Lizard root
| Lizard root | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lizardwort ( Typhonium venosum ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Typhonium venosum | ||||||||||||
| ( Aiton ) Hett. & PCBoyce |
The lizard root ( Typhonium venosum , syn .: Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. Ex Aiton) Kunth ) is a species of plant in the genus Typhonium from the family of the arum plants (Araceae). In English she is called "Voodoo Lily". Your tuber is also known as a miracle tuber because it can bloom without water or soil. It is rarely found as an ornamental plant in Central Europe , although its care is quite simple. It is cultivated in botanical gardens or by plant lovers.
distribution
This species has natural areas in Bhutan , northwestern India ( Simla ), Myanmar , Nepal , Sikkim and in the Chinese provinces: Yunnan and Xizang . Overall, their range extends from tropical Africa to Yunnan. It grows in evergreen rainforests , secondary vegetation, in meadows by rivers and on roadsides at altitudes of 1350 to 2030 meters.
description
.jpg)
Vegetative characteristics
The lizard root is a perennial herbaceous plant . It is one of the geophytes , plants that spend unfavorable seasons in the form of underground storage organs. In the case of the lizard root, it is a starchy tuber that can reach a diameter of up to 20 cm. The tubers begin to sprout between February and April (depending on the temperature). An inflorescence appears first. Only after its blooming do one, sometimes two, large, pinnate leaves develop per plant with seven to eleven leaflets and a spotted, 20 to 50 cm long petiole. The plant takes the energy to drive out the inflorescence exclusively from its storage tuber. Young tubers are formed above the mother tuber.
The leaves carry out photosynthesis in the summer and provide the energy for the formation of a new tuber, while the previous year's storage organ shrinks to a dried-up membrane. In autumn, the plant then begins to transport its entire energy reserves into the underground tuber. The leaves and the roots become withered and die. In this form, the lizard root also tolerates light frosts and can sprout again in spring.
Generative characteristics
The lizard root is a type of plant with a very sophisticated pollination mechanism. It works in a similar way to that of the Arum .
Structure of the inflorescence: The Lizardroot is single-sexed ( monoecious ). In most of the arum plants, the flowers are combined into a functional unit. What looks like a single flower is actually a whole inflorescence with a piston and spathe (bract of the arum family). As with most species of the family, the male and female flowers of the lizard root are arranged separately from each other on the piston (lat. Spadix ). The male flowers consist only of stamens with very short stamens; they are located in the upper part of the piston, this zone is 1 to 13 cm long. The female flowers are reduced to ovaries and stigmas and are located in the lower part of the piston. There is an 8 to 8.5 cm long sterile zone between the male and female zones; There are club-shaped, sterile flowers over a length of about 1.0 to 1.8 cm. The piston merges into a long process above the male flowers. The entire inflorescence including the appendage is covered by a bract (lat. Spathe), which is reddish-yellow spotted, tapering to a point and 32 to 44 cm long. Around the flower zone it is bulbous, closed in the shape of a cup and forms a so-called cauldron trap for insects.
Pollination Mechanism : The sophisticated mechanism of pollination takes place in a two-day cycle:
Day 1: The spathe, which encloses the inflorescence, opens in the morning and reveals the brownish-violet, shiny piston and the kettle entrance. The lizard root is mainly pollinated by flies and other scavenging insects. The piston produces a pungent odor of carrion and dung that the insects can smell over long distances. In addition, the red-brown spotted spathe imitates the appearance of decaying meat, which is also attractive to the insects. But the luring mechanism is even more special. Inside the kettle, above the female flowers, there are so-called club-shaped organs that also produce a scent. This differs very much from the carrion odor of the piston, it is rather pleasant, citrus-like. This second smell is probably used to direct the attracted animals into the interior of the trap. These land on the plant, are lured into the opening of the spathe, slide off the smooth inner walls and land at the bottom of the kettle. The female flowers are also located there.
Fertilization can only take place if the insects have already brought pollen with them from a visit to another lizard root. The prisoners are held overnight, the spathe even curves over the opening and closes it to prevent them from escaping.
On the 2nd day of the flowering cycle, the stamens of the male flowers open and release the pollen that trickles down on the flies and through which they crawl. The spathe opens again, it becomes withered and the previously slippery surface becomes accessible for the insects. The pollen-laden animals leave the inflorescence, which no longer smells so seductive. With a bit of luck, you will end up on another lizard-root inflorescence that is just ready for pollination, and the procedure starts all over again.
Fruits and seeds
Red berries are formed. The egg-shaped seeds are about 1.8 mm wide.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 26.
Systematics
Synonyms for Typhonium venosum ( Aiton ) Hett. & PCBoyce are: Sauromatum venosum ( Ait. ) Kunth , Sauromatum abyssinicum Schott , Sauromatum guttatum (Wall.) Schott , Arum guttatum Ait. The species of the genus Sauromatum were incorporated into the genus Typhonium .
literature
- Yasin J. Nasir: Araceae in the Flora of Pakistan : Sauromatum venosum - Online. (Section description)
- Plant portrait lizard root, Bochum Botanical Association
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Sauromatum venosum. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Tropicos. [1]
- ^ Wilbert Hetterscheid: Current systematics. ( Memento of the original from November 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
