Latua pubiflora

Latua pubiflora

Latua pubiflora ( Syn: Latua venenosa Phil.), also called the tree of the magician, is a flowering plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae ). It is the only species of the genus Latua. It is endemic in the coastal mountains of southern Chile.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Latua pubiflora grow as 2 to 10 meters Height -reach shrubs or small trees with one or more main stems, which can reach a diameter of 3 to 25 cm. The plant is covered with rigid, up to 2 cm long spines that are in the leaf axils. The leaves are at 2 mm long petioles, the leaf blades are hairy, 3-12 cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm long, elliptic to oblong - elliptic, the apex is acuminate, the leaf base runs tapered to. Stomata are found unevenly distributed only on the bottom.

Flowers

The flowers appear singly at 5 to 20 mm long, tomentose peduncles. These arise from the axils of the spines of a shell of overlapping scales. The pentamerous, bell-shaped cup is about 8 to 10 mm long. The sepals are shaped, triangular, slightly tapered. Magenta to red, crown -shaped box having a length of 3 to 4 cm and a mean diameter of about 1.5 cm. The outside is covered with dense hair. The corolla lobes are relatively short, as broad as long or slightly wider. The stamens are fused about 8 mm from the base of the crown with the petals. They are slightly beyond the corolla-tube, the lower end they are hairy. The anthers are about 2 mm long and fused at the base of the stamens. The counters are separated from each other at the outer end, this separation reaches about one-third of their total length. The pollen are three to vierfaltig, flattened globose to spherical and relatively small with 20-21 microns. The two carpels are zweikammerig, the numerous ovules are arranged anatrop ( in opposite directions ). The stylus is as long as the longest stamen. There are circular shaped nectaries. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.

Fruit and seeds

The fruits are yellow to orange - yellow, fleshy berries with a diameter of about 2 cm, and in the fruit of the cup is extended to a length of 11 to 16 mm, the sepals are from the outside. The seeds are dark brown to black and about 2 mm in size, relatively thick, slightly longer than broad. Inside is a curved embryo, whose cotyledons are shorter than the rest of the embryo. The endosperm is formed abundantly.

Other features

The base chromosome number. Especially the shoots, seeds and leaves contain various tropane alkaloids, including atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine smaller quantities.

Dissemination

The species is endemic to the coastal mountains of southern Chile at altitudes between 300 and 900 m.

Use

Shamanistic uses of the type are known by the Mapuche Indians Huilliche that the plant ending as a remedy for evil and disease-causing spirits inserting. The Machi -called medicine men of the tribe used this plant also to put yourself in trance- like states to obtain revelations. The effect of the plant is similar to the deadly nightshade ( Atropa ): dilation of the pupils, dry mouth and subsequent foaming, mental confusion, convulsions, delirium, and hallucinations to continuing insanity and death.

Already from 1859, is an attempted use of Latua pubiflora detected as an ornamental plant, as Richard Pearce, who worked for Veitch and Sons, cultivated plants of this species. The whereabouts of these cultivated plants but there is little evidence, it is believed that she disappeared from the culture shortly after 1900. Newer cultivation trials as those of the International Conifer Conservation Programme at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh reported success, year round to pull the plant in the field.