| Aiouea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Aiouea Aubl. |
| Species | |
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Aiouea is a botanical genus of plants in the family of the Lauraceae endemic of Central America and South America. Genus Aiouea is distributed from southern Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay. Aiouea is closely related with Mocinnodaphne, Cinnamomum, Nectandra, Ocotea, Oreodaphne, and Umbellularia.
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They are evergreen hermaphrodite trees or rarely shrubs with leathery leaves of lauroide type. The flowers are in panicles axillary or subterminal, lax. The flowers are bisexual and small, with obconica floral tube, cylindrical or campanulate, six tepals equals, the tube and the base of the tepals hairy inside; fertile stamens 9, 6 or 3, anthers bivalve stamens of I and II whorls eglandular, anthers introrsas, the glands of the third whorl with basal extrorse anthers, those of the fourth whorl staminodes, triangular or ovoid ovary globose, glabrous, included in the floral tube, cylindrical style, stigma discoid. The berry is an ellipsoid dome with basal woody pedicels continuous with the capsule thickened. The berry have a single seed dispersed mostly by birds.
They Grow in low evergreen tropical forest in Amazon region but also in tropical mountain cloud forest. Species in less humid environment are smaller or less robust, with less abundant and thinner foliage and have oleifera cells that give trees a more fragrant aroma. Aiouea is present in tropical and subtropical montane rainforest, laurel forest, in the Andean mountain cloud forest, this trees sometimes are called Mountain laurels. They grow also in evergreen lowlands tropical laurel forests. They does not form large stands but rather small groups of trees with a density of up to one individual per five hectares.
The ecological requirements of the genus, are those of fog moisture precipitating almost continuously in a natural habitat cloud-covered for much of the year. These genus species are found in tropical forests, subtropical temperate evergreen, montane evergreen forests, which is a type of rainforest or Cloud Forest. An ecosystem of great exuberance characterized by high humidity, no seasonal changes and with a wide variety of botanical and zoological species but also highly fragile against external aggressions. The temperate evergreen and evergreen forests are typically multispecies with evergreen and hardwood trees, reaching up to 40 meters in height. The forests are made up of laurel-leaved evergreen hardwood trees, harbouring a rich biota of understorey plants, invertebrates, birds and mammalians.
In Andes and other mountain areas is present in cool temperate zones in montane tropical and subtropical montane rainforest, Aiouea require continuously moist soil, and do not tolerate drought. The laurel trees falls within the broad-leaved forests; mid-montane deciduous forests; and high-montane mixed stunted forests. Some species growing to high altitude forests at 1,500–3,300 metres (4,900–10,800 ft). The upper limit of forests ranges from 3,000–3,300 m (9,800–10,800 ft).
The most known trees are used by the timber industry. The fruit, a berry, is an important food source for birds. In some species the seed dispersal is carried out by monkeys, chipmunks, or fishes.
This genus of plant in family Lauraceae has about 20-60 species.[1]