Platypodium Elegans
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''Platypodium elegans'', the graceful platypodium, is a large
leguminous Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...
tree found in the
Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...
that forms part of the
forest canopy In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, the canopy is the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and includ ...
. It was first described by
Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel (30 July 1812 – 17 December 1841) was a German botanist.Biographical sketch by Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, translated by Miles Joseph Berkeley. In Life He was born in Berlin, and studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelm ...
in 1837 and is the
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of the genus. The tree has been known to grow up to 30 metres in height and have a trunk with a diameter up to 1 m at breast height. Its trunk has large holes in it, sometimes making it possible to see through the trunk. The holes provide a habitat for giant damselflies and other insects both when alive and once the tree has died and fallen over. It has
compound leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
each of which is made up of 10–20 leaflets. Three new chemical compounds have been isolated from the leaves and they form part of the diet of several monkeys and the squirrel ''
Sciurus ingrami ''Sciurus ingrami'', usually called Ingram's squirrel in English, is a squirrel found in South America. It is known as ''serelepe'' in southeastern Brazil. It is found in the Atlantic Forest Biome of Brazil and Misiones Province, Argentina. It ...
''. In Panama it flowers from April to June, the flowers contain only four ovules, but normally only one of these reaches maturity forming a winged seed pod around 10 cm long and weighing 2 g. During the dry season around a year after the flowers are fertilised, the seeds are dispersed by the wind and the tree loses it leaves. The seeds are eaten by
agoutis The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Central America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...
and by bruchid beetle larvae. The majority of seedlings are killed by
damping off Damping off (or damping-off) is a horticultural disease or condition, caused by several different pathogens that kill or weaken seeds or seedlings before or after they germinate. It is most prevalent in wet and cool conditions. Symptoms There ar ...
fungi in the first few months of growth, with seedlings that grow nearer the parent trees being more likely to die. The seedlings are relatively unable to survive in deep shade compared to other species in the same habitat. Various
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 ...
s are known to grow on ''P. elegans'' with the cactus ''
Epiphyllum phyllanthus ''Epiphyllum phyllanthus'', commonly known as the climbing cactus, is a species of epiphytic cacti. It has no leaves, instead having stems that photosynthesise. It is thought to be pollinated by hawkmoths, as the flowers only open at night and pr ...
'' being the most abundant in Panama. Despite having holes in its trunk which should encourage debris and seeds to collect,
hemiepiphyte A hemiepiphyte is a plant that spends part of its life cycle as an epiphyte. The seeds of primary hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically. They send roots downward, and these roots eventually make contact with th ...
s are relatively uncommon, meaning that animals are not attracted to it to feed and then defecate. It has no known uses in
traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...
and although it can be used for timber, the wood is of poor quality.


