Acmopyle
Acmopyle pancheri with immature seed cones, already clearly the spherical Epimatium and elongate Podocarpium are formed
Acmopyle is a genus with only two species in the family of Podocarpus plants ( Podocarpaceae ) within the conifers ( Coniferales ). About 55 million years old fossil record of the genus show that it can be counted among the conifers already occurring relatively early.
Features
Acmopyle species form evergreen, small to medium- high trees, usually with only a single strain. The Stammborke is thin and fibrous, initially smooth and flake off in older trees. There shall be only a few branches, which are located in Scheinwirteln. They form a conical initially and later rather open crown. The branches are at least in the first year green, hairless, and clearly grooved between the leaf bases. Man can distinguish long and short shoots, which, however, are similar. The buds are formed only vague and consist of a collection of green scale leaves. Terminal buds are missing. The leaves are spirally arranged on the branches, where two species are formed of leaves: small, scale-like leaves on the long shoots, the dormant buds and at the base of short shoots, and larger, needle-like leaves at the vegetative lateral branches. The leaves are einnervig, laterally flattened, so have a left and a right side, and falcate shaped to linear. The blades in the center are significantly longer than the base or the end of the branches.
The wood is soft, light, non- scented, yellowish brown to light brown. Sapwood and heartwood are not clearly offset from one another. The grain is fine and uniform and shows distinct growth rings. Resin canals are absent.
Acmopyle species are dioecious, may sometimes monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig. The kitten -like pollen cones grow individually or too few, side or at the ends in the leaf axils of the leaves densely covered with scales branches. The pollen cones are cylindrical and bear several small bracts at its base. The Mikrosporophylle grow spirally arranged along a thin axis on very short stalks. They are triangular and have two pollen sacs, which the provided with two air chambers containing about 40 to 50 microns large pollen.
The seed cones are usually solitary, rarely in twos or threes near the ends of branches, which are also densely covered with scale leaves. At maturity they form an irregularly shaped, warty Podocarpium from rarely four, but usually five to eight infertile bracts that remain partially visible. The seeds grow alone and stand at maturity almost upright on the pegs. You will then be almost completely surrounded by the fleshy, bluish frosted at maturity Epimatium whose base is partially covered by Podocarpium.
Seedlings form two two annoying cotyledons.
The basic chromosome number is x = 10
Geographical distribution
A species is endemic to Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, the other in New Caledonia.
Ecology
The representatives of Acmopyle form as well as some other species of the family of Podocarpus nodules, with which the nitrogen can be bound from the air.
System
Acmopyle is a genus in the family of stone Yews, in the order of conifers ( Coniferales ). The genus was erected in 1903 by Robert Knud Friedrich pilgrims. The genus name comes from the Greek Acmopyle, akme refers to the highest point and pyle stands for " opening ". It thus refers to the erect position of the ripe seeds.
Some features resemble those of other representatives of the stone Yews. For example, similar to the seed cones with well-developed Podocarpium those of the genera of Podocarpus ( Podocarpus ) and the warts yew ( Dacrycarpus ). However, they consist of a larger number of bracts, which also differ by the warty surface and by the unchanging rudimentary seed scales. The leaves are flattened laterally, which occurs in conifers only in the genus Falcatifolium and leaves of young representatives of warts yew. Similar sheets are also known by more than 55 million year old fossil finds from the late Paleocene, thus it can be counted among the conifer species occurring early. The findings come from the Antarctic, from Argentina and from the Australian states of Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia. Fossil records for the Oligocene is not known. Earlier, about 140 million years old finds from the Jurassic, similar to Acmopyle are not attributed to the genus, you may go from no closer kinship. Due to the high age of the genus, there are no close relationship to other podocarps, which is confirmed by genetic testing. As a next of kin of the genera Podocarpus, Dacrydium and other close relatives of this species, which is also supported by the similarity of the Podocarpiums apply. But Acmopyle has retained some primitive features, such as the greater number of bracts, which form the seed cones.
The species belong to two types:
- Acmopyle pancheri ( Brongn. & Gris. ) Pilg. The needles are curved sickle-shaped or slightly S-shaped, in the middle of classes 10 to 30 millimeters long, 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide and not ciliated. Pollen pins 20 to 25 mm long and have a diameter of about 3 millimeters. The fully developed Podocarpium is 15 to 20 millimeters long and has a diameter of 8 to 10 millimeters. The natural range is located in New Caledonia.
- Acmopyle sahniana J. Buchholz & N. E. Gray: The needles are straight, falcate or slightly S-shaped bend in the middle of the branches 10 to 25 millimeters long and from 0.6 usually 2 to 4 and rarely to 4.8 millimeters wide and ciliated. Pollen pins 5 to 8 millimeters in length and have a diameter of about 1.5 millimeters. The fully developed Podocarpium is 7-9 mm long and has a diameter of 7-8 millimeters. The natural range is in Fiji.
Use
Representatives of Acmopyle are not cultivated, and no cultivars have been bred. However, you can find them in some botanical gardens.