Trilepisium

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Urnfigs
Trilepisium madagascariense00.jpg
T. madagascariense
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Tribe: Dorstenieae
Genus: Trilepisium
Thouars (1806)
Species [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • BosqueiaThouars ex Baill. (1863)
  • PontyaA.Chev. (1909)

Trilepisium, the urnfigs or false-figs, is a small Afrotropical genus of plants in family Moraceae. They grow to medium-sized or large trees that occur in evergreen and semi-deciduous forests, flooded forests or forest patches and often along rivers and streams, [2] and at elevations of up to 2,000 m [3] and over. [4]

Description

The bole may be 60 cm wide, and is often fluted at the base. [4] The smooth, grey bark is very lenticellate [5] and exudes a cream-coloured latex when damaged. [3] The yellowish to pinkish slash turns purple-red as it dries. [5] They usually branch high up to form a small and loosely pyramidal crown [4] with drooping twigs. Stipules of terminal buds eventually leave annular scars. [5]

The glossy and very dark elliptic leaves have a prominent driptip, [2] and measure up to 14 cm long. [3] They are glossy below, and have two small lobes at the base. [5]

The flowers appear in spring and are arranged in a whitish to mauve puff. [3] The puff is about 1 cm in diameter, [2] and consists of staminate male flowers and pistillate female flowers, without perianths, [3] which obscure the view of the receptacle. [6] The flowers protrude from the open apex of an urn-shaped receptacle which is about 1.5 cm long. [2]

The fig-like fruit, embedded in the fleshy receptacles, are some 2 cm long. [3] They are ellipsoidal in shape and hold a nutlet each. [2] [5] Ripe fruit have the appearance of blue plums. [5]

Species

The two species are distinguished on floral characteristics: [7]

Uses and species associations

The wood of T. madagascariense is suitable for furniture, and the sap yields a red dye. [2] Its roasted seeds are eaten and it is sometimes cultivated. [4] A methanol extract, fractions and isoliquiritigenin from T. madagascariense stem bark has been shown to possess antidiarrheal activities, [8] and previously unknown trilepisflavan and trilepisuimic acid compounds were isolated from it in 2012. [9]

Trilepisium madagascariense is a larval foodplant for the butterfly Cyrestis camillus sublineata . [2] On the Seychelles the seeds are likely dispersed by frugivorous birds and fruit bats, but the pollinators are unknown. [7]

Related Research Articles

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

The Moraceae—often called the mulberry family or fig family—are a family of flowering plants comprising about 38 genera and over 1100 species. Most are widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less so in temperate climates; however, their distribution is cosmopolitan overall. The only synapomorphy within the Moraceae is presence of laticifers and milky sap in all parenchymatous tissues, but generally useful field characters include two carpels sometimes with one reduced, compound inconspicuous flowers, and compound fruits. The family includes well-known plants such as the fig, banyan, breadfruit, jackfruit, mulberry, and Osage orange. The 'flowers' of Moraceae are often pseudanthia.

<i>Ficus benjamina</i> Species of fig

Ficus benjamina, commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia. It is the official tree of Bangkok. The species is also naturalized in the West Indies and in the states of Florida and Arizona in the United States. It is one of the most common trees in Israeli cities and parks. In its native range, its small fruit are favored by some birds.

<i>Zanthoxylum clava-herculis</i> Species of tree

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, the Hercules' club, Hercules-club, pepperwood, or southern prickly ash, is a spiny tree or shrub native to the southeastern United States. It grows to 10–17 m tall and has distinctive spined thick, corky lumps 2–3 cm long on the bark. The leaves are glabrous and leathery, pinnately compound, 20–30 cm long with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet 4–5 cm long. The flowers are dioecious, in panicles up to 20 cm long, each flower small, 6–8 mm diameter, with 3-5 white petals. The fruit is a two-valved capsule 6 mm diameter with a rough surface, and containing several small black seeds. The tree has also been called Z. macrophyllum. The genus name is sometimes spelled Xanthoxylum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syconium</span> Type of fruit produced by plants of the genus Ficus

Syconium is the type of fruit borne by figs, formed by an enlarged, fleshy, hollow receptacle with multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, it is really a fleshy stem with a number of flowers, so it is considered both a multiple and accessory fruit.

<i>Ficus lyrata</i> Species of flowering plant in the fig and mulberry family Moraceae

Ficus lyrata, commonly known as the fiddle-leaf fig, banjo fig, fiddle-leaved fig tree, lyre leaf fig tree, or lyre-leaved fig tree, is a species of plant in the mulberry and fig family Moraceae. It is native to western Africa, but is cultivated around the world as an ornamental plant. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Trilepisium gymnandrum is a species of Trilepisium that is endemic to the Seychelles, where it is threatened by habitat loss. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Five mature individuals are known in two sub-populations in the mid to high altitude forests of Silhouette Island. The 18th century populations of the larger Mahé and Praslin islands have presumably been extirpated.

<i>Ficus aurea</i> Species of strangler fig

Ficus aurea, commonly known as the Florida strangler fig, golden fig, or higuerón, is a tree in the family Moraceae that is native to the U.S. state of Florida, the northern and western Caribbean, southern Mexico and Central America south to Panama. The specific epithet aurea was applied by English botanist Thomas Nuttall who described the species in 1846.

