Xylocarpus granatum

Last updated

Xylocarpus granatum
Xylocarpus granatum.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Xylocarpus
Species:
X. granatum
Binomial name
Xylocarpus granatum

Xylocarpus granatum, commonly known as the cannonball mangrove, cedar mangrove, [2] or puzzlenut tree, [3] is a species of mangrove in the mahogany family (Meliaceae). It is found in Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands. [4] [5] [6] It is a common species of mangrove, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Contents

Description

Xylocarpus granatum is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree, growing to a maximum height of 12 m (39 ft). The trunk has buttresses and above-ground roots which extend for long distances to either side. The bark is brown and smooth, and comes away in flakes. The leaves are pinnate and arranged spirally on the twigs; they have two to four pairs of leaflets and are pale green when young and darken with age. The inflorescence grows in a short panicle in the axil of a leaf or at the end of the shoot. The individual flowers are 8 mm (0.3 in) wide, with parts in fours, and are white or pinkish-yellow. They are followed by large, spherical, woody capsules, 9 to 12 cm (4 to 5 in) in diameter, which split open to reveal up to a dozen seeds. [2] [7] The common name "puzzlenut tree" derives from the irregular shape of the seeds: a puzzle can be made of shuffling the seeds and attempting to reassemble them into the original spherical arrangement. [8]

Distribution and habitat

This species is native to the tropical and sub-tropical Western Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique (in which it is one of ten mangrove species [9] ) to India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, northern Australia and Papua New Guinea; it grows in the higher intertidal zone and is found in estuaries and lining the banks of creeks. [1]

Uses

The wood is hard and durable and can be used for boat-building, construction and making furniture, however the trees are twisted and often hollow so large pieces of timber may not be available; the wood is also used for tool handles and other small items, and can be used as firewood but burns rather quickly. The bark is rich in tannins and has been used for strengthening rope and dying cloth. The bark, fruits and seeds have been used in traditional medicine. [10]

Status

Mangroves in general are under threat from coastal development and from harvesting, and another threat is global warming and the consequent rise in sea levels. Xylocarpus granatum is a common species of mangrove with a very wide range, and it is probably not declining at a sufficient fast rate to be included in any threatened category. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being of "least concern". [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Conocarpus erectus</i> Species of flowering plant

Conocarpus erectus, commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a hardy species of mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae.

<i>Pandanus tectorius</i> Species of plant

Pandanus tectorius is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English include thatch screwpine, Tahitian screwpine, hala tree and pandanus. The fruit is edible and sometimes known as hala fruit.

<i>Avicennia germinans</i> Species of tree

Avicennia germinans, the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and on the Atlantic Coast of tropical Africa, where it thrives on the sandy and muddy shores where seawater reaches. It is common throughout coastal areas of Texas and Florida, and ranges as far north as southern Louisiana and northern Florida in the United States.

<i>Syzygium malaccense</i> Species of plant

Syzygium malaccense is a species of flowering tree native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is one of the species cultivated since prehistoric times by the Austronesian peoples. They were carried and introduced deliberately to Remote Oceania as canoe plants. In modern times, it has been introduced throughout the tropics, including many Caribbean countries and territories.

<i>Cordia subcordata</i> Species of tree

Cordia subcordata is a species of flowering tree in the borage family. It can be found growing in eastern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands including Hawaii. The plant is known by a variety of names, including kou, beach cordia, sea trumpet, and kerosene wood.

<i>Plumeria rubra</i> Species of tree

Plumeria rubra is a deciduous plant species belonging to the genus Plumeria. Originally native to Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Venezuela, it has been widely cultivated in subtropical and tropical climates worldwide and is a popular garden and park plant, as well as being used in temples and cemeteries. It grows as a spreading tree to 7–8 m (23–26 ft) high and wide, and is flushed with fragrant flowers of shades of pink, white and yellow over the summer and autumn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ao Phang Nga National Park</span> Marine protected area in southern Thailand

Ao Phang Nga National Park, located in the Phang Nga Province of the Southern Thailand, encompasses parts of Mueang Phang Nga District and Takua Thung District. The park is predominantly maritime, featuring a section of the Strait of Malacca dotted with numerous limestone tower karst islands. Among these islands, Khao Phing Kan stands out as particularly well-known, having gained the nickname 'James Bond Island' due to its use as a filming location for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinea mangroves</span> Mangrove ecoregion that covers extensive areas of the coastline New Guinea

The New Guinea mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion that covers extensive areas of the coastline New Guinea, the large island in the western Pacific Ocean north of Australia.

