''Jumellea fragrans'', also known as faham, is a species of orchid in the genus '' Jumellea''. It is native to the islands of

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 ...

and

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

Ecology

It grows as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

in the lowland rain forest up to 500 m above sea level.

Description

The species blooms in March–April with a single flowered

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

with 3 basal

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s. The flower has a

spur A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...

of approximately 39 mm long and is pollinated by hawk moths.

Taxonomy

Differentiation from ''Jumellea rossii''

These two similar species can be confused. ''Jumellea rossii'' occurs at high altitudes, whereas ''Jumellea fragrans'' occurs at lower elevations. Three important diagnostic characters for species delimitation have been identified: The length of the spur, the leaf length, as well as the leaf width:Bertrand Mallet, Laurence Humeau, Laury Blambert, Fanny Rakotoarivelo, Claudia Baider, et al.. Différences morphologiques et identification de ''Jumellea rossii'' et ''Jumellea fragrans'' (Orchidaceae) à l’île de La Réunion : implications pour la conservation. Revue d’Ecologie, Terre et Vie, 2012, Sup11, pp.73-84. hal-03530468

Phylogeny

''Jumellea fragrans'' is the sister group to '' Jumellea rossii''. It is also closely related to '' Jumellea tenuibracteata'', '' Jumellea francoisii'', and '' Jumellea alionae'', as can be seen in the following cladogram:

Uses

The fragrant leaves and flowers are boiled in hot water to extract its aromatic qualities. This is used to flavour rum on Reunion Island. Other uses that have fallen out of favour include digestive aid, remedy for respiratory disease, ice cream and custards. The plant's use for medicinal purposes on Mauritius is thought to be critically endangered.

Conservation

It is threatened due to unsustainable overcollection in wild habitats and lack of agricultural production.Laury Blambert
"Biologie et chimie des jumellea aromatiques de la Réunion : application à la conservation et à la valorisation des espèces."
Biodiversité et Ecologie. Université de la Réunion, 2016. Français. NNT: 2016LARE0034. tel-01525694 It is recommended to categorize ''Jumellea fragrans'' as vulnerable (VU) under the IUCN Red List criteria.

Physiology

Coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by an unsaturated lactone ring , forming a second six-me ...

, and two groups of

diterpene Diterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being a primary ...

s ( kaurenes, phytadienes) have been isolated from this species foliage.Sing, A. S. C., Smadja, J., Brevard, H., Maignial, L., Chaintreau, A., & Marion, J. P. (1992)
"Volatile constituents of faham (''Jumellea fragrans'' (Thou.) Schltr.)."
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 40(4), 642-646.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3064445 fragrans Flora of Mauritius Flora of Réunion Orchids of Mauritius Orchids of Réunion Epiphytic orchids Flora of Africa