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. Holochlamys beccarii is the only species in the genus Holochlamys. It is native to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago and is found growing in mud near lowland streams or rocky streambeds at high elevations.

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

Montrichardia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. It contains two species, Montrichardia arborescens and Montrichardia linifera, and one extinct species Montrichardia aquatica. The genus is helophytic and distributed in tropical America. The extinct species M. aquatica is known from fossils found in a Neotropical rainforest environment preserved in the Paleocene Cerrejón Formation of Colombia. Living Montrichardia species have a diploid chromosome number of 2n=48.

<i>Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum</i> Species of epiphyte

Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum is a plant in the genus Thaumatophyllum, in the family Araceae. Previously it was classified in the genus Philodendron within subgenus Meconostigma. The commonly used names Philodendron bipinnatifidum and Philodendron selloanum are synonyms. This plant is native to South America, namely to Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay, but is also cultivated as a landscape plant in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates.

<i>Peltandra virginica</i> Species of aquatic plant

Peltandra virginica is a plant of the arum family known as green arrow arum and tuckahoe. It is widely distributed in wetlands in the eastern United States, as well as in Quebec, Ontario, and Cuba. It is common in central Florida including the Everglades and along the Gulf Coast. Its rhizomes are tolerant to low oxygen levels found in wetland soils. It can be found elsewhere in North America as an introduced species and often an invasive plant.

<i>Anubias gigantea</i> Species of aquatic plant

Anubias gigantea is an aquatic to riparian aroid species belonging to the genus Anubias, within the Araceae. It was first mentioned by Auguste Chevalier in 1920, based on material that he had collected in Guinea, West Africa. The formal description followed in 1939 by John Hutchinson. It is closely related to A. afzelii, basically only differing from that species by the form of the leaf-blade, with mature growth appearing somewhat different than the juvenile plants.

<i>Alocasia cucullata</i> Species of flowering plant

Alocasia cucullata is a species of flowering plant in the arum family known by the common names Chinese taro, Chinese ape, Buddha's hand, and hooded dwarf elephant ear. It is kept as an ornamental plant.

Amorphophallus gigas is a plant in the Arum, or Calla Lily, Family, (Araceae) native to Sumatra. It is also known as Amorphophallus brooksii. It resembles its near relative Amorphophallus titanum in having a very large spadix surrounded by a very large spathe. In both species the inflorescence can be up to 11 ft 4 in in height, has the smell of rotting flesh, and is fly pollinated. According to Bown, the record specimen was 4.36 meters in height, of which 1.5 meters was the spadix. The tuber, a corm, is second in size only to A. titanum at up to 70 kilograms in weight.

References

  1. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott". GBIF.org . Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott Yautia madera". USDA . Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens – mocou mocou". Tropilab. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Montrichardia arborescens - Mocou Mocou". Tropilab Inc.
  6. ↑ "Araceae Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott". The Virtual Field Herbarium. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Monstrous deliciousness and devilish fruit - Kew's edible aroids". Tropical Nursery Blog.
  8. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Weber, M; H Halbritter (January 2007). "Exploding pollen in Montrichardia arborescens (Araceae)". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 263 (1–2): 51–57. doi:10.1007/s00606-006-0466-1. S2CID   9612171.
  10. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott - Yautia madera". USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
  11. 1 2 "Montrichardia arborescens Yautia Madera". Encyclopedia of Life.
  12. 1 2 Mayo, SJ (September 1997). The Genera of Araceae (PDF). Kew Publishing. ISBN   978-1900347228.
  13. ↑ Bown, Deni (2000). Aroids - Plants of the Arum Family (Second ed.). Portland: Timber Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN   978-1-60469-201-3.
  14. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens (Moco-Moco)". Zipcode Zoo.
  15. 1 2 Boubes, Chafika; Denis Barabe (July 1997). "Flower and Inflorescence Development in Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott (Araceae)". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 158 (4): 408–417. doi:10.1086/297450. JSTOR   2475216. S2CID   83967009.
  16. ↑ "Montrichardia arborescens(L.) Schott". Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
  17. 1 2 Barabe, Denis; Christian Lacroix (May 13, 2008). "The developmental floral morphology of Montrichardia arborescens (Araceae) revisited". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 135 (4): 413–420. doi: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2001.tb00791.x .
  18. ↑ Bown, Aroids loc. cit.
  19. 1 2 "Montrichardia arborescens, Arum arborescens". TOP Tropicals.
  20. 1 2 3 Quattrocchi, Umberto (May 3, 2012). CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5. CRC Press. ISBN   978-1420080445.
  21. ↑ "Ceriman, Delicious Monster". Eat the Weeds. 2011-08-31.
  22. ↑ Cruz, M. E. G. da; Teixeira, W. G.; Lima, H. N.; Macedo, R. S. (2008). "Os aningais: um tipo de vegetação "quase extinta nas cidades amazônicas"". Congresso Brasileiro de Arborização Urbana. 12. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
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