Oreocallis

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Oreocallis
Peru - Machu Picchu 046 - pretty wildflowers (7181903215).jpg
Flowers of Oreocallis grandiflora
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Proteales
Family: Proteaceae
Subfamily: Grevilleoideae
Tribe: Embothrieae
Subtribe: Embothriinae
Genus: Oreocallis
R.Br.
Species:
O. grandiflora
Binomial name
Oreocallis grandiflora
(Lam.) R.Br.

Oreocallis is a South American plant genus in the family Proteaceae. There is only one species, Oreocallis grandiflora, which is native to mountainous regions in Peru and Ecuador.

Contents

Previously, the genus was considered to have several species on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, however the four Australasian species were reclassified in the genus Alloxylon . [1]

The genus was originally defined by Robert Brown in 1810 to contain the Australian species now classified elsewhere, while the two recognised South American species were placed in Embothrium at the time. A reclassification by Dutch botanist Hermann Otto Sleumer in 1954 saw these species transferred into Oreocallis. [2] A second species O. mucronata, has been reclassified as conspecific with O. grandiflora. Some recent sources recognize both species. [3]

Etymology

The genus' name is derived from the Ancient Greek words or(e)os "mountain", and kalli- "beauty". [2]

Description

The species is a tree or shrub which reaches heights of about 6 metres (20 ft). The leaves, which are arranged in a spiral pattern along the twigs, have a simple, entire blade. As is the case with many species in the Proteaceae, the leaves are highly variable. The shape of the leaves varies from narrow and elongate (lanceolate, or lance shaped) to broad and ellipse-shaped, or anything in between. The base of the leaf can be narrow or broad, and the leaf tip can be pointed or rounded. They usually range from 4.8 to 12.7 centimetres (1.9 to 5.0 in) in length, occasionally reaching lengths of 21.5 cm (8.5 in), and are 1.6 to 3.4 cm (0.63 to 1.34 in) wide. Young leaves are often covered with dense, reddish hairs while older leaves tend to have smooth surfaces with hairs concentrated along the main veins on the lower surface of the leaf. [4] Plants have a terminal or lateral [5] conflorescence (a type of inflorescence). [6] The inflorescences, which are usually 7 to 17.5 cm (2.8 to 6.9 in) long ;but occasionally as much as 38 cm (15 in), bear flowers that can be white, pink, yellow or red in colour. [4] The tepals (petals and sepals) are mostly fused along their length, with only the tips of the tepals unfused. The pollen grains have three pores, a condition that is thought to be primitive in the Proteaceae. [6]

Botanical drawing of Oreocallis grandiflora. Grabado de Embothrium en Florae peruvianae 1.jpg
Botanical drawing of Oreocallis grandiflora.

Classification

Together with Telopea , Alloxylon and Embothrium , Oreocallis makes up a small group of terminal often red-flowering showy plants scattered around the southern edges of the Pacific Rim. Known as the Embothriinae, this is an ancient group with roots in the mid Cretaceous, when Australia, Antarctica and South America were linked by land. [7] [8] Almost all these species have red terminal flowers, and hence the subtribe's origin and floral appearance must predate the splitting of Gondwana into Australia, Antarctica, and South America over 60 million years ago. The prominent position and striking colour of many species within the subtribe both in Australia and South America strongly suggest they are adapted to pollination by birds, and have been for over 60 million years. [9] Triporopollenites ambiguus is an ancient member of the proteaceae known only from pollen deposits, originally described from Eocene deposits in Victoria. The fossil pollen closely resembles that of T. truncata, [10] Alloxylon pinnatum as well as O. grandiflora. [11]

The type species, Oreocallis grandiflora, is a plant with terminal showy red, pink, yellow or whitish inflorescences found in mountainous areas in Peru and southern Ecuador. It was originally described by French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1786 as Embothrium grandiflora. Robert Brown used it as the type species for the genus Oreocallis when he circumscribed the genus is 1810. As envisioned by Brown, the genus included both South American and Australian species, but in 1991 Peter Weston and Michael Crisp split the Australian species out of Oreocallis and placed them in a new genus, Alloxylon. [4]