Description

''Platypodium elegans'' is a large forest tree, which forms part of the
forest canopy In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant cropping or crop, formed by the collection of individual plant crowns. In forest ecology, the canopy is the upper layer or habitat zone, formed by mature tree crowns and includ ...
. It can grow up to 30 m in height, with mature trees having an average crown diameter of 16 m and a
diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...
(dbh) of 75–100 cm. Trees over 20 cm dbh grow at a rate of around 0.5 cm per year, as measured by how their dbh increases. Its trunk is
fenestrated A fenestra (fenestration; : fenestrae or fenestrations) is any small opening or pore, commonly used as a term in the biological sciences. It is the Latin word for "window", and is used in various fields to describe a pore in an anatomical structu ...
, having large and conspicuous holes in it, even so much so that it is possible to see through the trunk, meaning it can be mistaken for a strangler fig. The bark is soft and dark brown and contains a foul-smelling sap. It has
compound leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
which grow up to 25 cm in length, each having 10–20 leaflets, which are 2.5–7.5 cm long, 1–3 cm wide,
hairless Hairless, also known as H, is a well-characterized Drosophila gene. Since Hairless is a dominant loss of function mutation, many mutations to Hairless are embryonic lethal, but there are several viable hairless mutants. This specific Drosophila ...
on the upper side and positioned not quite opposite each other. Three new compounds have been isolated from the leaves of ''P. elegans''; two ''seco''-lupane
triterpene Triterpenes are a class of terpenes composed of six isoprene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of three terpene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squalene, the pre ...
s (canaric acid and dihydrocanaric acid), as well as a
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 ...
, 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin. The mature leaves are relatively tough, requiring more than 100 g/mm2 to be applied to them to puncture them. It is deciduous, losing its leaves during the dry season, when its seeds are dispersed. The diameter of the conducting vessels in the roots are on average 69 
μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...
, up to 98 μm and in the shoots 57 μm up to 87 μm. The trees (over 20 cm dbh) are relatively stiff compared to other trees on
Barro Colorado Island Barro Colorado Island is located in the man-made Gatun Lake in the middle of the Panama Canal. The island was formed when the waters of the Chagres River were dammed to form the lake in 1913. When the waters rose, they covered a significant part ...
(BCI), having a
Young's modulus Young's modulus (or the Young modulus) is a mechanical property of solid materials that measures the tensile or compressive stiffness when the force is applied lengthwise. It is the modulus of elasticity for tension or axial compression. Youn ...
of 180,000 kg/cm2. In Panama, it flowers from April to June. It was first reported to flower only every other year, but this is now known to be incorrect, although seed production can vary considerably from year to year. The flowers of ''P. elegans'' contain four ovules, but normally only the most distal ovule develops into a seed, with other seeds being
aborted Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in 1995 in Waregem. The group currently consists of vocalist, founder, and only constant member Sven de Caluwé, along with guitarists Ian Jekelis and Dan Konráðsson. Although the band originally ...
before they mature. The
pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...
s are 8–12 mm long, the
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 around 2 mm long and the
calyx CALYX, Inc. is a non-profit publisher of art and literature by women founded in 1976 based in Corvallis, Oregon. CALYX publishes both '' CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women'' twice a year and CALYX Books, which publishes one to three ...
around 4 mm long. After being fertilised a winged fruit (a
samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...
) develops quickly, but it takes around one year for the seed to mature. The fruit remains on the tree whilst the seeds develop and is thought to photosynthesise during this time. The samaras dry out during the dry season, before detaching from the tree and being dispersed by the wind over 2–3 months. In Panama the seeds are dispersed between February and April, just under a year after the flowers formed. Each samara normally only contains one seed, but sometimes they contain two instead, which affects their dispersal. The samaras vary in size and shape between trees, but are generally similar on each individual tree. On average, they weigh around 2 g when dry, and are around 10 cm long but can grow up to 16 cm. Samaras containing two seeds are heavier, have a larger surface area and fall faster from the tree than those containing only one seed. Each seed weighs around one third of a gram, making them relatively large compared to other trees in its habitat, but seeds that are the result of
self-fertilisation Autogamy or self-fertilization refers to the fusion of two gametes that come from one individual. Autogamy is predominantly observed in the form of self-pollination, a reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering plants. However, species of ...
are significantly lighter (by 0.03 g). The
cotyledon A cotyledon ( ; ; "a cavity, small cup, any cup-shaped hollow", gen. (), ) is a "seed leaf" – a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant – and is formally defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or mor ...
s, of the seedlings remain underground after germination and only serve as a stored source of nutrients, they detach within 8 weeks of germination. File:Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Platypodium elegans (1).jpg, leaves File:Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Platypodium elegans (2).jpg, seeds File:Flickr - João de Deus Medeiros - Platypodium elegans.jpg, trunk


Taxonomy

''Platypodium elegans'' was first described by
Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel (30 July 1812 – 17 December 1841) was a German botanist.Biographical sketch by Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, translated by Miles Joseph Berkeley. In Life He was born in Berlin, and studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelm ...
in 1837 and it is the
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
of the genus '' Platypodium''. In 1862
George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
described a
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
, ''Platypodium elegans'' var. ''major''. In 1917
Henri François Pittier Henri François Pittier de Fabrega (August 13, 1857 in Bex, Switzerland – January 27, 1950 in Caracas, Venezuela) was a Swiss-born geographer and botanist who started Venezuelan National Park history. Biography He graduated as an engineer f ...
described ''Platypodium maxonianum'' from Chiriquí, Panama, noting that it differed from Vogel's description of ''P. elegans'' as it had larger leaves and fruits. He named the species after William Maxon, then a curator of the
United States National Herbarium The United States National Herbarium is a collection of five million preserved plant specimens housed in the Department of Botany at the National Museum of Natural History, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. It represents about 8% of the ...
. ''P. maxonianum'' is now considered to be a
synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
of ''P. elegans''. According to
The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant specie ...
, ''P. elegans'' is currently one of only two accepted species of ''Platypodium'', the other being '' P. viride''.


