Pemphis | |
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Pemphis acidula, in its shortest form, on the coast of Réunion Island | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Magnoliophyta |
Class: | Magnoliopsida |
Order: | Myrtales |
Family: | Lythraceae |
Genus: | Pemphis J.R.Forst & G.Forst[1] |
Pemphis is a possibly unispecific genus of maritime plants in family Lythraceae, represented by the type species, described in 1775, Pemphis acidula[2] (Other species listed here, upon further scrutiny, may or may not be ajudged classifiable under Pemphis, but for the purposes of this article, Pemphis species are referred to as plural).[3]
Pemphis are highly adaptive. Depending on environmental factors, they are densely branched, or low and spreading bushes or short trees, with main stems that can be furcated and lie nearly prone, or develop into one erect trunk. Leaves can be small, fleshy and succulent, or larger, flat and not fleshy.[4] All surfaces are covered generally in silky, colorless trichomes.[3] The fruits and bee-pollinated flowers are produced throughout the year. Seeds can float, and are sometimes propagated through water dispersal.[4]
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Most Pemphis live either at the verges of mangrove forests, well away from the forest-ocean interface; or they colonize beaches behind the intertidal zone, taking hold on rocks, gravel or sand, laterite or limestone, and frequently on promontories or crags.[4]
They are not common, but far ranging from coastal, eastern Africa (including the Seychelles[5], and the Zanzibar Archipelago[4]), states with Indian Ocean coastlines, to the Pacific (Philippines[6], Cook Islands[7]), northwards up to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands[3] Other places reporting Pemphis include mainland coastal Tanzania, Thailand, Malaysia (Johore), Singapore, Indonesia (Papua, Sumatra, the Moluccas, Madura and Java), Christmas Island, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong and throughout tropical Australia. On Java in particular, some areas are uncharacteristicly abundant.[4]
Despite the difficulty presented the prospective carver, wood from Pemphis species are highly prized for their extreme heaviness, toughness and resistance to warping. It is fashioned into walking canes, fence posts, tool handles, and even anchors, and exhibits a fine finish.[4]
Pemphis acidula is a valuable tropical species for bonsai, particularly in Asia.[8]
This genus contains the following species:
Pemphis acidula J.R.Forst & G.Forst
Pemphis eximia King ex J.G.Watson
Pemphis hexandra Mart. ex Koehne
Pemphis madagascariensis Koehne
Pemphis punctata Drake
Pemphis stachydifolia Mart. ex Koehne