In 1954, the Dutch botanist Hermann Sleumer split O. grandiflora into two species, placing individuals with smooth leaves and twigs and pale, white or pink flowers into a new species, O. mucronata, while leaving those with hairy leaves and twigs and darker red flowers in O. grandiflora. Pennington (2007) rejected Sleumer's split, arguing that the hairiness of the leaves and twigs often varied within individuals, and did not vary consistently with flower colour. Weston and Crisp also suggested that differences in flower colour and the angle at which the mature flowers are held may justify this split. While Pennington acknowledged that differences in these characters exist, he argued that the variation was continuous and not the sort of binary variation that would justify a split into two species. He did acknowledge, however, that this difference may be more apparent in live plants and suggested that further study is needed. [4]

In 2016, a study comparing the pollination ecology of Oreocallis grandiflora at northern and southern ends of its distribution, found evidence of divergence in style length and flower openness, nectar standing crop and secretion rate, and pollinator community among Ecuadorian and Peruvian populations. Divergences in floral traits may be related to a combination of factors, including genetic drift and isolation by distance, distinctive suites of pollinators, or heterospecific pollen competition. [12]

Habitat and ecology

Oreocallis grandiflora is a characteristic species in certain semi-deciduous forests in valleys and evergreen upper montane forest in the Andean forests of southern Ecuador [13] and evergreen sclerophyllous forests in northern Peru. [14] It grows at elevations between 1,200 and 3,800 m (3,900 and 12,500 ft) above sea level. It tolerates habitat disturbance, and may be expanding its range in response to increased human activity. [4] Apparently, floration is constant throughout the year.

Pollinator communities vary with distribution and floral visitation occurs during day and night, albeit nocturnal visitation is reported in southern Ecuador only. [15] [12] During the day, inflorescences are visited by birds, at least 14 hummingbird species including Metallura tyrianthina , Aglaeactis cupripennis and Coeligena iris . [4] [12] [16] Mammals are the only nocturnal visitors, Phyllostomid bat Anoura geoffroyi, and Andean mouse Microryzomys altissimus ; the role of M. altissimus as actual pollinator is yet to be confirmed, although samples taken from its fur indicate pollen removal. [15]

Uses

The plant is used for firewood, furniture/carpentry; [3] its "pleasantly mottled cream-white, pinkish and pale brown wood" was used for inlay work and borders on chess boards. [17] It also has medicinal uses. [3] The seeds are eaten in southern Ecuador. [18]

Related Research Articles

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waratah</span> Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from southeastern Australia

Waratah (Telopea) is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia. The best-known species in this genus is Telopea speciosissima, which has bright red flowers and is the New South Wales (NSW) state emblem. The waratah is a member of the family Proteaceae, flowering plants distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The key diagnostic feature of Proteaceae is the inflorescence, which is often very large, brightly coloured and showy, consisting of many small flowers densely packed into a compact head or spike. Species of waratah boast such inflorescences ranging from 6–15 cm in diameter with a basal ring of coloured bracts. The leaves are spirally arranged, 10–20 cm long and 2–3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins. The name waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal people, the pre-European inhabitants of the Sydney area.

<i>Telopea speciosissima</i> Large shrub in the plant family Proteaceae endemic to New South Wales in Australia

Telopea speciosissima, commonly known as the New South Wales waratah or simply waratah, is a large shrub in the plant family Proteaceae. It is endemic to New South Wales in Australia and is the floral emblem of that state. No subspecies are recognised, but the closely related Telopea aspera was only recently classified as a separate species.

