Megaflora

This article is about large species of plants. For the song by Blank Banshee, see Mega (Blank Banshee album).

Megaflora (from Greek μέγας megas "large" and Neo-Latin flora "plant life") refers to an exceptionally large plant species; Jared Farmer defined the term as "the largest vascular plants of a particular region, habitat, or epoch".[1] Examples of megaflora include the Sequoioideae of California, Pando (a large clonal organism of quaking aspen located in Utah), and a number of extinct plant species from the Mesozoic.[2][3][4]

Megaflora (along with megafauna) are often seen as charismatic and have wide public appeal, making them particularly useful as the symbol or flagship species of conservation efforts.[5]

Culture

Most Proto-Indo-European mythologies feature Megaflora in the form of a World Tree, a Tree-of-Life, axis mundi, or Sacred Tree. Some examples are the Ashvattha in Hindu mythology, Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, and égig érő fa in Hungarian mythology. Notable texts like the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis contain similar motifs, drawing inspiration from ancient iconography.[6]

Often symbolizing rootedness, spirituality and fruitfulness, these plants have become central to the high fantasy and science fiction genres. The Two Trees of Valinor from The Lord of The Rings and the Hometrees of Avatar are two mainstream examples.

Examples

Africa

• Adansonia digitata

Oceania

• Eucalyptus regnans

Eurasia

• Ficus benghalensis

Central and South America

• Ceroxylon quindiuense

• Puya raimondii
• Victoria amazonica

North America

• Sequoia sempervirens
• Sequoiadendron giganteum
• Picea sitchensis
• Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii

Asia

• Shorea faguetiana
• Koompassia excelsa

• Rafflesia arnoldii
• Amorphophallus titanum

See also

• Megafauna
• Megaherb

References

1. Anderson, Beryl (2023-04-05). "Ancient Trees in a Modern World". Sempervirens Fund. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
2. Martínez, L. C. A.; Pacheco Huacallo, E.; Pujana, R. R.; Padula, H. (2020-06-01). "A new megaflora (leaves and reproductive structures) from the Huancané Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Peru". Cretaceous Research. 110: 104426. Bibcode:2020CrRes.11004426M. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104426. ISSN 0195-6671. S2CID 213340202.
3. Pederson, Neil (2012-03-18). "Charismatic Megaflora: What do Old Trees Look Like?". State of the Planet. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
4. Rogers, Paul; Oditt, Lance. "Pando: Charismatic Megaflora And The Populus Paradox". Mountain Journal. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
5. Enquist, Brian J.; Abraham, Andrew J.; Harfoot, Michael B. J.; Malhi, Yadvinder; Doughty, Christopher E. (2020-02-04). "The megabiota are disproportionately important for biosphere functioning". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 699. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11..699E. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-14369-y. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7000713. PMID 32019918.
6. Farmer, Jared (2010). "On Emblematic Megaflora". Environmental History. 15 (3): 533–547. doi:10.1093/envhis/emq059. JSTOR 25764469.