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

Xylocarpus is a genus of plants in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It contains 3 described species, all of which are mangroves. The native range of the genus is the coasts of the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific Ocean. It is the only mangrove genus in Meliaceae.

<i>Eucalyptus salmonophloia</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus salmonophloia, commonly known as salmon gum, wurak or weerluk or woonert or marrlinja. is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between nine and thirteen, creamy white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

<i>Avicennia alba</i> Species of plant

Avicennia alba is a species of tropical mangrove in the family Acanthaceae. It is found growing in coastal and estuarine locations in India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Oceania.

<i>Endiandra discolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Endiandra discolor is a tree in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern Australia from central New South Wales to northeastern Queensland. Common names include rose walnut and domatia tree. It grows in tropical, subtropical or warm temperate rainforest, particularly on the poorer volcanic soil types, and alluvial soil near streams. It was first described in 1870, and has been given the conservation status of least concern.

<i>Heritiera fomes</i> Species of tree

Heritiera fomes is a species of mangrove tree in the family Malvaceae. Its common names include sunder, sundri, jekanazo and pinlekanazo. It is the dominant mangrove tree species of the Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India, and comprises about 70% of the trees in the area. H. fomes is a major timber-producing tree. It is threatened by over-harvesting, water diversions in the Ganges Basin, fluctuations in salinity due to upstream and coastal development and top dying disease. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being "endangered".

<i>Oncosperma tigillarium</i> Species of palm tree

Oncosperma tigillarium, commonly known as Nibong palm is an Asian species of palm tree in the family Arecaceae.

<i>Rhizophora mucronata</i> Species of plant

Rhizophora mucronata is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.

<i>Lumnitzera racemosa</i> Species of tree

Lumnitzera racemosa, commonly known as the white-flowered black mangrove, is a species of mangrove in the family Combretaceae. It is found on the eastern coast of Africa and other places in the western Indo-Pacific region. It has one accepted variety from the noniminate species which is Lumnitzera racemosa var. lutea (Gaudich.) Exell.

<i>Xylocarpus moluccensis</i> Species of tree

Xylocarpus moluccensis is a tree in the family Meliaceae. It is named for the Moluccas archipelago.

<i>Ceriops australis</i> Species of flowering plant

Ceriops australis, the yellow mangrove or smooth-fruited yellow mangrove, is a species of mangrove in the family Rhizophoraceae, native to tropical northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is a common species in the region and although mangroves are threatened by habitat destruction and climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<i>Cynometra ramiflora</i> Species of legume

A tree in the family Fabaceae, Cynometra ramiflora is found in mangroves and flooded forests from New Caledonia in the western Pacific west to Queensland in Australia, New Guinea, Island Southeast Asia, and Tropical Asia as far west as India. Its wood is used for construction and fuel, and parts of plant are ascribed medicinal use.

<i>Endospermum myrmecophilum</i> Species of flowering plant

Endospermum myrmecophilum, commonly known as the whitewood, is a dioecious plant that grows in the tropical islands. It grows in tropical humid climates. The species is well known for timber.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ellison, J.; Koedam, N.E.; Wang, Y.; Primavera, J.; Jin Eong, O.; Wan-Hong Yong, J.; Ngoc Nam, V. (2010). "Xylocarpus granatum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T178845A7624881. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T178845A7624881.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Cannonball mangrove". Flowers of India. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. ↑ Ross, Malcolm. Concluding notes, 427–436. In Ross, Malcolm; Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds). The lexicon of Proto Oceanic: The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society. Volume 3: Plants. 2008. Pacific Linguistics 599.
  4. ↑ J. S. Bunt, W. T. Williams & N. C. Duke (March 1982). "Mangrove distributions in north-east Australia". Journal of Biogeography . 9 (2): 111–120. doi:10.2307/2844696. JSTOR   2844696.
  5. ↑ "Xylocarpus granatum". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Xylocarpus granatum". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. ↑ "Xylocarpus granatum J. Koenig, 1784". Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. ↑ Wise, Rosemary (1998). A Fragile Eden: Portraits of the Endemic Plants of the Granitic Seychelles. Princeton, NJ, U.S.A.: Princeton University Press. ISBN   0691048177.
  9. ↑ The World's Mangroves, 1980–2005: A Thematic Study in the Framework of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2007. pp. 15–17. ISBN   978-92-5-105856-5.
  10. ↑ Fern, Ken (13 June 2019). "Xylocarpus granatum". Useful Tropical Plants Database. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.