Marthella trinitatis
| Marthella trinitatis | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Marthella | ||||||||||||
| Urb. | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Marthella trinitatis | ||||||||||||
| Urb. |
Marthella trinitatis is a mykoheterotrophic , leaf-green-free plant species fromthe Burmanniaceae family . It is the only species in its genus . The species was onlycollectedonce in 1883 on El Tucuche , the second highest mountain in Trinidad , and has not been found since then.
description
Marthella trinitatis is an upright and herbaceous species and reaches heights of between 3 and 11 centimeters. It no longer carries out photosynthesis , but lives parasitically on fungi and is completely dependent on them for its nutrition.
The inflorescence axes are purple and unbranched, the leaves narrow-ovate to ovate, tapering to a point, 1.2 to 4 millimeters long and 0.6 to 0.7 millimeters wide.
The inflorescences are either terminal single flowers or forked coils , each 1.8 to 2 millimeters long and with two to nine flowers. The flowers are yellowish and 6 to 7 millimeters long. The capsule fruits are inverted egg-shaped, 1.8 to 2 millimeters long and 1.1 to 1.5 millimeters wide.
Nectaries are available; These are highly complex glandular structures, in which six fused glands, each arranged in pairs, are placed above the ovary .
etymology
The name of the genus honors Martha Urban, b. Kurtz (1854 - 1920), the wife of Ignatz Urban , who first described it . The epithet refers to the place where it was found in Trinidad.
literature
- PJM Maas, H. Maas-van de Kamer, J. van Bentham, HCM Snelders, T. Rübsamen: Burmanniaceae. Flora Neotropica, Monogr. 42: 1-189, 1986