Polylepis
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| Ruiz & Pav. |
The genus Polylepis belongs to the family of the rose family (Rosaceae). The distribution area of the approximately 26 species extends over the South American Andes from northern Venezuela to northwestern Argentina .
Description and ecology
The small trees and shrubs reach heights between 1 and 32 meters and canopy diameters between 3 and 10 meters. The species of the genus have a reddish, peeling bark and a twisted trunk. The small, leathery, mostly pinnate leaves are covered with resin .
The relatively small flowers are arranged in racemose inflorescences . The flowers contain three to four sepals and 12 to 18 stamens . Petals are not present. Both the pollination and the spread of the fruits take place with the help of the wind ( anemophilia ).
Occurrence
The Polylepis forests are widely distributed and isolated refuge areas across the Andes . There has been an academic debate about the historical development of the Polylepis distribution area and its causes since the 1950s. While some claim that the current distribution in retreat areas is based on a natural development, others believe that the causes in human activity - deforestation for timber, slash and burn and overgrazing - are to be found in a previously largely contiguous forest area.
Most Polylepis species are adapted to the cold climate of the high Andes: The flaking bark ensures insulation through trapped air. The Polylepis forests ( queñuales ), mostly restricted to more protected landscape sections , form an important refuge for a number of herbaceous plants and animals, with Polylepis being the dominant and sometimes the only woody plant species . Only a few Polylepis species in moist mountain forests ( Polylepis multijuga , Polylepis quadrijuga, etc.) and in the border area between Bolivia and Argentina ( Polylepis crista-galli and Polylepis hieronymi ) occur together with trees of other plant species. On the other hand, Polylepis species (e.g. Polylepis pepei , Polylepis tarapacana , Polylepis betteri ) occur at heights where no further trees can otherwise grow. Polylepis tarapacana and Polylepis subsericans still form small forests at altitudes between 4000 and 4850 meters. It is often claimed that on the slopes of Sajama in Sajama National Park in Bolivia, Polylepis tarapacana reaches an altitude of 5200 meters, a stock that is considered to be one of the highest forests in the world. In fact, the highest locations are at 4850 meters. In the Cordillera of the Vilcanota in Peru , the upper limits for Polylepis are 3600 to 4850 meters.
The Polylepis forests represent an important protection against erosion .
Hazard and protection
The Polylepis forests have a unique flora and fauna with habitat specialists and a high degree of endemism . These forests are considered to be one of the most endangered ecosystems in the high Andes, especially since they are the only source of construction and firewood in large areas. More recently, regional programs to protect forests have been launched, with the local population being more or less involved.
Systematics
The genus Polylepis and the type species Polylepis racemosa , found in the Peruvian Andes, were first described in 1798 by the Spanish botanists Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón y Jiménez . The generic name Polylepis is a Greek - Latin mixed word and means "many scaly".
The genus Polylepis belongs to the tribe Sanguisorbeae within the family Rosaceae .
Types (selection)
There are around 16 to 26 species of Polylepis :
- Polylepis betteri Hieron.
- Polylepis crista-galli bitter
- Polylepis hieronymi Pilg.
- Polylepis incana Kunth
- Polylepis lanuginosa Kunth
- Polylepis microphylla (Wedd.) Bitter
- Polylepis multijuga pilgrimage.
- Polylepis quadrijuga bitter
- Polylepis pauta Hieron.
- Polylepis pepei B.B. Simpson
- Polylepis racemosa Ruiz & Pav.
- Polylepis reticulata Hieron.
- Polylepis sericea Wedd.
- Polylepis tarapacana Phil.
- Polylepis weberbaueri pilgrims
Economical meaning
The Polylepis trees are used by the indigenous communities (mostly Quechua or Aymara ) for the production of firewood or construction timber ; the latter is used to make fences and tools. Some Polylepis species are used to cure kidney and respiratory diseases and as a dye. The Polylepis forests are used as pasture for llamas , alpacas , sheep and cattle . In addition, many of the plants that live there serve as medicinal plants .
Common names
In Quechua , the Polylepis types are called qiwuña (pronunciation and spelling variants: qiwiña, qiwña, qiñwa, qiwna, in 5-vowel spelling with e: qeñwa etc.), in Kichwa Ecuador kiñwa or sachakiñwa and in Aymara qiñwa . The Spanish names derived from this are queuña, queñua, queñual and queñuar . In Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador the plants are called yagual in Spanish .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Systema vegetabilium florae peruvianae et chilensis, anno 1798, auctoribus Hippolyto Ruiz et Josepho Pavon. Tomus primus. P. 139, Polylepis .
- ↑ Diccionario Quechua - Español ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2010 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.
- ↑ Teofilo Laime Ajacopa: Iskay simipi yuyayk'ancha. La Paz (Bolivia) 2007.
- ↑ Jorge R. Alderetes, Asociación de investigadores en lengua quechua: Vocabulario del Quichua Santiagueño: qeñwa. .
- ↑ Qheswa simi hamut'ana kuraq suntur: Simi Taqe Qheswa - Español - Qheswa. Qosqo, Perú 2006, p. 458: qewna
- ^ María Claudia Segovia-Salcedo: Species of Polylepis in Ecuador]: quiñua . Retrieved October 28, 2010, no longer available.
- ↑ María Claudia Segovia-Salcedo: [http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ms351892/species-Polylepis.htm The Polylepis forests in Ecuador: quiñua, quinhua, quinua. . Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ A b c James Orton: The Andes and the Amazon: Across the Continent of South America . 2007, p. 27 sachaquiñua .
- ↑ Diccionario Aymara - Español ( Memento of the original from November 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
literature
- Friedrich August Georg Bitter : Revision of the genus Polylepis . In: Botanical Yearbooks for Systematics, Plant History and Plant Geography , Volume 45, 1911, pp. 564–656.
- A. Chepstow-Lusty, M. Winfield: Inca agroforestry: lessons from the past . In: Ambio , Volume 9, No. 6, 2000, pp. 322-328.
- J. Fjeldså, M. Kessler: Conserving the biological diversity of Polylepis woodlands of the highlands on Peru and Bolivia, a contribution to sustainable natural resource management in the Andes . NORDECO, Copenhagen 1996.
- M. Kessler, AN Schmidt-Lebuhn: Taxonomical and distributional notes on Polylepis (Rosaceae) . In: Organisms, Diversity & Evolution , Volume 6, 2006, pp. 67-69.
- Beryl Brintnall Simpson: A revision of the genus Polylepis (Rosaceae: Sanguisorbeae) . In: Smithsonian Contributions to Botany , Volume 43, 1979.
- Beryl Brintnall Simpson: Speciation and specialization of Polylepis in the Andes . In: F. Vullemier, M. Monasterios (Ed.): High altitude tropical biogeography . American Museum of Natural History, Oxford University Press, Oxford 1986.
Web links
- Michael Kessler, Alexander N. Schmidt-Lebuhn: Taxonomical and distributional notes on Polylepis (Rosaceae) (PDF; 1.3 MB), with identification key for the species of the genus Polylepis and description of a new species.
- Description of the genus in woody plants in the Andes of Ecuador. (Spanish).
- Isabell Hensen: Effects of fragmentation, habitat degradation and genetic variability on the regeneration of Polylepis australis forests in Argentina .
- María Claudia Segovia-Salcedo: The Polylepis forests in Ecuador . In English, with pictures.
- Theodore Schall: Polylepis: The World's Highest Forest , accessed July 2, 2007.
- Pictures and descriptions of the Ecuadorian species.
- Polylepis in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.