Manihot walkerae

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Manihot walkerae

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Manihot
Species:
M. walkerae
Binomial name
Manihot walkerae

Manihot walkerae, commonly known as Walker's manihot,[3] is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to North America.

Description

Manihot walkerae is a

peltate leaves are alternate, simple, glabrous, 5–14 centimetres (2–5+1⁄2 inches) long and 4–11 cm (1+1⁄2–4+1⁄2 in) wide. They are palmately lobed, with 3–5 pandurate to halberd-shaped lobes. The white flowers occur in androgynous, axillary, subspicate racemes. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule 10–12 millimetres (3⁄8–1⁄2 in) in length.[4]

Taxonomy

The specific name honours amateur botanist Thelma Ratcliff (Mrs. E. J.) Walker, who discovered the type specimen near Mission and La Joya, Texas in 1942.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Walker's manihot is native to the

Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States and Tamaulipas in Mexico
.

It generally grows under the branches of larger shrubs and trees. In Texas, this species inhabits

Manfreda longiflora, and Physaria thamnophila.[4]

Conservation

Manihot walkerae was added to the U.S. endangered species list on 2 October 1991 and the Texas endangered species list on 30 March 1993.[4] NatureServe considers it critically imperiled, as the wild population is estimated to be less than 1,000 plants.[1] Protected populations occur in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, while cultivated specimens exist at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the University of Texas at Austin,[7] and Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.[6]

Uses

Walker's manihott is a close relative of the widely cultivated

postharvest physiological deterioration. This trait can be passed to M. esculenta × M. walkerae hybrids,[8] allowing the roots to remain intact one month after harvest.[9]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manihot walkerae.
Wikispecies has information related to Manihot walkerae.
  1. ^ a b "Manihot walkerae - Croizat Walker's Manihot". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  2. ^ "Manihot walkerae". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  3. ^ "Manihot walkerae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-1-58544-557-8
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-89672-473-0
    .
  6. ^ a b Mild, Christina (2003). "Manihot walkerae" (PDF). Rio Delta Wild. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. ^ a b Barrett, Cindy (2010-03-04). "Manihot walkerae". CPC National Collection Plant Profiles. Center for Plant Conservation. Archived from the original on 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  8. ISBN 9780387927657
    .
  9. ISBN 9780387927657
    .
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