Grias
Encyclopedia
Grias is a genus of flowering plant
s in the family Lecythidaceae
, native to tropical South America
and the Caribbean
. They are small to medium-sized tree
s, growing to 5-15 m tall. The leaves
are evergreen, alternate, simple, broad lanceolate
, very large, up to 1 m long, with an entire or waved margin. The flower
s are creamy white to yellow, with four petals; they are cauliflorous
, produced in clusters on the trunk and stouter branches. The fruit
is 6-15 cm long, with a fleshy coat; it is edible in several species.
Selected species
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Lecythidaceae
Lecythidaceae
The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250-300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America and Madagascar.According to the most recent molecular analysis of Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250-300 species of woody plants...
, native to tropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. They are small to medium-sized tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s, growing to 5-15 m tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are evergreen, alternate, simple, broad lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
, very large, up to 1 m long, with an entire or waved margin. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are creamy white to yellow, with four petals; they are cauliflorous
Cauliflory
Cauliflory is a botanical term referring to plants which flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks rather than from new growth and shoots. This can allow trees to be pollinated or have their seeds dispersed by animals which cannot climb or fly...
, produced in clusters on the trunk and stouter branches. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is 6-15 cm long, with a fleshy coat; it is edible in several species.
Selected species
- Grias cauliflora - Anchovy pear
- Grias colombianaGrias colombianaGrias colombiana is a species of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae family.It is found only in Colombia.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 18 July 2007....
- Grias fendleri
- Grias haughtiiGrias haughtiiGrias haughtii is a species of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae family.It is found only in Colombia in non-flooded lowland forests.-Source:* Calderon, E. 1998. . Downloaded on 18 July 2007....
- Grias longirachisGrias longirachisGrias longirachis is a species of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-Source:...
- Grias multinerviaGrias multinerviaGrias multinervia is a species of woody plant in the Lecythidaceae family.It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 18 July 2007....
- Grias neuberthii - Sachamangua
- Grias peruviana - Sachamangua