Dipteryx oleifera
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Dipteryx oleifera is a plant in the subfamily of Schmetterlingsblütler (Faboideae) within the family of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae). Its distribution area is in the Neotropic and it is called Almendro de montaña from almendra for almond. Due to its pink flowers , Dipteryx oleifera is also used as an ornamental plant in Panama.
description
Appearance and leaf
Dipteryx oleifera grows as a tall tree that reaches heights of 40 to over 50 meters and trunk diameters of up to 1 meter. It forms buttress roots . The young tree has a white, supple bark that becomes rough over the years; the white color is later reduced to individual spots, the bark then appears in various shades of brown. The light to slightly reddish wood is extremely hard and is one of the world's heaviest precious woods .
The leaves are pinnate and consist of 11 to 13 change-constant pinna leaflets , often dominates the blade spindle ( rachis ) beyond the last disc. The petiole and rachis are narrowly winged. The petiole is 6 to 15 cm, the leaves up to 30 cm long, the elliptical leaflets are 7 to 22 cm long and 3 to 7 cm wide.
Inflorescence, flower, fruit and seed
Dipteryx oleifera usually blooms in the rainy season from March to July. In 40 cm long panicle inflorescences , the flowers stand together at the end of the branches. The purple, hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and about 2 cm in size.
In the dry season , the tree sheds its fruit. The fleshy, gray-green, later turning brown legume becomes 6 to 8 cm long and 3 cm wide. It has an extremely hard shell. The single seed is wrapped in a furry, sweet pulp. It is somewhat sickle-shaped, 3 to 3.5 cm long and 1.2 to 1.5 cm wide. The seed coat (testa) is thin, the color is dark purple-brown.
Occurrence
The distribution area of Dipteryx oleifera is in the Neotropic and extends from the Caribbean coast of southern Nicaragua through Costa Rica and Panama to Colombia . In Costa Rica, Dipteryx oleifera is the only species of the Dipteryx genus . The Almendro de montaña occurs in the tropical lowlands and in the mountains up to 900 meters. He prefers sandy, but also tolerates acidic soils .
use
The wood of the Almendro de montaña is particularly hard and difficult to work with. Objects and furniture made from Almendro are particularly weather-resistant. Along with mahogany, it is one of the sought-after tropical woods.
The shiny seed is edible and has a sweet and tart taste. An oil can be extracted from the mesocarp of the fruit, from which soap is made and which is used for hair care and stomach problems.
Importance to animals
The fruit is of great importance for the survival of the great soldier's macaw. Many mammals such as monkeys, coatis and rodents also eat the fragrant fruits. The gnawed, furry-looking fruits can often be found under trees in the early dry season.
Systematics
Dipteryx oleifera is a kind of the genus Dipteryx in the subfamily of Schmetterlingsblütler (Faboideae). The first description of Dipteryx oleifera was made in 1850 by George Bentham in Hooker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany . Synonyms for Dipteryx oleifera Benth. are Coumarouna panamensis Pittier and Dipteryx panamensis (Pittier) Record & Mell .
Naming
The popular name of the "Almendro de Montaña" is often translated as "mountain almond". At first glance, this may be the correct translation from Spanish, because "Montaña" also means "mountain". In terms of language etymology, however, there are many indications that it should actually be called "forest almond". According to the equivalent of the German dudens, the "Real Academia Española", "montaña" means "(dense) forest" or "jungle" in Costa Rica, a country of origin of the tree. In fact, the tree is also found in the lowlands. Another popular name is " tonka bean tree ".
media
The documentary film "Almendro - Tree of Life" (EPO, DVD: 2007) depicts the Almendro as a habitat for numerous species, especially the Soldier Macaw , whose main food is the kernels of the Almendro fruits, which makes it a major contributor to the spread of the Almendro, because it does not open 2/3 of the fruit, but lets it fall to the ground.
swell
Web links
- Almendro. In: Baumlexikon. Forest Finance, accessed January 7, 2012 .
- Forest almond. In: Description of the tree with numerous detailed photos. Plantaciones Edelman, accessed on June 27, 2013 (German).
- Dipteryx oleifera (PDF; 1.12 MB), from bfn.de, accessed on November 18, 2016.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Almendro. In: Baumlexikon. Forest Finance, accessed January 7, 2012 .
- ^ A b Richard Condit, Rolando Pérez, Nefertaris Daguerre: Trees of Panama and Costa Rica. Princeton University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0691147079 , p. 220.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Margaret Gargiullo, Barbara Magnuson, Larry Kimball: A Field Guide to Plants of Costa Rica. Oxford University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0195188240
- ^ Dipteryx oleifera in Flora de Nicaragua
- ^ A b c M. M. Grandtner, Julien Chevrette: Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0123964908 , p. 206
- ↑ René López Camacho, Martín Iván Montero Gonzalez: Manual de identificación de especies forestales con manejo certificable por comunidades. 2005, ISBN 958-9759742 , pp. 17-18.
- ↑ Almond. In: Description of the tree with numerous detailed photos. Plantaciones Edelman, accessed on June 27, 2013 (German).
- ^ Dipteryx oleifera. In: Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture, accessed January 7, 2011 .
- ^ "Montaña" in the RAE dictionary. Real Academia Española, accessed September 21, 2016 (Spanish).