Balmea
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| Balmea | ||||||||||||||
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Appendix I
Threatened with extinction |
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| Balmea stormiae Martinez, 1942 |
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Balmea is a genus in the family Rubiaceae and contains a single species, Balmea stormiae, which is locally known as ayuque. It occurs in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. The plant is picked for its scarlet flowers, and the whole plant sold on Mexican markets as a Christmas tree. Because populations are depleted as soon as they are discovered, this species is threatened with extinction.
The genus is named in honor of botanist Juan Balme, the species name honors Marian Storm, a collaborator of the describer.
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[edit] Description
The plant is a shrub of four to seven meters The smooth, greenish purple bark peels off in irregular thin shreds. The hard wood is whitish. The broadly ovate and shortly acuminate leaves are clustered at the end of the branches.
The hermaphroditic flowers are scarlet-red, tinged with purple. When fully open they turn dark purple. At night a sweet scent emanates from them.
The fruit is an erect capsule, about 25 mm long, that opens at the tip in two follicle-like portions. The numerous seed show reticulate wings of about 4 mm.[1]
The shrub flowers from August to October, the fruit are ripe from December to January.
[edit] Taxonomy
The genus is closely related to Cosmibuena and Blepharidium (Martinez, 1942).
[edit] References
- ^ Martinez, M. (1942). A New Genus of Rubiaceae from Mexico. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 69(6):438-441. doi:10.2307/2481425
- "Plant" (2005) ISBN 075660589X
