Trianaea
Trianaea
Trianaea is a genus of flowering plants of the nightshade family (Solanaceae ). The members of the genus mostly grow as epiphytes in tree crowns in remote forests of northwestern South America.
Description
Vegetative characteristics
Trianaea are mostly epiphytic growing plants, which sit about 4 to 6 m above the ground on the host plant, such as lianas can grow up to 6 meters high with the roots of network-like surround and up to 15 m long or as shrubs. Often a woody node is formed, growing out of the long branches. Only in exceptional cases Trianaea grow as small trees.
The plants are usually glabrous, occasionally they are occupied with simple or glandular trichomes. The leaves are large, thick, glossy and leathery or even slightly fleshy. The leaf blade is ( rarely 5) 10 to 25 (rarely to 31) cm long and ( 2.4 ) 3-12 ( 15) cm wide, elliptical, ovate - elliptic, obovate -elliptic or narrowly obovate shaped, more rarely linear -elliptic or narrowly linear. The base is tapered, tip pointed. The petioles are 0.5 to 2 ( 5) cm long.
Flowers
The large, showy, terminal or standing in the leaf axils, stipes permanent flowers are single standing or form inflorescences from two to three flowers. They are usually fünfzählig, rarely also cruciform. They hang on mostly 18 to 26 cm or more rarely only 3.5 to 10 cm long pedicles. The bell-shaped calyx is 4-7 cm long, fünfwinkelig and usually as long as the corolla tube. The sepals are triangular and pointed and longer than the calyx tube. Except for a short, basal tubular portion is funnel-shaped, the crown, it will be (5) 6 to 10 ( 12) inches long. The color of the crown is white, yellowish, greenish - yellow or yellowish- brown. The corolla lobes are rounded and bent back, the edges are bent upwards.
The stamens are slightly above the crown out. The approximately 5-8 mm above the base of the crown fixed filaments are straight, pfriemförmig and hairy at the base and bent knee heavily shaped. They are three to four times longer than the linealischen dust bag and fixed to the front. The dust bags are usually 13 to 20 by 3 to 4 mm in size, they are only in Trianaea Naeka about 7 × 3 mm. The theca of the anthers are not fused together. The pollen diameter 26-34 microns medium in size, the pollen grain wall ( exine ) is configured from 1 to 1.2 microns thick and reticulated. The ovary is conical shaped, five - or occasionally vierkammerig, labeled with the corresponding ten or eight ovary subjects. The straight style is terminal. The scar is five or vierlappig. Nectaries are clearly developed. The flowers are fertilized by bats.
Fruit and seeds
The fruits are pressed spherical or ovate -oblong berries with a diameter or a length of ( 3) 5-7 (10 ) cm. Occasionally, the fruits are cylindrical with a size of 7-10 x 3-5 cm. The yellow when ripe fruits are partially enveloped by the resistant cup. The seeds are elongated kidney-shaped, thin, and ( 2) 2.5 to 2.8 ( 3) × 1.2 × 0.5 mm in size, sometimes strongly curved near the hilum, the seed margin is very wavy. The cells of the seed coat are not elongated. The vermiform embryo is curved, the cotyledons are transverse to the rest of the embryo and are shorter, but not wider than this. Endosperm is abundant pronounced.
Dissemination
The species of the genus are native to the tropical rainforests of the north-western South America, where they grow at altitudes from 800 or 1,000 m to 2,500 m in height. The plants are rare and grow in hard- to-reach sites.
System
In the genus Trianaea been six different species have been described. However, as can be made little to say about the validity of the species due to the poor representation of the species in herbaria or due to the bad condition of the type specimens and the poor findability in nature, are of Armando Hunziker in his work "The Genera of Solanaceae " only two species recognized as safe viewed:
- Trianaea Naeka S.Knapp
- Trianaea nobilis Planch. & Linden
The other species of uncertain status described four are:
- Trianaea brevipes ( Cuatrec. ) S.Knapp
- Trianaea neovisae Romero
- Trianaea speciosa ( Drake ) Soler.
- Trianaea spectabilis Cuatrec.
The type species is Trianaea nobilis.