Ruptiliocarpon
Ruptiliocarpon | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Celastrales |
Family: | Lepidobotryaceae |
Genus: | Ruptiliocarpon Hammel & N.Zamora |
Species: | R. caracolito
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Binomial name | |
Ruptiliocarpon caracolito Hammel & N.Zamora
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Ruptiliocarpon is a
The seed is surrounded by two
Taxonomic history
Ruptiliocarpon was named and described by Barry Hammel and Nelson Zamora in the journal
Novon published two other studies of Ruptiliocarpon in the same issue. They confirmed that Ruptiliocarpon was closely related to Lepidobotrys, but came to no firm conclusions on the relationships of this pair to other groups of rosids. One study found that the wood anatomy of Ruptiliocarpon was very much like that of Lepidobotrys and shared some traits with the wood anatomy of Trichilia, a member of the family Meliaceae.[5] The wood of Ruptiliocarpon was different from the wood of all others to which it was compared in having vestured pits on the walls of its xylem cells. Another study found some similarities in flower structure with Meliaceae, but also found that ovule and seed morphology suggested a relationship with Phyllanthaceae, a family that the authors did not consider to be separate from Euphorbiaceae.[6]
Names
Cedro caracolito is not a
Ruptiliocarpon caracolito has long been known to local inhabitants, but it was not named and described in the botanical literature until 1993, when sufficient material for such a description was finally collected. At that time, Barry Hammel and Nelson Zamora named it Ruptiliocarpon caracolito, basing their description mostly on specimens from Costa Rica.
Ruptiliocarpon is a
When Hammel and Zamora described Ruptiliocarpon, two other detailed studies of its anatomy were published at the same time.[5][6] These studies confirmed that Ruptiliocarpon was correctly placed in Lepidobotryaceae, but they were inconclusive about the relationships of Lepidobotryaceae to other families. The authors suggested possible relationships to the Meliaceae and Phyllanthaceae, but it is now known that Lepidobotryaceae belongs in Celastrales.
Seasons
In Costa Rica, R. caracolito blooms in late March and early April, soon after the emergence of new leaves. The flowers are small and green and they attract little attention. Because of this, and because of the short flowering time, flowering material has rarely been collected. The fruits mature by the following January and remain on the tree into February. Trees are easily grown from seed.
Description
Because R. caracolito was not botanically described until 1993, descriptions of Lepidobotryaceae from before that time are obsolete.
The
Ruptiliocarpon caracolito is a tree, 20 to 30 m, or rarely 40 m tall. The trunk is straight and 50 to 90 cm in diameter at breast height.
The
The flowers are small and green with five sepals and five petals that are nearly alike. The flower bud opens only slightly, producing a small hole in its end. The male and female flowers are only slightly different in appearance, with each tree bearing flowers of only one sex.
The 10 stamens are united into a tube, which secretes
The fruit is a capsule, 2.5 to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide, containing one, or rarely, two seeds. The capsule breaks up and its pieces fall, leaving the seed and the surrounding endocarps. The endocarps then fall, leaving the seeds hanging on the tree. The seed is shiny and black with its lower third covered by an orange aril.
Relationships
Ruptiliocarpon caracolito is one of only two species in the family Lepidobotryaceae, the other being the small African tree
Ruptiliocarpon caracolito differs from L. staudtii in several characters. The stigma is short, rather than elongated,
References
- ^ Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. Flowering Plant Families of the World. Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada. (2007).
- ^ a b Klaus Kubitzky. "Lepidobotryaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants vol.VI. Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, Germany (2004).
- ^ a b c d Hammel, 1993
- ^ Barry E. Hammel and Nelson A. Zamora (1993). "Ruptiliocarpon(Lepidobotryaceae): A New Arborescent Genus and Tropical American Link to Africa, with a Reconsideration of the Family". Novon 3(4):408-417.
- ^ a b Alberta M.W. Mennega (1993). "Comparative Wood Anatomy of Ruptiliocarpon caracolito (Lepidobotryaceae)". Novon 3(4):418-422.
- ^ a b Hiroshi Tobe and Barry E. Hammel (1993). "Floral Morphology, Embryology, and Seed Anatomy of Ruptiliocarpon caracolito (Lepidobotryaceae)". Novon 3(4):423-428.
- ^ Glossary In: Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. In: Missouri Botanical Garden Website. (see External links below).