Mayaca

Mayaca fluviatilis, illustration.

The Mayaca, also called moss herbs, are the only plant genus of the family of Mayacaceae in the order of Süßgrasartigen ( Poales ). The five species are aquatic plants. The River Moss herb ( Mayaca fluviatilis) and rarely the delicate moss herb ( Mayaca madida ) are used in aquariums as ornamental plants.

  • 3.1 Notes and references

Description

Habit and foliage leaves

The Mayaca species are creeping, moss similar looking, perennial herbaceous plants. They grow in fresh water and the leaves can also be submerged. These aquatic plants are anchored in the river bottom with roots. The long stem is sympodial. From the plants no hair are recognizable; but there are formed in the leaf axils short-lived trichomes.

The alternate and spirally on the stem arranged leaves are sessile. The simple, linear to filiform, einnervige leaf blade has a smooth leaf margin and usually ends in a two-piece top. The stomata are paracytisch.

Flowers

The flowers are individually of lateral Blütenstandsschäften with membranous bracts above the water surface. The small, hermaphroditic flowers are radial symmetry and threefold. There are three free sepals present. The three free short spiked petals are light pink to purple or white. It's just a circle with three free, fertile stamens present. The basifixen dust bag open with lying at the top of pores or pore -like slits. The two-celled pollen grains have a Aperturate and are sulcat with a fine net-like surface. Three carpels are fused to a constant above, unilocular ovary. The style ends in a simple or dreiästigen scar. The 25 to 100 orthotropic ovules are in two rows. Pollination is probably by insects.

Fruit and seeds

There are dreifächerige capsule fruits formed, it is still surrounded by the sepals at maturity and contain few seeds. The egg-shaped to spherical seeds have a net-like surface; they contain starch and the outer layer of the endosperm contains proteins. The Seed dispersal is mostly over the water.

Ingredients and chromosome numbers

At flavonols quercetin is present. Starch and proteins are stored in the seeds. No other ingredients are proven.

The chromosome number is n = 8

Systematics and distribution

The genus has a Mayaca disjuktes area: for a four (some authors even more) types of the hot temperate regions to the tropics of both American continents ( the northernmost deposits are located in the southeastern United States ), on the other, a kind of ( Mayaca baumii ) in tropical West Africa.

Within the order of Poales the Mayacaceae are most closely related to the Thurniaceae, Juncaceae and Cyperaceae.

The first publication of the genus Mayaca took place in 1775 by Jean Baptiste Christophe Fusée Aublet in Histoire des plantes de la Guiane Françoise, 1, 42-44, plate 15 The family name was Carl Sigismund Kunth 1842 in Proceedings of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin, 1840, 93 published. Synonyms for Mayaca Aublet are: Biaslia Vand, Coletia Vell, Syena Schreb .. The delimitation of species is difficult and so it came to a number of synonyms ( with a jumble of names in the hobby ). ..

There is only one genus with four to ten species in the family of Mayacaceae:

  • Mayaca: Mayaca baumii Gürke: The only way outside of America; it is native to West Africa.
  • River Moss herb ( Mayaca fluviatilis Aublet, Syn: Biaslia vandellii Roem, Mayaca vandellii ( Rom. ) Schott & Endl, Mayaca aubletii Michx, Syena aubletii ( Michx. ) Schott & Endl, Syena nuttalliana Schult, Mayaca michauxii. .. .. . . Schott & Endl, Mayaca kunthii Seub, Mayaca fluviatilis f kunthii ( Seub. ) Lourteig, Mayaca longipes Gand, Gand Mayaca caroliniana ): .. It is widespread in the Neotropics.
  • Mayaca longipes Mart. ex Seub. The home is the northern South America.
  • Tender moss herb ( Mayaca madida ( Vell. ) Stellfeld, Syn: Coletia madida Vell, Mayaca sellowiana Kunth, Mayaca endlicheri Poepp ex Seub, Mayaca lagoensis Warm, Mayaca boliviana Rusby, Mayaca brasilii Hoehne. .. . ): The home ranges of Costa Rica to the tropical South America.
  • Mayaca wrightii Griseb. The home is Cuba.

Swell

  • The Mayacaceae in APWebsite family. (Section Description, systematics and distribution )
  • The Mayacaceae at DELTA L. Watson and MJ Dallwitz of family. ( Section description, ingredients and spread )
  • Robert B. thread: Mayacaceae in the Flora of North America, Volume 22: Online. (Section Description and dissemination )
Ovary (botany) Disjunct distribution Costa Rica Agricultural Research Service
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