<i>Aiphanes</i> Genus of spiny palms native to tropical South and Central America and the Caribbean

Aiphanes is a genus of spiny palms which is native to tropical regions of South and Central America and the Caribbean. There are about 26 species in the genus, ranging in size from understorey shrubs with subterranean stems to subcanopy trees as tall as 20 metres (66 ft). Most have pinnately compound leaves ; one species has entire leaves. Stems, leaves and sometimes even the fruit are covered with spines. Plants flower repeatedly over the course of their lifespan and have separate male and female flowers, although these are borne together on the same inflorescence. Although records of pollinators are limited, most species appear to be pollinated by insects. The fruit are eaten by several birds and mammals, including at least two species of amazon parrots.

<i>Adenanthos</i> Genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae

Adenanthos is a genus of Australian native shrubs in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. Variable in habit and leaf shape, it is the only genus in the family where solitary flowers are the norm. It was discovered in 1791, and formally published by Jacques Labillardière in 1805. The type species is Adenanthos cuneatus, and 33 species are recognised. The genus is placed in subfamily Proteoideae, and is held to be most closely related to several South African genera.

<i>Alloxylon</i> Genus of tree in the family Proteaceae

Alloxylon is a genus of four species in the family Proteaceae of mainly small to medium-sized trees. They are native to the eastern coast of Australia, with one species, A. brachycarpum found in New Guinea and the Aru Islands. The genus is a relatively new creation, being split off from Oreocallis in 1991. The name is derived from Ancient Greek allo- "other" or "strange" and xylon or "wood" due to their unusual cell architecture compared with the related genera Telopea and Oreocallis. In Australia, they are known as tree waratahs due to similarities in the inflorescences between them and the closely related Telopea.

<i>Conospermum</i> Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae

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<i>Hicksbeachia</i> Genus of trees in the family Proteaceae from eastern Australia

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<i>Embothrium</i> Genus of trees

Embothrium is a genus of two to eight species in the plant family Proteaceae, native to southern South America, in Chile and adjacent western Argentina; the genus occurs as far south as Tierra del Fuego. Common names include Chilean firebush in English, notro in Argentina, ciruelillo, fosforito or notro chileno in Chilean Spanish.

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

The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentrations of diversity. Together with the Platanaceae, Nelumbonaceae and in the recent APG IV system the Sabiaceae, they make up the order Proteales. Well-known 'Proteaceae genera include Protea, Banksia, Embothrium, Grevillea, Hakea and Macadamia. Species such as the New South Wales waratah, king protea, and various species of Banksia, Grevillea, and Leucadendron are popular cut flowers. The nuts of Macadamia integrifolia are widely grown commercially and consumed, as are those of Gevuina avellana on a smaller scale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grevilleoideae</span> Subfamily of plants in the family Proteaceae, mainly from the Southern Hemisphere

The Grevilleoideae are a subfamily of the plant family Proteaceae. Mainly restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, it contains around 46 genera and about 950 species. Genera include Banksia, Grevillea, and Macadamia.

<i>Alloxylon flammeum</i> Species of tree in the family Proteaceae

Alloxylon flammeum, commonly known as the Queensland tree waratah or red silky oak, is a medium-sized tree of the family Proteaceae found in the Queensland tropical rain forests of northeastern Australia. It has shiny green elliptical leaves up to 18 cm (7.1 in) long, and prominent orange-red inflorescences that appear from August to October, followed by rectangular woody seed pods that ripen in February and March. Juvenile plants have large deeply lobed pinnate leaves. Previously known as Oreocallis wickhamii, the initial specimen turned out to be a different species to the one cultivated and hence a new scientific name was required. Described formally by Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1991, A. flammeum was designated the type species of the genus Alloxylon. This genus contains the four species previously classified in Oreocallis that are found in Australasia.

Alloxylon brachycarpum is a species of plant in the family Proteaceae. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Roupala</i> Genus of plants in the family Proteaceae from Mexico to Argentina

Roupala is a Neotropical genus of woody shrubs and trees in the plant family Proteaceae. Its 34 species are generally found in forests from sea level to 4000 m altitude from Mexico to Argentina.

