Psittacanthus schiedeanus

Psittacanthus schiedeanus
Psittacanthus schiedeanus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Psittacanthus
Species:
P. schiedeanus
Binomial name
Psittacanthus schiedeanus
Synonyms[1]

Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Schltdl. & Cham.) G.Don is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico.[1][2]

Description

Psittacanthus schiedeanus is a hemiparasite growing to 1–2 metres (3–7 ft)[3] with quadrangular stems which are flattened at the nodes. The haustorium is large. The bluish-green leaves are asymmetric and about 20 centimetres (8 in) long and 8 centimetres (3 in) wide, with stout petioles and pinnate venation. The inflorescence is terminal. The fruit is a berry.[4] Its most remarkable feature is its seeds, which have up to twelve cotyledons (the most of any dicot almost all of which have two; the source of the class name.[5]

Hosts

The most common hosts are oaks(Quercus species) and other hardwoods.[4] Other hosts are the conifers: Pinus leiophylla, P. montezumae, P. teocote and P. oocarpa.[4] This species causes significant damage to pine forests used for harvesting wood.[4] However, despite being a damaging parasite of conifers, it is important for medicine and wildlife.[4]

Ecology

Birds are important in the plant's life-cycle. They pollinate it while feeding on the nectar, and when they feed on the fruit they disperse the seeds.[4]

Taxonomy

Psittacanthus schiedeanus was first described by Adelbert von Chamisso and Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal 1830 as Loranthus schiedeanus,[6][7] and in 1834, George Don assigned it to the genus Psittacanthus.[8][9]

Etymology

Psittacanthos comes from the Greek psittakos (parrot), and the Greek anthos (flower), possibly chosen, according to Don,[10] because of the bright colours. The epithet, schiedeanus, honours the collector, Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, botanist and plant collector in Mexico.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. "Plants of the World online: Psittacanthus schiedeanus". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b GBIF.Org User (2018). "Occurrence Download". The Global Biodiversity Information Facility. doi:10.15468/dl.yy1lrj. {{cite web}}: |author1= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ Kuijt, Job (2009). "Monograph of Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae)". Systematic Botany Monographs. 86. JSTOR 25592351.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Geils, B.W., Tovar, J.C., Moody, B. 2002. "Mistletoes of North American Conifers". (Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S.A., Sanidad Forestal, SEMARNAT, Mexico Canadian Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources Canada Available at https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr098.pdf
  5. ^ Kwijt, Job (1969). The Biology of Parasitic Flowering Plants. Berkeley, Calif.: Univ. of Calif Press. p. 39.
  6. ^ "IPNI: Loranthus schiedeanus". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  7. ^ von Chamisso, A. & von Schlechtendal, D.F.L. 1830. Linnaea 5: 172. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. ^ "IPNI: Psittacanthus schiedeanus". International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  9. ^ Don, G. 1834. A general history of the dichlamydeous plants :comprising complete descriptions of the different orders...the whole arranged according to the natural system 3: 418.
  10. ^ Don, G. 1834. A general history of the dichlamydeous plants :comprising complete descriptions of the different orders...the whole arranged according to the natural system 3: 415. Vol. 3. 1834.
  11. ^ Quattrocchi, U. 2000."CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names", p.2404, CRC Press. Retrieved 20 June 2018

Further reading

  • Buen Lorena, L, Ornelas Juan, F (2002) Host compatibility of the cloud forest mistletoe Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae) in Central Veracruz, Mexico. American Journal of Botany 89, 95–102.
  • de Buen, LL, Ornelas, JF (2001) Seed dispersal of the mistletoe Psittacanthus schiedeanus by birds in central Veracruz, Mexico. Biotropica 33, 487–494.
  • de Buen, LL, Ornelas, JF (2002) Host compatibility of the cloud forest mistletoe Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae) in central Veracruz, Mexico. American Journal of Botany 89, 95–102.
  • Kuijt, J (1967) On the structure and origin of the seedling of Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae). Canadian Journal of Botany 45, 1497–1506.
  • López-de Buen, L, Ornelas, JF (1999) Frugivorous birds, host selection and the mistletoe Psittacanthus schiedeanus, in central Veracruz, Mexico. Journal of Tropical Ecology 15, 329–340.
  • Ornelas, J, Gándara, E, Vásquez-Aguilar, AA, Ramírez-Barahona, S, Ortiz Rodriguez, A, González, C, Teresa Mejía Saules, M, Ruiz‐Sanchez, E (2016) 'A mistletoe tale: Postglacial invasion of Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae) to Mesoamerican cloud forests revealed by molecular data and species distribution modeling.'
  • Ramírez, MM, Ornelas, JF (2010) Polinización y producción de néctar de Psittacanthus schiedeanus (Loranthaceae) en el centro de Veracruz, México. Boletín de la Sociedad Botánica de México 61–67.
  • Ramírez, MM, Ornelas, JF (2012) Cross-infection experiments of Psittacanthus schiedeanus: Effects of host provenance, gut passage, and host fate on mistletoe seedling survival. Plant disease 96, 780–787.