Hypodaphnis
Encyclopedia
Hypodaphnis is a monotypic
botanical genus
of flowering plant
belonging to the Lauraceae
family. Its only extant species
: Hypodaphnis zenkeri (Engl.) Stapf, is native to Gabon
. The genus was described by Otto Stapf
and published in Flora of Tropical Africa 6 (1): 185in 1909.
Although only one living species is known, fossils of some species of this genus are present in North America, especially in Northern Mexico. The systematic internal in the family Lauraceae
still raises many unresolved problems, the division into genus is based on characters that can vary even within the same flower, so are not reliable. In most phylogenetic analysis, hypodaphnis appears as the basal branch, sister group of the rest of the family.
s are reaching 6-10 (-20) m high and 60 cm trunk diameter. The small tree up to 15(–20) m tall, is a stolon
iferous, aromatic shrub or little tree, in the laurel family
. The trees are having vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae. The bole
often is twisted, up to 60 cm in diameter; bark surface dark grey or blackish brown, usually smooth, but sometimes rough and scaly. it has a fibrous pale cream-colored inner bark.
It has a crown bushy, dark green. The branches are reddish, hairy when young becoming glabrous when older. Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules absent; petiole up to 5 cm long; blade elliptical to obovate, 12–30 cm × 6–15 cm, base shortly cuneate, apex acuminate, papery, upper surface slightly shiny, green, lower surface dull, paler green, pinnately veined with 4–6 pairs of lateral veins. The Inflorescence are axillary, umbel-like panicle 3–8 cm long, reddish hairy, many-flowered; bracts caducous. Flowers bisexual, characterized by to have the ovary in an inferior position. The flower is regular, yellowish, orange, yellow to orange or brown. It have a red furry (reddish hairy), cup-shaped perianth 4 mm long, with 6 lobes; stamens in 3 whorls, with basal glands, staminodes are absent.The fruit is an ovoid drupe up to 6 cm × 5 cm, bright red. The drupe is single-seeded. Seed 3–3.5 cm long.
In Gabon the tree flowering from March to April and fruiting in August. In Nigeria flowers from February to July, and fruits from May to November.
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
botanical genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
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...
belonging to the Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family. Its only extant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
: Hypodaphnis zenkeri (Engl.) Stapf, is native to Gabon
Gabon
Gabon , officially the Gabonese Republic is a state in west central Africa sharing borders with Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, and with the Republic of the Congo curving around the east and south. The Gulf of Guinea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean is to the west...
. The genus was described by Otto Stapf
Otto Stapf
Otto Stapf FRS was an Austrian born botanist and taxonomist.Stapf trained in Vienna, moving to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1890. He was keeper of the Herbarium from 1909 to 1920...
and published in Flora of Tropical Africa 6 (1): 185in 1909.
Although only one living species is known, fossils of some species of this genus are present in North America, especially in Northern Mexico. The systematic internal in the family Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
still raises many unresolved problems, the division into genus is based on characters that can vary even within the same flower, so are not reliable. In most phylogenetic analysis, hypodaphnis appears as the basal branch, sister group of the rest of the family.
Description
Some treeTree
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 are reaching 6-10 (-20) m high and 60 cm trunk diameter. The small tree up to 15(–20) m tall, is a stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
iferous, aromatic shrub or little tree, in the laurel family
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
. The trees are having vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae. The bole
Bole
-Geographical locations:* Bole District, Ghana* Bole, Ghana, town* Bole, Nottinghamshire, England* Bole International Airport * Bole, Xinjiang, China-Other:* Bole2Harlem, an Ethiopian hip hop fusion band* Bole , a unit of momentum...
often is twisted, up to 60 cm in diameter; bark surface dark grey or blackish brown, usually smooth, but sometimes rough and scaly. it has a fibrous pale cream-colored inner bark.
It has a crown bushy, dark green. The branches are reddish, hairy when young becoming glabrous when older. Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules absent; petiole up to 5 cm long; blade elliptical to obovate, 12–30 cm × 6–15 cm, base shortly cuneate, apex acuminate, papery, upper surface slightly shiny, green, lower surface dull, paler green, pinnately veined with 4–6 pairs of lateral veins. The Inflorescence are axillary, umbel-like panicle 3–8 cm long, reddish hairy, many-flowered; bracts caducous. Flowers bisexual, characterized by to have the ovary in an inferior position. The flower is regular, yellowish, orange, yellow to orange or brown. It have a red furry (reddish hairy), cup-shaped perianth 4 mm long, with 6 lobes; stamens in 3 whorls, with basal glands, staminodes are absent.The fruit is an ovoid drupe up to 6 cm × 5 cm, bright red. The drupe is single-seeded. Seed 3–3.5 cm long.
In Gabon the tree flowering from March to April and fruiting in August. In Nigeria flowers from February to July, and fruits from May to November.
External links
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=48988