Monophyllaea horsfieldii

Monophyllaea horsfieldii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Monophyllaea
Species:
M. horsfieldii
Binomial name
Monophyllaea horsfieldii
R.Br.

Monophyllaea horsfieldii is an herbaceous lithophyte belonging to the family Gesneriaceae and found mostly on limestone outcropings in Borneo and peninsular Malaysia.

Description

The entire plant consists of a single cotyledon of Brobdingnagian proportions; the blade or lamina can be "over a metre" (over 40 inches) in length and about 30 inches (75 centimeters) wide, topping a massive hypocotyl of similar length. It grows new tissue at the joint of the blade and hypocotyl, while the oldest tissue at the edge gradually dies back.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ Cranbrook, Earl of (1988). Key Environments - Malaysia. Elmsford, N.Y.: Pergamon Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-08-028866-9.
  2. ^ Graf, Alfred Byrd (1970). Exotica. East Rutherford, N.J.: The Roehrs Company. p. 1655.