<i>Telopea mongaensis</i> Species of plant in the family Proteaceae endemic to south eastern New South Wales, Australia

Telopea mongaensis, commonly known as the Monga waratah or Braidwood waratah, is a shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. Endemic to Australia, it grows at high altitude in south eastern New South Wales, where it is often seen in moist areas at the edge of rainforest or by streams in eucalyptus forests. Growing to 6 m (20 ft) high, it has narrow green leaves 4–18 cm (1.6–7.1 in) in length, and 0.5–2 cm (0.20–0.79 in) wide. In spring bears many red flowerheads, each made up of 28 to 65 individual flowers.

<i>Telopea oreades</i> Large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae native to southeastern Australia

Telopea oreades, commonly known as the Gippsland-, mountain- or Victorian waratah, is a large shrub or small tree in the family Proteaceae. Native to southeastern Australia, it is found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest on rich acidic soils high in organic matter. No subspecies are recognised, though a northern isolated population hybridises extensively with the Braidwood waratah (T. mongaensis). Reaching a height of up to 19 metres, T. oreades grows with a single trunk and erect habit. It has dark green leaves with prominent veins that are 11–28 centimetres (4.3–11 in) long and 1.5–6 cm (0.6–2.4 in) wide. The red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in late spring. Each is composed of up to 60 individual flowers.

<i>Telopea truncata</i> Shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to Tasmania

Telopea truncata, commonly known as the Tasmanian waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to Tasmania where it is found on moist acidic soils at altitudes of 600 to 1200 m (2000–4000 ft). Telopea truncata is a component of alpine eucalypt forest, rainforest and scrub communities. It grows as a multistemmed shrub to a height of 3 metres (10 ft), or occasionally as a small tree to 10 m (35 ft) high, with red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appearing over the Tasmanian summer and bearing 10 to 35 individual flowers. Yellow-flowered forms are occasionally seen, but do not form a population distinct from the rest of the species.

<i>Telopea aspera</i> Species of plant in the family Proteaceae from New South Wales in Australia

Telopea aspera, commonly known as Gibraltar Range waratah, is a plant in the family Proteaceae. It grows as a woody shrub to 3 metres (10 ft) high with leathery rough leaves and bright red flower heads known as inflorescences—each composed of hundreds of individual flowers. It is endemic to the New England region in New South Wales in Australia. It was formally described as a species by botanists Peter Weston and Mike Crisp in 1995, separated from its close relative Telopea speciosissima by its rough foliage and preference for dryer habitat. Unlike its better known relative, Telopea aspera has rarely been cultivated.

<i>Alloxylon pinnatum</i> Tree of the family Proteaceae found in south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales

Alloxylon pinnatum, known as Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either pinnate (lobed) and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or lanceolate (spear-shaped) and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in spring and summer; these are made up of 50 to 140 individual flowers arranged in corymb or raceme. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds.

<i>Lomatia silaifolia</i> Species of plant in the family, Proteaceae native to eastern Australia

Lomatia silaifolia, commonly known as crinkle bush or parsley fern, is a plant of the family, Proteaceae native to eastern Australia. Naturally found in open forest, it grows as a small shrub 1–2 m high with highly pinnate leaves reminiscent of parsley. The white inflorescences appear in summer.

