Cyphostemma Mappia
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''Cyphostemma mappia'' (Mapou tree or bois mapou) is a species of
caudiciform A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a Plant stem, stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caude ...
succulent plant
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
. It is sometimes known as the "Mauritian baobab", though it is member of the grape family (Vitaceae) and unrelated to the true
Baobabs ''Adansonia'' is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). The eight species of ''Adansonia'' are native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but have also been introduced to other regions of the world, including Barb ...
of Africa. This species is
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, but is beginning to be propagated in its native
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
, as an ornamental landscaping plant.


Description

It is a soft-stemmed
caudiciform A caudex (: caudices) of a plant is a Plant stem, stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caude ...
tree, with
succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
green leaves on fragile, chunky, elastic, distinctively zig-zag branches. It can eventually reach a height of nearly 10 meters, and develop a vastly expanded, swollen, water-filled trunk. This means that it can resemble a
baobab ''Adansonia'' is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). The eight species of ''Adansonia'' are native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but have also been introduced to other regions of the world, including Barb ...
in shape. As a case of "
island gigantism Island gigantism, or insular gigantism, is a biological phenomenon in which the size of an animal species isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to its mainland relatives. Island gigantism is one aspect of the more general "is ...
", it is the only ''
Cyphostemma ''Cyphostemma'' is a flowering plant genus in the family (biology), family Vitaceae, with around 250 species distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. These species are Caudex, caudiciform and used to belong to the genus ''Cissus''. The ...
'' species to attain the size of a large tree. It has also lost the vine-like tendrils of its genus, which falls within the greater
Vitaceae The Vitaceae are a family of flowering plants, with 14 genera and around 910 known species, including common plants such as Vitis, grapevines (''Vitis'' spp.) and Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper (''Parthenocissus quinquefolia''). Th ...
(grapevine) family. In exposed areas, it tends to be shorter and more robust - only a few meters tall. In more protected environments, it grows up to 10 meters in height. The wood is soft and fleshy, like that of a true baobab. It is therefore sometimes confused both with the baobab (''
Adansonia digitata ''Adansonia digitata'', the African baobab, is the most widespread tree species of the genus ''Adansonia'', the baobabs, and is native to the African continent and the southern Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Oman). These are long-lived pachycauls; rad ...
'') or with the genera '' Calpidia'' or ''
Pisonia ''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Mirabilis jalapa, four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch Republic, Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as c ...
'' which all have similar fleshy trunks. It produces flowers from January through May and sometimes they remain for as long as October. The fruits are small, red, velvety grapes. Like many other
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
Mauritian plants, it has
heterophyllous Heterophylly is where a plant has at least two different types of leaves. The differences may be in shape or size of the leaves. A particularly dramatic example of a heterophyllous plant is ''Ranunculus aquatilis''. It, like many aquatic plants, ...
leaves, due to having evolved with the presence of grazing
giant tortoise Giant tortoises are any of several species of various large land tortoises, which include a number of extinct species, as well as two extant species with multiple subspecies formerly common on the islands of the western Indian Ocean and on the ...
s. The plants still exhibit this
heterophylly Heterophylly is where a plant has at least two different types of leaves. The differences may be in shape or size of the leaves. A particularly dramatic example of a heterophyllous plant is ''Ranunculus aquatilis''. It, like many aquatic plants, ...
, even though the ''
Cylindraspis ''Cylindraspis'' is a genus of recently extinct giant tortoises. All of its species lived in the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion) in the Indian Ocean and all are now extinct due to hunting and introduction of non-native pred ...
'' giant tortoise species of Mauritius are now extinct. Leaves of young plants are longer, thinner and lighter red-coloured - and are mostly ignored by tortoises. In older plants, where the leaves are out of reach of giant tortoises, the leaves are larger, broader and greener. The leaves are compound, with odd numbers of leaflet segments, and it is typically deciduous.


Changes in leaf form (Heterophylly)

File:Mapou leaves - 2 juvenile.jpg, Juvenile leaves File:Mapou leaves - 9 new basal shoot.jpg, Basal shoot File:Mapou leaves - 5 subadult.jpg, Subadult leaves File:Mapou leaves - 6 adult.jpg, Young adult leaves File:Mapou leaves - 7 adult c.jpg, Adult leaves File:Mapou leaves - 7 adult.jpg, Adult leaves (rounded)


Distribution

It used to be widespread throughout the dry and semi-dry forests of the island, but especially in more exposed or mountainous areas. It was reported to be extremely common especially on and around
Le Pouce Le Pouce (; English: "The Thumb") is the third highest mountain in Mauritius, at 812 meters (2664 feet). Only Piton de la Petite Rivière Noire (828 m) and Pieter Both (820 m) are taller. It is named Le Pouce because of the thumb-shaped peak of ...
and in the north, especially around the town of
Mapou Mapou is a village in northern Mauritius, located in Rivière du Rempart District. The village is administered by the Mapou Village Council under the aegis of the Rivière du Rempart District Council. According to the census by Statistics Maurit ...
(to which it gave its name), although it was already rare there by 1800. It was also reported in large numbers in the hills and mountains around Moka; as well as in the lowland forests across the island. It was exterminated from much of its natural range, but can still occasionally be found on extremely rocky slopes or outcrops in the higher mountains. It can be found on the mountain ranges of Trois Mamelles and Rempart, and in some of the remaining dry forests in the west of the island, especially around Magenta and Yemen.


Cultivation

It is relatively slow-growing, but is increasingly used as a decorative ornamental for hotels and public landscaping in Mauritius. It is easily propagated by cuttings, which can be rooted in water, or in a damp, shady environment. It can also be grown from seed.G.Rouillard: ''Les Plantes et Leur Histoire a L'ile Maurice''. Mauritius. 1999. p.160.


Sources

mappia ''Mappia'' is a genus of shrubs in the family Icacinaceae. There are eleven species (including '' Nothapodytes'' Blume) occurring in Central America, the West Indies and Asia. The type species for the genus is '' Mappia racemosa'' Jacquin. Some ...
Endemic flora of Mauritius Caudiciform plants {{Vitaceae-stub