Pisonia is a genus of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s in the
four o'clock flowerMirabilis jalapa is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico...
family,
NyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceae, the Four O'Clock Family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions...
. Certain species in this genus are known as Catchbirdtrees because their sticky
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s reportedly trap small
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s. Such sticky seeds are postulated to be an
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
ary feature of some island species for adherence of their seeds to
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s; thereby facilitating dispersal of seeds between islands. These include
P. brunonianaPisonia brunoniana is a species of flowering tree in the Bougainvillea family, Nyctaginaceae, that is native to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Hawaii. The common names in New Zealand are Parapara or Birdcatcher tree.-Habit:...
of
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
and
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
and
P. umbelliferaPisonia umbellifera is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It grows throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is native to the Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hawaii and Madagascar and the states of New South Wales and Queensland...
, which is widespread in the tropical
Indo-PacificThe Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region.
- Pisonia aculeata L. - Pullback
- Pisonia alba Span.
- Pisonia albida (Heimerl) Britt.
Discussion
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Pisonia is a genus of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s in the
four o'clock flowerMirabilis jalapa is the most commonly grown ornamental species of Mirabilis, and is available in a range of colours. Mirabilis in Latin means wonderful and Jalapa is a town in Mexico...
family,
NyctaginaceaeNyctaginaceae, the Four O'Clock Family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions...
. Certain species in this genus are known as Catchbirdtrees because their sticky
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s reportedly trap small
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s. Such sticky seeds are postulated to be an
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
ary feature of some island species for adherence of their seeds to
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s; thereby facilitating dispersal of seeds between islands. These include
P. brunonianaPisonia brunoniana is a species of flowering tree in the Bougainvillea family, Nyctaginaceae, that is native to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Hawaii. The common names in New Zealand are Parapara or Birdcatcher tree.-Habit:...
of
AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
and
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
and
P. umbelliferaPisonia umbellifera is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It grows throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is native to the Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hawaii and Madagascar and the states of New South Wales and Queensland...
, which is widespread in the tropical
Indo-PacificThe Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region.
Species
- Pisonia aculeata L. - Pullback
- Pisonia alba Span.
- Pisonia albida (Heimerl) Britt. ex Standl. - Corcho Bobo
- Pisonia brunoniana
Pisonia brunoniana is a species of flowering tree in the Bougainvillea family, Nyctaginaceae, that is native to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Hawaii. The common names in New Zealand are Parapara or Birdcatcher tree.-Habit:...
Endl. - Australasian Catchbirdtree (AustralasiaAustralasia is a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes . He derived it from the Latin for "south of Asia" and differentiated the...
and PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
)
- Pisonia capitata (S.Wats.) Standl. - Mexican Devil's-Claws
- Pisonia floridana Britt. ex Small - Rock Key Devil's-Claws
- Pisonia grandis
Pisonia grandis is a species of flowering tree in the Bougainvillea family, Nyctaginaceae, that is distributed throughout the coral cays of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The species often dominates mature coral cay vegetation, growing in dense stands up to tall...
R.Br. - Grand Devil's-Claws (Indo-Pacific)
- Pisonia notundata Griseb.
- Pisonia rotundata Griseb. - Smooth Devil's-Claws
- Pisonia sandwicensis Hillebrand.
William Hillebrand was a renowned botanist. A German physician who came to Hawai'i in 1850, Hillebrand lived at what is now Foster Botanical Garden.-Life and career:...
- Āulu (HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
)
- Pisonia subcordata Sw. - Water Mampoo
- Pisonia umbellifera
Pisonia umbellifera is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It grows throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is native to the Andaman Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hawaii and Madagascar and the states of New South Wales and Queensland...
(J.R.Forst.Johann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
& G.Forst.Johann Georg Adam Forster was a German naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary. At an early age, he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific...
) Seem - Umbrella Catchbirdtree (Indo-Pacific)
- Pisonia wagneriana
Pāpala kēpau or Kauai catchbirdtree is a species of flowering tree in the Bougainvillea family, Nyctaginaceae, that is endemic to Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
FosbergFrancis Raymond "Ray" Fosberg was an American botanist. A prolific collector and author, he played a significant role in the development of coral reef and island studies.- History :...
- Kauai Catchbirdtree, Pāpala kēpau (island of KauaiKauai or Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago and the 21st largest island in the United States...
in HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
)