Strelitziaceae

Bird of paradise flower (Strelitzia reginae )

• Phenakospermum
• Ravenala
• Strelitzia

The Strelitziaceae ( Strelitziaceae ) are a family of plants in the order of the ginger -like ( Zingiberales ). This family contains only three genera and seven species. The botanical name honors Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg -Strelitz (1744 - 1818), wife of King George III. Some species are popular tropical ornamental plants.

Description

Habit and foliage leaves

There are perennial, herbaceous plants that grow very large part. They form short branched rhizomes. The aboveground shoot axes are usually unbranched or branched rarely dichotomous. Often many plants stand together horst -like. An exception within the order of Zingiberales are the woody stem axis at Phenakospermum and Ravenala. A secondary growth is lacking, therefore it is called the " Traveller's Tree " botanically by a tree-like plant and not from the tree.

The alternate and distichous arranged leaves are divided into leaf sheath, petiole and leaf blade. The long, simple leaf blades have a prominent midrib and almost parallel but slightly sigmoid, ie, S-shaped, extending lateral nerves, which meet near the smooth margin. There are no ligules present.

Inflorescences and flowers

The lateral or terminal inflorescences ( inflorescences ) are winding and have boat- green bracts ( bracts ) that use the pollinating birds to sit.

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and threefold. There are two circles, each with three bloom cladding available. The three free bloom of the outer circle are the same or different. Of the three bloom cladding of the inner circle are the two sides to an arrow- like shell around the pen, at Strelitzia also the stamens. There were originally two circles, each with three fertile stamens present. In Ravenala all six stamens are present, but in all other species are absent one of the inner circle. In contrast to many other families of the order no stamens staminodes are converted to. The two-celled pollen grains have no aperture and them largely lacking exine, but they have a thick intine. Three carpels are fused into one inferior ovary, with many ( 20 to 50 ) central angle constant ovules in each of the three ovary chambers; it has an extension which forms a solid tube. There are in the ovary wall deep sunken Septalnektarien available. The style ends in a simple or three-lobed stigma. Most species are pollinated by birds ( Ornithophilie ) Phenakospermum of bats ( Chiropterophilie ) Ravenala of lemurs.

Fruit and seeds

They are woody, lokulizidale capsule fruits.

The seeds always have a starch- rich endosperm and always a aril. The showy, bright colored ( at Ravenala blue, orange at Strelitzia in Phenakospermum red) aril is slashed lobed or intense hairy. The distribution of seeds is usually caused by birds.

Ingredients and sets of chromosomes

In mesophyll calcium oxalate crystals are embedded as raphides. Strength will be stored in the seeds and rhizomes.

The chromosome sets amount to n = 14 or n = 22

Use

Some species are popular ornamental plants and tropical thereby found throughout the tropics today.

Systematics and distribution

The distribution areas are the tropical South America ( only Phenakospermum ), eastern South Africa ( Strelitzia only ) and Madagascar ( only Ravenala ).

First, a subfamily Strelitzioideae was set up within the Musaceae 1900 by Karl Moritz Schumann. She was commissioned in 1934 by John Hutchinson in The Families of Flowering Plants, Volume 2, page 72 in the rank of a family of Strelitziaceae.

After molecular biological investigations, the Strelitziaceae are the sister family of Lowiaceae and closely related to the families Heliconiaceae and Musaceae.

The family includes three genera, two of which are monotypic, with a total of seven types:

• Birds of Paradise (Strelitzia Ait. ): With five species along the eastern coast of South Africa: White Strelitzia (Strelitzia alba ( L. f ) Skeels, Syn: Strelitzia angusta Thunb. )
• Mountain Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia caudata R.A.Dyer )
• Natal-, or tree - Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia nicolai Regel & Koern. )
• Strelitzia juncea Link
• Bird of paradise flower Strelitzia or royal (Strelitzia reginae Aiton ): It is a popular ornamental plant in tropical gardens, as a container plant in non-tropical countries, and as a long lasting cut flower.

• Traveller's Tree ( Ravenala madagascariensis Sonn. ): The original distribution area is located in eastern Madagascar at altitudes less than 1000 meters. He is planted throughout the tropics as an ornamental plant in parks. He is very tall and forms a trunk.

• Phenakospermum guyannense ( L.C.Rich. ) Endl. ex Miq. It is widespread throughout the Amazon basin, in the tropical northern and central South America east of the Andes. It reaches heights of growth 2-5 meters; she sees the " Traveller's Tree " similar, but has only a false trunk similar to bananas.

More images

Traveller's Tree ( Ravenala madagascariensis ):

Inflorescence

Fruit stand

Swell

• The Strelitziaceae in APWebsite family. (Section Description and systematics)
• The Strelitziaceae at DELTA of L.Watson and MJDallwitz family. ( Description section )
• The Strelitziaceae family at the National Museum of Natural History ( NMNH ) of the Smithsonian Institution. (Section Description and systematics)
• WJ Kress, LM Prince, WJ Hahn & EA Rooms: Unraveling the evolutionary radiation of the families of the Zingiberales using morphological and molecular evidence, in Systematic Biology, 50 ( 6 ), 2001, pp. 926-944.