Alsomitra macrocarpa

Alsomitra macrocarpa
	Flight seeds of So Mitra macrocarpa
Systematics
	Eurosiden I
Order :	Pumpkin-like (Cucurbitales)
Family :	Pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae)
Tribe :	Gomphogyneae
Genre :	Alsomitra
Type :	Alsomitra macrocarpa
Scientific name of the genus
	Alsomitra
	( Flower ) Spach
Scientific name of the species
	Alsomitra macrocarpa
	( Flower ) M.Roem.

Alsomitra macrocarpa , Syn . : Macrozanonia macrocarpa (flower) Cogn., Zanonia macrocarpa flower, also Java cucumber , is the only plant species of the monotypic genus Alsomitra within the cucurbitaceae family . It is common in Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , the Philippines and New Guinea .

description

illustration

Vegetative characteristics

Alsomitra macrocarpa grows as a liana . The stem axis reaches lengths of 30 to 50 meters and a diameter of up to 15 centimeters.

There is leaf polymorphism (heterophylly). The alternate leaves are arranged in a petiole and a leaf blade. A ring-shaped callus is formed at the base of the petiole . In young specimens, the leaf blade of the two-row leaves is elongated, about 1 centimeter in length , spear-shaped and more or less eyed. In adult specimens, the leaf blade is egg-shaped to rounded-egg-shaped with a length of up to 16 centimeters , usually simply entire or rarely three-lobed . The two-column tendrils have elongated adhesive discs , similar to that of virgin vines ( Parthenocissus ).

Generative characteristics

Alsomitra macrocarpa is dioecious separate sexes ( diocesan ). There are female and male panicle or racemose inflorescences .

The unisexual flowers are five-fold with a double flower envelope . The base of the flower (receptaculum) is bell-shaped. The five sepals are fused. The five petals are narrow-elliptical with a pointed upper end. The male flowers have three stamens . The short stamens are inserted near the throat of the corolla tube. The dust bag (anther) are straight and papillous filiform and consist of two counters , or there are two dust bag with two counters and a dust bag with a theca present. The small, three-colored pollen grains measure 19 to 26 × 21 micrometers ( µm ). There are three tiny pistils in female flowers . The more or less ellipsoidal ovary contains apical placentation many ovules. The fleshy scar is bilobed.

The relatively large capsule fruit is ovate-spherical to ovoid-cylindrical with a diameter of 20 to 25 centimeters. The capsule fruit, which is brown when ripe, opens at the top with three fruit valves and contains many winged, crescent-shaped seeds . In the middle are the flattened and light brown seeds, with a length of 25 to 30 millimeters and a width of 20 to 23 millimeters, elliptical to almost circular in cross section. The seed coat is smooth, on the side of the seeds there are membrane-like, transparent wings with a span of 10 to 14 centimeters, which are formed by the seed coat. The cotyledons ( cotyledons ) remain during the germination of the seed. The winged seeds weigh about 0.2 grams. The winged seeds are also incorrectly called wing nuts , because here the wings are not formed by the pericarp but by the testa.

Ecology and bionics

The winged seeds are spread by the wind ( anemochory ). The gliding ability of the flying seeds results from dry flight membranes with a span of 10 to 14 centimeters.

Friedrich Ahlborn described the aerodynamic stability of the Zanonia flying seeds in his studies on the “stability of flying machines” (1897). He received the seeds from a botanical garden in Java . The Austrian Ignaz Etrich used this model successfully from 1903 in the development of the first flying wing , which flew up to a kilometer. In 1905 he received a patent for the wing shape.

Occurrence

Alsomitra macrocarpa is common in Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Philippines, and New Guinea . It grows in tropical lowland gallery forests on clay-rich soils .

literature

Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Alsomitra on page 129 in the Google book search).
Hanno Schaefer & Susanne S. Renner: Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) , In: Taxon , Volume 60, Issue 1, pp. 122-138: PDF , p. 129.
Alsomitra macrocarpa at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
Alsomitra macrocarpa in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved August 9, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Alsomitra macrocarpa - collection of images, videos and audio files

Super flying seeds

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Alsomitra on page 129 in the Google book search).
^ Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Cucurbitaceae on page 113 in the Google book search).
^ ^A ^b Steven Vogel: Comparative Biomechanics. Second Edition, Princeton Univ. Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0-691-15566-1 , p. 243.
^ Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Cucurbitaceae on page 119 in the Google book search).
^ Ernst Heinrich Hirschel, Horst Prem, Gero Madelung: Aeronautical Research in Germany: From Lilienthal until Today. Springer, 2004, ISBN 978-3-540-40645-7 , p. 29.

[Kubitzki129-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Alsomitra on page 129 in the Google book search).

[Kubitzki113-2] Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Cucurbitaceae on page 113 in the Google book search).

[Vogel-3] A ^b Steven Vogel: Comparative Biomechanics. Second Edition, Princeton Univ. Press, 2013, ISBN 978-0-691-15566-1 , p. 243.

[Kubitzki119-4] Klaus Kubitzki: Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae. In: The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants . tape 10 . Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-14397-7 ( Cucurbitaceae on page 119 in the Google book search).

[Aeronautical_Research-5] Ernst Heinrich Hirschel, Horst Prem, Gero Madelung: Aeronautical Research in Germany: From Lilienthal until Today. Springer, 2004, ISBN 978-3-540-40645-7 , p. 29.