Vernacular names

There are many common names for ''P. elegans'' in different languages. In English it is known as the graceful platypodium and similarly, in French as ''platypodium graceiux''. In Brazil it has several names: ''amendoim-do-campo'', ''amendoim-bravo'', ''jacarandá-branco'', ''jacarandá-bana'', ''jacarandá-do-campo'', ''jacarandazinho'', ''jacarandá-tã'', ''faviero'', ''secupiruna'' and ''uruvalheira''. Several names are also used in Panama: ''carcuera'', ''costilla'', ''arbol soga'', ''canalua'', ''canaleto'' and ''tigre''. In Paraguay it is known as ''desconocido'' and in Colombia as ''lomo de caimán''.


Distribution

''Platypodium elegans'' is found in the
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
s and
savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
of the
Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...
, ranging from
Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
in the North, to
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
in the South. It is also found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. It is not found in the central and northern parts of Brazil, but is found in the
cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...
,
Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...
,
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
and around
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
. On Barro Colorado Island (BCI) ''P. elegans'' is found at a moderate abundance in both old and young forest, each hectare may contain several mature trees, but it is not unusual to find isolated individuals. Generally, only large individuals are found, with saplings being rare, except in forest gaps.


Ecology


Reproduction

''Platypodium elegans'' is
pollinated Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, for example bees, beetles or butterflies; bird ...
by
bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...
. In Panama pollen is moved on average between 368 and 419 m from the parent tree and commonly over 1 km away. The population that regularly share genes (termed the
deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or (, plural: ''demoi'', δήμοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Classical Athens, Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside existed in the 6th century BC and earlier, bu ...
) is estimated to be between 25 and 50 hectares around each tree. 92% of seeds that mature result from flowers that have been pollinated with pollen from other individuals but
self-fertilisation Autogamy or self-fertilization refers to the fusion of two gametes that come from one individual. Autogamy is predominantly observed in the form of self-pollination, a reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering plants. However, species of ...
is actually much higher than this would suggest. The difference between these values is explained by the fact that many fruits are aborted after being fertilised, but before dispersal occurs. Hufford and Hamrick suggested that they abort fruit for two reasons; they could have a set amount of resources to invest in their seeds in one year but produce extra flowers which then compete between each other, with only some surviving to maturity. Alternatively, the tree may detect which fruits are the result of self-fertilisation and selectively abort them, but this is considered less likely. The seeds are dispersed by wind. In Panama the seeds germinate at the start of the rainy season in May.
Damping off Damping off (or damping-off) is a horticultural disease or condition, caused by several different pathogens that kill or weaken seeds or seedlings before or after they germinate. It is most prevalent in wet and cool conditions. Symptoms There ar ...
fungi account for 64–95% of the deaths of seedlings during their first three months of growth, with deaths being more common for seedlings near their parents, as the Janzen-Connell hypothesis predicts. Falling leaf litter and digging mammals are also significant causes of seedling mortality. An artificial experiment found that if seedlings have their leaves removed or are placed in deep shade (0.08% of full sunlight) they die within 60 days, whereas around 80% of the seedlings of '' Lacmellea panamensis'' are able to survive these treatments. The seedlings are able to grow slowly in 0.8% sunlight, but the seedlings are at the low end of the spectrum in terms of being able to tolerate shade. Another experiment has shown that seedlings die faster if either their cotyledons or leaves are removed, those that have had their cotyledons removed die more quickly.


