Urbanodendron
| Urbanodendron | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Genus: | Urbanodendron Mez |
Urbanodendron is a neotropical genus of plant in Lauraceae family, in South America.
Overview
It is an endangered genus occurring in Brazil, of aromatic dioecious evergreen trees with male and female flowers on separate trees. The genus is characterized by an extremely rare combination of characters that have occurred in the species in its own distinct genus. There is little information regarding the species due to its scarcity.
Characteristics
They are evergreen monoecious trees with leaves alternate, without papillae on the abaxial epidermis. Inflorescence tirsoide or botrioide. Flowers monoclinic urceolado hypanthium, not compressed below the tepals, tepals 6, equal, the inner surface without papillae. Androecium with 9 stamens fertile, all the stamens with a pair of glands at the base of fillets, cut, never fused, rebated thinner than the anthers, anthers four loculars or two loculars: 1st and 2nd series with three stamens each, anthers introrse or lateral extrorse; grade 3 with 3 stamens, anthers extrorse; The 4th grade staminodes reduced or absent. The fruit is a berry, partially surrounded by dome, double border, tepals deciduous. The fruit is a small dark drupe containing a single seed.[1]
Urbanodendron consists of three species with restricted distribution to the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, where all occur. They are: U. bahiense, U. macrophyllum and U. Rower verrucosum.
Ecology
Endemic species of the Brazilian tropical seasonal semi-deciduous montane forests, Cloud forest, in the state of Minas Gerais. In 1978, after five centuries of occupation and the effects of various economic cycles, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, has been reduced to about only 7.6% of its original extension, in a drastic deforestation.[2] The ecological requirements of the genus are those of the laurel forest and like most of their counterparts laurifolia in the world, they are vigorous species with a great ability to populate the habitat that is conducive. The natural habitat is rainforest which is cloud-covered for much of the year. The species is found in forests that face threats of destruction by human deforestation.
Because of the special lack of worldwide knowledge about the family lauraceae in general, very little is known about their diversity. Recent monographs of the small and medium genera of lauraceae with up to 100 species per genus have produced a high increase in the number of known species. This high increase is expected for other genera as well, particularly for those with more than 150 species recorded, bringing an expected considerable increase in the total number of species of the family.
A related vegetal community evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana, and species of this community are now found on several separate areas of the Southern Hemisphere, including South America, Africa, New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia.
Species
It contains the following species:
- Urbanodendron bahiense, (Meisn.) Rohwer
- Urbanodendron macrophyllum, Rohwer
- Urbanodendron verrucosum, (Nees) Mez