Portia tree
| Portia tree | ||||||||||||
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Thespesia populnea |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Thespesia populnea | ||||||||||||
| ( L. ) Sol. ex Corrêa |
The portia tree ( Thespesia populnea ) or coastal tropical hibiscus , poplar-leaved marshmallow , coastal hibiscus is a species of plant that belongs to the genus tropical hibiscus ( Thespesia ) within the mallow family (Malvaceae). The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word pōpulneus, pōpulnus, pōpuleus for poplar, because of the similar leaves and because of the wood, which is dark in the core like the poplar and light red in the sapwood.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Thespesia populnea grows as an evergreen, large shrub or small tree with heights between 3 and 20 meters. The trunk diameter reaches over 60 centimeters. The bark of the branches is covered with tiny, brown shield hairs. The thick bark on older specimens is brown and furrowed.
The mostly poplar-like, simple leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 4 to 10 cm long. The egg, heart-shaped to triangular, round-pointed to pointed or tailed leaf blade is 7 to 18 cm wide and 4.5 to 12 cm long. The leaf margin is whole and the veins are palmate. The thread-like to lanceolate, sloping stipules are 4 to 8.5 mm long.
Generative characteristics
The stalked flowers stand individually in the leaf axils. The intensely scaled, with a "joint" subdivided flower stalk is 2.5 to 8.5 cm long. The hermaphroditic, radial symmetry and white or yellow flower is five-fold with a double flower envelope . The three- to four-lobed calyx is 8 to 10 mm long and sloping. The intensely scaled, cup-shaped, leathery and trimmed calyx has a diameter of 1 to 1.5 cm and ends with five minimal, about 0.5 mm long calyx teeth. The five roof-top petals up to 7–8 cm long, standing together in a funnel shape, are noticeable through the red spots at their base. The columna of the overgrown stamens is about 2.5 cm long, the anthers are protruding with short stamens. The multilocular ovary is upper constant with long stylus and lobed, lobe-shaped scar .
The initially green, when ripe, brownish, spherical to pear-shaped, slightly angular and multi-seeded, usually non-opening, finely-scaled capsule fruits with a constant calyx, have a diameter of 3–4.5 cm, are leathery and somewhat fleshy. The flat, triangular to egg-shaped, furrowed and brownish seeds are up to about 1–1.5 cm long and 6–8 mm wide and can have silky hair. The buoyant seeds ripen all year round and can germinate for several months.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 26.
distribution
The wind and salt tolerant plant is native to the coastal regions of Africa and tropical Asia . It is naturalized on the West Indies and in Florida , today it is pantropically widespread as a shade tree and wind protection, especially in locations near the coast. Spreading is facilitated by the floating fruits.
use
Almost all parts of the plant are used. Young leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable or salad in India. The seeds are used as a laxative. Bast fibers are produced from the bark. A yellow dye is made from the flowers and fruits.
The very heavy wood is valued for its good properties (tight and durable) in boat building and for the production of high-quality furniture.
This tree is the most important tree for the inhabitants of the Pacific Islands ( Melanesia , Micronesia , Polynesia ).
Systematics
This species is first mentioned in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , 2, p. 694. Hibiscus populneus . In 1807 the description of the new genus Thespesia with the type Thespesia populnea by Daniel Carl Solander in José Francisco Corrêa da Serra : Annales du muséum national d'histoire naturelle , 9, p. 290. Further synonyms for Thespesia populnea (L.) Sol. ex Corrêa are: Bupariti populnea (L.) Rothmaler , Hibiscus populneoides Roxburgh , Malvaviscus populneus (L.) Gaertner , Parita populnea (L.) Scopoli , Thespesia howii S.Y.Hu , Thespesia populneoides (Roxburgh) Kosteletzky .
photos
Habitus
blossom
Capsule fruits
Thespesia populnea - Museum specimen
swell
- Ya Tang, Michael G. Gilbert & Laurence J. Dorr: Malvaceae in der Flora of China , Volume, p. 295: Thespesia populnea - online (section description and systematics).
- Sultanul Abedin: Malvaceae in the Flora of Pakistan : Thespesia populnea - online (section description and systematics).
- Andreas Bärtels: Tropical Plants . Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3937-5 , p. 91.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helmut Genaust: Etymological dictionary of botanical plant names. 3rd, completely revised and expanded edition. Birkhäuser, Basel / Boston / Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-7643-2390-6 , p. 501.
- ^ Thespesia populnea at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ The page of the Species Plantarum scanned at botanicus.org .
Web links
- Thespesia populnea in PROTA.
- Thespesia populnea at Useful Tropical Plants.
- Thespesia populnea at Pitchandikulam Forest Virtual Herbarium.
- Thespesia populnea (PDF) on agroforestry.net.