Chilean wax bell
| Chilean wax bell | ||||||||||||
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Chilean wax bell ( Lapageria rosea ), national flower of Chile |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Lapageria | ||||||||||||
| Ruiz & Pav. | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Lapageria rosea | ||||||||||||
| Ruiz & Pav. |
The Chilean wax bell ( Lapageria rosea ), also called Chilean bellflower , is the only plant species of the monotypical genus Lapageria from the family Philesiaceae , which belongs to the order of the lily-like (Liliales). It is the national flower of Chile and is called copihue there.
distribution
The Chilean wax bell is endemic in the temperate rainforests of the Chilean west coast up to about 41 degrees south latitude, in the " Valdivian forests ". Lapageria rosea always thrives in very cool natural locations (but frost-free) in the shade to partial shade.
description
The Chilean wax bell grows as an evergreen liana , i.e. a perennial, woody climbing plant . The alternate leaves are simple, pointed-oval, leathery and about 12 cm long.
The waxy, bell-shaped, bright red over pink to white (depending on the variety) flowers are about 8 cm long and droop. They have six (2 × 3) identically shaped, free bracts ( perigone ). Like all bird-pollinated flowers, they produce a lot of nectar in their six nectaries . The special way in which the nectar is stored in chambers is called a revolver flower . The flowering period extends from midsummer to autumn.
There are berries formed which are edible.
The chromosome number is 2n = 30 + 1B.
ecology
The pollinators are hummingbirds ( Trochilidae , e.g. Chile hummingbird ( Sephanoides sephanoides ) or giant gnome ( Patagona gigas )). The “revolver mechanism” means that the hummingbirds fly around the flower while drinking nectar, which maximizes the success of pollination.
use
The yellow ripening fruit, about the size of a chicken egg, is used raw or cooked. It contains a white, juicy pulp .
Because it has decorative flowers, some varieties of the Chilean wax bell are used as ornamental plants :
Varieties (selection)
- 'Nube Blanca' (white)
- 'White Cloud' (white)
- 'Hugletts Blush' (light pink with white)
- 'Nash Court' (red)
Name declaration
The generic name Lapageria honors Joséphine de Beauharnais , Empress of the French, born as Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie (1763 - 1814). She was married to Alexandre Vicomte de Beauharnais in the first marriage, then the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821) in the second marriage .
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lapageria rosea at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ Entry in Plants for a Future. (English)
- ↑ Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymous plant names . Extended Edition. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Free University Berlin Berlin 2018. [1]