References

  1. ↑ Crisp, Michael D.; Weston, Peter H. (1995). "Alloxylon". In McCarthy, Patrick (ed.). Flora of Australia: Volume 16: Eleagnaceae, Proteaceae 1. CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 382–386. ISBN   0-643-05693-9.
  2. 1 2 Wrigley, John; Fagg, Murray (1991). Banksias, Waratahs and Grevilleas. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. pp. 467–68. ISBN   0-207-17277-3.
  3. 1 2 3 2. Oreocallis R. Br., Ulloa Ulloa, C. & P. M. Jørgensen (2004 and onwards), Árboles y arbustos de los Andes del Ecuador
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pennington, R.T. (2007). "Oreocallis". In Ghilean T. Prance; Vanessa Plana; Katie S. Edwards; R. Toby Pennington (eds.). Proteaceae. Flora Neotropica Monograph. Vol. 100. New York: The New York Botanical Garden Press. pp. 31–35.
  5. ↑ Both Weston (2007) and Pennington (2007) describe the inflorescence as being "terminal or lateral" for the genus, but Pennington's account for the only species in the genus simply describes it as having a terminal inflorescence.
  6. 1 2 Weston, P.H. (2007). "Proteaceae". In K. Kubitzki (ed.). The Families and Genera of Flowering Plants: IX Flowering Plants • Eudicots. Berlin: Springer Verlag. pp. 364–404. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-32219-1_42. ISBN   978-3-540-32214-6.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Lawrie. A. S.; Briggs, Barbara G. (1975). "On the Proteaceae: the evolution and classification of a southern family". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 70 (2): 83–182. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1975.tb01644.x.
  8. ↑ Weston, Peter H.; Barker, Nigel P. (2006). "A new suprageneric classification of the Proteaceae, with an annotated checklist of genera" (PDF). Telopea. 11 (3): 314–44. doi: 10.7751/telopea20065733 . Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  9. ↑ Nixon, Paul (1997) [1989]. The Waratah (2nd ed.). East Roseville, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 19. ISBN   0-86417-878-6.
  10. ↑ Dettmann, Mary E.; Jarzen, David M. (1991). "Pollen evidence for Late Cretaceous differentiation of Proteaceae in southern polar forests". Canadian Journal of Botany. 69 (4): 901–06. doi:10.1139/b91-116.
  11. ↑ Martin, A. R. H. (1995). "Palaeogene proteaceous pollen and phylogeny". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 19: 27–40. doi:10.1080/03115519508619096.
  12. 1 2 3 Hazlehurst, Jenny; Cardenas, Santiago; Tinoco, Boris; Karubian, Jordan (2016-11-18). "Pollination ecology of Oreocallis grandiflora (Proteaceae) at the northern and southern ends of its geographic range". Journal of Pollination Ecology. 19. ISSN   1920-7603.
  13. ↑ Homeier, J.; Werner, F. A.; Gradstein, S. R.; Breckle, S.-W.; Richter, M. (2008). "Potential Vegetation and Floristic Composition of Andean Forests in South Ecuador, with a Focus on the RBSF". In Erwin Beck; Jorg Bendix; Ingrid Kottke; Franz Maeschin; Reinhart Mosandl (eds.). Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador. Ecological Studies. Vol. 198. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-73526-7_10. ISBN   978-3-540-73525-0.
  14. ↑ Aragón, Susan; Deborah W. Woodcock (2010). "Plant Community Structure and Conservation of a Northern Peru Sclerophyllous Forest". Biotropica. 42 (2): 262–270. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00578.x.
  15. 1 2 Cárdenas, Santiago; Nivelo-Villavicencio, Carlos; Cárdenas, Juan D.; P, Omar Landázuri; Tinoco, Boris A. (March 2017). "First record of flower visitation by a rodent in Neotropical Proteaceae, Oreocallis grandiflora". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 33 (2): 174–177. doi:10.1017/S0266467417000025. ISSN   0266-4674.
  16. ↑ Pennington refers to the two former species as Mettalura trianthera and Aylcactis cupripennis. Pennington references collectors notes for these species. Neither of these appear to be actual hummingbird species or genera. The names given represent an attempt to correct typographic or transcriptional errors.
  17. ↑ Joyal, Elaine (1987). "Ethnobotanical Field Notes from Ecuador: Camp, Prieto, Jørgensen, and Giler". Economic Botany. 41 (2): 163–189. doi:10.1007/bf02858963. JSTOR   4254956.
  18. ↑ Van den Eynden, Veerle; Eduardo Cueva; Omar Cabrera (2003). "Wild Foods from Southern Ecuador". Economic Botany. 57 (4): 576–603. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2003)057[0576:wffse]2.0.co;2.
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