<i>Ficus obliqua</i> A tree, the small-leaved fig

Ficus obliqua, commonly known as the small-leaved fig, is a tree in the family Moraceae, native to eastern Australia, New Guinea, eastern Indonesia to Sulawesi and islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Previously known for many years as Ficus eugenioides, it is a banyan of the genus Ficus, which contains around 750 species worldwide in warm climates, including the edible fig. Beginning life as a seedling, which grows on other plants (epiphyte) or on rocks (lithophyte), F. obliqua can grow to 60 m (200 ft) high and nearly as wide with a pale grey buttressed trunk, and glossy green leaves.

<i>Semecarpus australiensis</i> Species of tree in the family Anacardiaceae

Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew, sumac and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.

<i>Paratrophis pendulina</i> Species of tree

Paratrophis pendulina is a species of flowering plant in the mulberry family, Moraceae. In Australia it is commonly known as whalebone tree, and other common names include the white handlewood, axe-handle wood, grey handlewood and prickly fig. In Hawaii it is known as Hawai'i roughbush or aʻiaʻi in Hawaiian.

<i>Ficus lutea</i> Species of flowering plant

Ficus lutea is a medium to large sized deciduous tree in the family Moraceae. It is commonly known as the giant-leaved fig or Lagos rubbertree. These trees occur from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Tropical Africa.

<i>Ficus sur</i> Species of fig

Ficus sur, with the common names Cape fig and broom cluster fig, is a widespread Afrotropical species of cauliflorous fig.

<i>Ficus subpisocarpa</i> Species of fig

Ficus subpisocarpa is a species of small deciduous tree native to Japan, China, Taiwan and southeast Asia to the Moluccas (Ceram). Two subspecies are recognised. Terrestrial or hemiepiphytic, it reaches a height of 7 m (23 ft). Ants predominantly of the genus Crematogaster have been recorded living in stem cavities. Ficus subpisocarpa is pollinated by Platyscapa ishiiana (Agaonidae).

<i>Dillenia alata</i> Species of plant in the family Dilleniaceae

Dillenia alata, commonly known as red beech, golden guinea flower or golden guinea tree, is a tree in the Dilleniaceae family, found in tropical forests of the Moluccas, New Guinea, and northern Australia.

<i>Ficus auriculata</i> Species of fig

Ficus auriculata is a type of fig tree, native to subtropical parts of Asia. It is noted for its big and round leaves and edible fruit.

<i>Trilepisium madagascariense</i> Species of tree

Trilepisium madagascariense, the urnfig or false-fig, is a species of plant in the family Moraceae, with an extensive range in the subtropical and tropical Afrotropics. It grows to a medium-sized or large tree in primary or secondary forest, or in forest patches, and is rarely cultivated.

<i>Dorstenia barteri</i> Species of flowering plant

Dorstenia barteri is a West African plant species belonging to the family Moraceae.

<i>Hypericum foliosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum foliosum, the shining St John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae. It is a bushy shrub endemic to the Portuguese Azores Islands with golden yellow petals and many stems. The species was described by William Aiton in 1789 and was later placed into section Androsaemum of the genus Hypericum by Norman Robson in 1984. It has a diverse essential oil profile made up mostly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, and significant concentrations of various medicinally useful phenols and carotenoids. Populations of the plant are small in number, but quick to colonize cleared areas like groves, landslide areas, and volcanic ash deposits. It is parasitized by fungus and by moth species, but is not considered endangered by the IUCN. H. foliosum is used in traditional medicine on the Azores for diuretic, hepatoprotective, and antihypertensive purposes. It also has in vitro antibiotic and antioxidizing capabilities.

Ficus amplissima, also known as the Indian bat tree, Indian bat fig, Pimpri, Pipri (Piparee), Pipali or Bilibasari mara is a tree species of flowering plants that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is native to Central and southern Peninsular India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, having a significant distribution throughout Western Ghats of India. It is most commonly planted to provide shade in coffee plantations due to its dense and wide foliage. The ripened figs attract many birds, especially during the spring.

<i>Ficus laurifolia</i> Species of flowering plants

Ficus laurifolia is an hemi-epiphytic species that sometimes grows as a shrub or liana or as a tree, the species is within the family Moraceae.

References

  1. 1 2 Trilepisium Thouars. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Van Wyk, Braam; et al. (1997). Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik. p. 82. ISBN   978-1-86825-922-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hyde, M.; et al. "Trilepisium madagascariense DC". Flora of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Trilepisium madagascariense DC". Base de données des plantes d'Afrique. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & SANBI. 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jongkind, C.; et al. "Trilepisium madagascariense". Fauna and Flora of Liberia. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  6. Robertson, Hamish. "Trilepisium madagascariense (Urn-fig)". Biodiversity explorer. Iziko Museums. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 Baguette, F.; Baboorun, T.; Harryba, S.; Senterre, B.; Beech, E. (2018). "Trilepisium gymnandrum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T44005A127865223. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T44005A127865223.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. Kuiate, Jules-Roger; Kuete, Victor; Teponno, Remy Bertrand; Tapondjou, Leon Azefack; Vilarem, Gerard; Teke, Gerald Ngo (2010). "Antidiarrheal activity of extracts and compound from Trilepisium madagascariense stem bark". Indian Journal of Pharmacology. 42 (3): 157–63. doi: 10.4103/0253-7613.66839 . PMC   2937317 . PMID   20871767.
  9. Ango, Patrick Y.; Kapche, Deccaux W.F.G.; Kuete, Victor; Ngadjui, Bonaventure T.; Bezabih, Merhatibeb; Abegaz, Berhanu M. (September 2012). "Chemical constituents of Trilepisium madagascariense (Moraceae) and their antimicrobial activity". Phytochemistry Letters. 5 (3): 524–528. Bibcode:2012PChL....5..524A. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2012.05.006.