|
Pisonia Ochracea
''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees or birdlime trees because they catch birds. The sticky seeds are postulated to be an adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ... of some island species that ensures the Seed dispersal#Dispersal by animals, dispersal of seeds between islands by attaching them to birds, and also allows the enriching of coralline sands. (Should a fledgling fall to the ground, become entangled in the ''Pisonia'' sticky seeds, and be unable to free itself, then it will starve, and so enrich the soil within the tree's rootzone.) These island spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisonia Brunoniana
''Ceodes brunoniana'' (synonym ''Pisonia brunoniana'') is a species of flowering tree in the family Nyctaginaceae that is native to northern New Zealand, Australia's Lord Howe Island, and the Hawaiian Islands. The common names in New Zealand are parapara or birdcatcher tree. Description ''Ceodes brunoniana'' is a small tree, spreading to or more tall. The wood is soft and the branches are brittle. The large leaves are opposite or ternate, glabrous, and glossy, entire (simple with smooth margins), and obtuse to rounded at apex. The inflorescence is paniculate, many-flowered, and the flowers are unisexual. The very sticky fruits, in which small birds are often trapped, are narrowly ellipsoidal, and long, having five ribs. In the Seychelles, the sticky seeds of a related species, '' Pisonia grandis'', regularly causes seabird deaths, and research suggests that the seeds evolved to be transferred on the plumage of seabirds to distant islands, enabling the long-distance dispers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
