Plathymenia reticulata (Portuguese: vinhático) is a species of legume native to much of eastern South America. It is placed in its own genus, Platyhymenia, although other species have previously been recognised in that genus. It grows up to 30 m (98 ft) tall, and has distinctive flattened seed pods. Its wood is rot-resistant, and is widely used as a structural timber.
| Plathymenia | |
|---|---|
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| Mature tree | |
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| Seed pods | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Plathymenia Benth. (1840), nom. cons. |
| Species: | P. reticulata
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| Binomial name | |
| Plathymenia reticulata Benth. (1841)
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| Synonyms [2][3][4] | |
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Description edit
Plathymenia reticulata grows up to 30 metres (100 ft) tall, with a diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft); in cerrado or savannah habitats, it is smaller, reaching a height of only 5 m (16 ft) and a d.b.h. of 30 cm (12 in).[5] The leaves are alternately arranged, 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long, and bipinnate.[5] The hermaphroditic flowers are held in cymes on short peduncles among the foliage; each flower is 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long, with five tiny white petals and numerous stamens.[5] The seed pod is flat, 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long and 1.5–4.5 cm (0.6–1.8 in) wide, and contains 7–12 seeds,[5] each of which is surrounded by a winged papery envelope.[2]
Distribution and ecology edit
Plathymenia reticulata is a widespread tree in the cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes of South America, but is not found in the more xeric caatinga biome.[6] It occurs in Suriname, Bolivia, Paraguay, the Misiones Province of Argentina and 14 states of Brazil,[7] at altitudes of 30–1,300 metres (100–4,300 ft).[5]
The phenology of P. reticulata varies across its range; in São Paulo state, flowering occurs from July to October, but elsewhere it is can start as late as November, and end as late as December.[5] Similarly, the time of fruiting varies from August–September to October–January.[5] The pollinators are bees and other small insects, and the seeds are dispersed by the wind (anemochory).[5]
Taxonomy edit
When he erected the genus in 1841, George Bentham originally described two species in Plathymenia – Plathymenia foliolosa and Plathymenia reticulata. Following work by Warwick and Lewis published in 2003, these are now considered synonymous, and Plathymenia is considered to contain a single species.[8] The name Plathymenia derives from the Ancient Greek roots πλατύς (platys, meaning "flat") and ὑμήν (hymen, meaning "membrane"), in reference to the winged seeds.[2][5] The specific epithet reticulata refers to the reticulate (net-like) leaf venation.[5]
The name Echyrospermum, published by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott in 1822, is an earlier name for the same genus, but has been rejected under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.[2]
Uses edit
Plathymenia reticulata is known by many different common names throughout its wide range, but it is generally referred to as vinhático.[5] The timber of P. reticulata contains terpenes that preserve the wood from termite attack and from rotting, even when exposed to the weather.[5] It is the preferred timber for constructing dugout canoes in Brazil,[9] and is widely used for anchors, fence-posts and for many other structural uses.[5] The production of nectar and pollen for the pollinators make Plathymenia useful for apiculture.[5]
References edit
- ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Plathymenia reticulata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T62027353A149012494. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T62027353A149012494.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d R. C. Barneby (1983). "(711)-(712) Proposals to conserve Plathymenia against Echyrospermum and Peltogyne against Orectospermum (Leguminosae)". Taxon. 32 (3): 488–490. doi:10.2307/1221525. JSTOR 1221525.
- ^ Plathymenia Benth. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ Plathymenia reticulata Benth. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Paulo Ernani Ramalho Carvalho. "Vinhático, Plathymenia reticulata" (PDF). Comunicado Técnico 231 (in Portuguese). Embrapa.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Renan Milagres Lage Novaes, José Pires de Lemos Filho, Renata Acácio Ribeiro & Maria Bernadete Lovato (2010). "Phylogeography of Plathymenia reticulata (Leguminosae) reveals patterns of recent range expansion towards northeastern Brazil and southern Cerrados in Eastern Tropical South America". Molecular Ecology. 19 (5): 985–998. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04530.x. PMID 20149092. S2CID 24293098.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Plathymenia reticulata". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
- ^ M. C. Warwick & G. P. Lewis (2003). "Revision of Plathymenia (Leduminosae–Mimosoideae)". Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 60 (2): 111–119. doi:10.1017/S0960428603000106.
- ^ Harvey Green (2007). Wood: Craft, Culture, History. Penguin. p. 166. ISBN 9781101201855.
External links edit
Media related to Plathymenia at Wikimedia Commons
