Lobelia telekii
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| Lobelia telekii |
Lobelia telekii is a member of the lobelia family found in the tropics. It lives at high altitudes on well-drained slopes. It is a semelparous species, putting all its reproductive efforts into producing large inflorescence, and then dying[1]. For this reason the inflorescences can grow up to 3m (10ft) tall.
Lobelia telekii plants usually consist of a single rosette, which grows for many years, flowers and dies. However, a very small number of plants have multiple rosettes connected by an underground stem[1].
The flowers of Lobelia telekii are hidden among the large bracts within the inflorescence. The plant is a blue-green colour[2].
Lobelia telekii lives on Mount Kenya between 3,500 and 5,000m (11,500-16,400ft). It lives in a drier environment than Lobelia keniensis, and lives in the same habitats as rock hyrax. Hyrax sometimes eat the lobelia, but generally its toxic sap deters herbivores.[3]. Lobelia species on Mount Kenya are all pollinated by birds[4].
[edit] References
- ^ a b Young, Truman P. (1990). "Evolution of semelparity in Mount Kenya lobelias". Evolutionary Ecology 4: 157–171. Chapman and Hall Ltd.
- ^ Mabberley, D. J. (1975). "The Giant Lobelias: Pachycauly, biogeography, ornithophily and continental drift". New Phytologist 74: 365–374.
- ^ Young, Truman P. (1984). "The comparative demography of semelparous Lobelia telekii and iteroparous Lobelia keniensis on Mount Kenya". Journal of Ecology 72: 637–650.
- ^ Smith, Alan P.; Truman P. Young (1987). "Tropical Alpine Plant Ecology". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 137–158.
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