Spigelia genuflexa
Encyclopedia
Spigelia genuflexa is a species of annual
herb
of the family Loganiaceae
from Bahia
state, Brazil
, which was described in 2011. It is unusual in that the stems bend down after flowering to deposit the seeds in the soil (geocarpy
).
s are produced after the first three pairs of leaves, when the plant is around 1 centimetre (0.393700787401575 in) tall; in the other, four or five pairs of leaves precede the inflorescence, by which time the plant is 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 ) tall. The leaves are oppositely arranged, 6 millimetre long and 2–5 mm (0.078740157480315–0.196850393700787 ) wide, and elliptic to ovate in shape. The inflorescences are composed of up to 7 flowers, and the corollas of the flowers are 4 millimetre long. The stems are somewhat red-coloured, and have 4 to 6 prominent ribs running down from the leaf bases.
state , at an altitude of 150 metres (492.1 ft), and about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) from the Atlantic coast
. It flowers during the rainy season, and almost disappears during the dry season
. It is able to self-pollinate
, with anthesis
lasting less than a day. After pollination, the plant stem bends, and in the lower growth form, deposits the seed
s in the soil; the taller growth form remains some distance above the soil surface.
(cf. genuflexion). The authors proposed that the species should be listed as Data Deficient
according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List
. Popovkin is a Russian emigre and amateur botanist who has fulfilled a long-held dream to study plants in the tropics. It is one of sixty species which make up the poorly-studied Neotropical genus Spigelia
, but does not appear particularly close to any other species.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
of the family Loganiaceae
Loganiaceae
Loganiaceae are a family of flowering plants classified in order Gentianales. The family includes 13 genera, distributed around the world's tropics.Earlier treatments of the family have included up to 29 genera...
from Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
state, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, which was described in 2011. It is unusual in that the stems bend down after flowering to deposit the seeds in the soil (geocarpy
Geocarpy
Geocarpy is the production by plants of diaspores within the soil. This may occur with subterranean flowers , or from aerial flowers, which penetrate the soil after flowering . It has evolved as an effective means of ensuring a suitable environment for the plant's offspring...
).
Description
Spigelia genuflexa shows two growth forms. In one, inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are produced after the first three pairs of leaves, when the plant is around 1 centimetre (0.393700787401575 in) tall; in the other, four or five pairs of leaves precede the inflorescence, by which time the plant is 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 ) tall. The leaves are oppositely arranged, 6 millimetre long and 2–5 mm (0.078740157480315–0.196850393700787 ) wide, and elliptic to ovate in shape. The inflorescences are composed of up to 7 flowers, and the corollas of the flowers are 4 millimetre long. The stems are somewhat red-coloured, and have 4 to 6 prominent ribs running down from the leaf bases.
Ecology
Spigelia genuflexa grows in residual stands of Atlantic forest in the Rio do Negro valley in BahiaBahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
state , at an altitude of 150 metres (492.1 ft), and about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) from the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It flowers during the rainy season, and almost disappears during the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. It is able to self-pollinate
Self-pollination
Self-pollination is a form of pollination that can occur when a flower has both stamen and a carpel in which the cultivar or species is self fertile and the stamens and the sticky stigma of the carpel contact each other in order to accomplish pollination...
, with anthesis
Anthesis
Anthesis is the period during which a flower is fully open and functional. It may also refer to the onset of that period.The onset of anthesis is spectacular in some species. In Banksia species, for example, anthesis involves the extension of the style far beyond the upper perianth parts...
lasting less than a day. After pollination, the plant stem bends, and in the lower growth form, deposits the seed
Seed
A seed 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 in the soil; the taller growth form remains some distance above the soil surface.
Taxonomy
Spigelia genuflexa was discovered on land owned by Alex Popovkin in 2009, by Popovkin's "house help" José Carlos Mendes Santos. The specific epithet is a reference to the plant's tendency to bend down after flowering, from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(cf. genuflexion). The authors proposed that the species should be listed as Data Deficient
Data Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. Popovkin is a Russian emigre and amateur botanist who has fulfilled a long-held dream to study plants in the tropics. It is one of sixty species which make up the poorly-studied Neotropical genus Spigelia
Spigelia
Spigelia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Loganiaceae. It contains around 60 species, distributed over the warmer parts of the Americas, from the latitude of Buenos Aires to the Southern United States...
, but does not appear particularly close to any other species.