Jellyfish tree
Encyclopedia
The jellyfish tree is a critically endangered and unusual tree endemic to the island of Mahé
, of the Seychelles
. It is the sole member of the genus Medusagyne. The plant was thought to be extinct until a few individuals were discovered in the 1970s.
They are small trees which can reach up to 10 metres tall and have a dense, rounded crown of foliage. The bark is dark and has many distinctive, deep fissures. The leaves are shiny and leathery in appearance with a slightly scalloped edge; they turn bright red with age. Leaves are up to 8 cm in length. The small, white flowers are difficult to see amongst the dense foliage; both male and bisexual flowers are carried on the drooping inflorescence.
The gynoecium
of the flower resembles the tentacle
s of a jellyfish
, hence the common and generic names of the plant. This plant exhibits many adaptations to dry climate, strange on a moist archipelago. It can withstand drought, and its seeds disperse by the wind. This suggests it has Gondwana
n origins.
The fruits are green and rounded; the outer coat becomes reddish-brown with maturity and then dries, exposing the seeds within, which are then distributed by the wind.
The genus Medusagyne is included in the family Ochnaceae
, e.g. in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
classification, though it is sometimes included in the monogeneric family Medusagynaceae. The small tropical American family Quiinaceae
is also included in this broad concept of Ochnaceae
.
(Bernica, Copolia and Mt. Jasmin) are protected within the Morne Seychellois National Park. Although seedlings have been grown in a number of botanic gardens, many problems remain and a conservation priority must be further research into the reproductive biology of this intriguing species before any effective Action Plan for its future can be devised.
Mahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
, of the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
. It is the sole member of the genus Medusagyne. The plant was thought to be extinct until a few individuals were discovered in the 1970s.
They are small trees which can reach up to 10 metres tall and have a dense, rounded crown of foliage. The bark is dark and has many distinctive, deep fissures. The leaves are shiny and leathery in appearance with a slightly scalloped edge; they turn bright red with age. Leaves are up to 8 cm in length. The small, white flowers are difficult to see amongst the dense foliage; both male and bisexual flowers are carried on the drooping inflorescence.
The gynoecium
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
of the flower resembles the tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s of a jellyfish
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
, hence the common and generic names of the plant. This plant exhibits many adaptations to dry climate, strange on a moist archipelago. It can withstand drought, and its seeds disperse by the wind. This suggests it has Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n origins.
The fruits are green and rounded; the outer coat becomes reddish-brown with maturity and then dries, exposing the seeds within, which are then distributed by the wind.
The genus Medusagyne is included in the family Ochnaceae
Ochnaceae
The family Ochnaceae, or wild plane family, comprises mainly trees or shrubs, and more rarely herbaceous plants. Species of the Ochnaceae are found from subtropical to tropical regions. They are best represented in South America...
, e.g. in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
classification, though it is sometimes included in the monogeneric family Medusagynaceae. The small tropical American family Quiinaceae
Quiinaceae
Quiinaceae Engl. is a neotropical family of flowering plants in the Malpighiales, consisting of about 50 species in 4 genera . The APG III system of flowering plant classification does not recognize such a family, instead including these genera in the Ochnaceae family.- External links :* in ...
is also included in this broad concept of Ochnaceae
Ochnaceae
The family Ochnaceae, or wild plane family, comprises mainly trees or shrubs, and more rarely herbaceous plants. Species of the Ochnaceae are found from subtropical to tropical regions. They are best represented in South America...
.
Habitat
The tree inhabits exposed granite slopes, at present all locations are within 2 km of the sea.Threats
The jellyfish tree presents a conundrum in that the seeds seem unable to germinate in the wild; no young plants have been observed in the natural stands. Successful cultivation in botanic gardens has occurred in very humid conditions, but high humidity is unlikely in the exposed habitat where these trees are found in the wild. It has been suggested that jellyfish trees have been lost from the more appropriate habitat of moist forests through competition with other species and climate change.Conservation
Three of the existing populations of jellyfish tree on the island on MahéMahé, Seychelles
Mahé is the largest island of the Seychelles, lying in the north east of the nation. The population of Mahé is 80,000. It contains the capital city of Victoria and accommodates 90% of the country's total population...
(Bernica, Copolia and Mt. Jasmin) are protected within the Morne Seychellois National Park. Although seedlings have been grown in a number of botanic gardens, many problems remain and a conservation priority must be further research into the reproductive biology of this intriguing species before any effective Action Plan for its future can be devised.