Habitat

As in all legumes, the roots of ''P. elegans'' are colonised by
nitrogen fixing Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular dinitrogen () is converted into ammonia (). It occurs both biologically and abiologically in chemical industries. Biological nitrogen fixation or ''diazotrophy'' is catalyzed by en ...
bacteria, in this case from the genus ''
Bradyrhizobium ''Bradyrhizobium'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative soil bacteria, many of which fix nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is an important part of the nitrogen cycle. Plants cannot use atmospheric nitrogen (N2); they must use nitrogen co ...
''. Genetic analysis of the bacteria has shown that different
genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...
s colonise the roots of the same tree and are strains of ''
Bradyrhizobium japonicum ''Bradyrhizobium japonicum'' is a species of legume- root nodulating, microsymbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The species is one of many Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria commonly referred to as rhizobia. Within that broad classification, whi ...
''. The
epiphytic 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 ...
cactus ''
Epiphyllum phyllanthus ''Epiphyllum phyllanthus'', commonly known as the climbing cactus, is a species of epiphytic cacti. It has no leaves, instead having stems that photosynthesise. It is thought to be pollinated by hawkmoths, as the flowers only open at night and pr ...
'' is particularly abundant in the canopies of ''P. elegans'' on BCI particularly growing in cavities in the trunk. Another cactus, ''
Rhipsalis baccifera ''Rhipsalis baccifera'', commonly known as the mistletoe cactus, is an epiphytic cactus which originates from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Florida. It is also found throughout the tropics of Africa and into Sri Lanka where it i ...
'', and the ferns '' Niphidium crassifolium'' and ''
Campyloneurum phyllitidis ''Campyloneurum phyllitidis'', commonly known as the long strap fern, is a species of fern in the family Polypodiaceae. Distribution ''Campyloneurum phyllitidis'' is found in North, Central, and South America: from Florida, the Caribbean, and so ...
'' are also found growing on ''P. elegans''. After rainfall, the bark stores around one third of a gram of water per cm2 which epiphytes can then absorb, a moderate amount compared to other trees. Todzia found that despite having a trunk with deep invaginations that collect debris and which should encourage the germination of seeds,
hemiepiphyte A hemiepiphyte is a plant that spends part of its life cycle as an epiphyte. The seeds of primary hemiepiphytes germinate in the canopy and initially live epiphytically. They send roots downward, and these roots eventually make contact with th ...
s (plants which germinate on the tree and then send down roots into the soil) are relatively rare on ''P. elegans'' on BCI. It is thought that this is because its seeds are wind dispersed, and the tree therefore attracts relatively few animals which could deposit the seeds of hemiepiphytes whilst feeding on seeds. Todzia noted that ''
Hura crepitans ''Hura crepitans'', the sandbox tree, also known as possumwood, monkey no-climb, assacu (from Tupi ''asaku'') and jabillo, is an evergreen tree in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to tropical regions of North and South America including the Amaz ...
'' disperses it seeds explosively, yet is heavily laden with hemiepiphytes however. A survey of 20 trees on BCI with a
diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...
of 20 cm or more found that 75% had
liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...
s growing on them. Various invertebrates live in water-filled holes which form in ridges of the trunk of ''P. elegans'' when they die and fall over, and in
tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees. They are a prominent feature of n ...
s that exist when the tree is alive. Leaf litter collects in the water and as it decomposes animals feed on the debris. An experiment, where leaves of ''P. elegans'' were added to an artificial pool containing 650 ml of water in the rainforest, found that 17 species lived in them, with the mosquito ''
Culex mollis ''Culex'' or typical mosquitoes are a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nil ...
'' being the most abundant. The pools contained a greater species diversity and abundance of animals than similar experiments using leaves of ''
Ceiba pentandra ''Ceiba pentandra'' is a tropical tree of the order (biology), order Malvales and the family (biology), family Malvaceae (previously emplaced in the family Bombacaceae), native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, ...
'', ''
Dipteryx panamensis ''Dipteryx oleifera'' (syns. ''Dipteryx panamensis'' and ''Coumarouna panamensis''), the tonka bean, eboe, choibá, or almendro (almond in Spanish), is a species of emergent rainforest tree up to tall in the family Fabaceae (the subfamily Pa ...
'' and ''
Ficus yoponensis ''Ficus yoponensis'' is a species of fig tree found in Central and South America. It can grow to heights of tall, having a trunk diameter of . The trunk is buttressed, light grey in colour and reasonably smooth. Its petioles are long, the stip ...
'', species that also contain water pools in their trunks. Yanoviak suggested that this indicates that the leaves are a relatively higher-quality nutrient source than those of the other species. On BCI, Fincke found that trees had between 1 and 10 water-filled holes, more than any other tree species investigated, each containing on average 2 litres of water. Yanoviak found that the holes contained only 400 ml of water on average however. The pools are an important habitat for the larvae of giant damselflies. As a coloniser of new habitats, ''P. elegans'' may provide an ideal habitat for giant damselflies in
secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused Disturbance (ecology), disturbances, such as Logging, timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or ...
. The beetle '' Microvelia cavicola'' also lives in the water-filled holes, with the
type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
of the species being found in one.


Food

The embryos of immature fruit are eaten by agoutis (''
Dasyprocta punctata The Central American agouti (''Dasyprocta punctata'') is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula (southern Mexico), through Central America, to northwestern Ecuad ...
'') once they have fallen to the forest floor. Mature seeds can be infected by fungi and are also eaten by bruchid beetle larvae. The squirrel, ''
Sciurus ingrami ''Sciurus ingrami'', usually called Ingram's squirrel in English, is a squirrel found in South America. It is known as ''serelepe'' in southeastern Brazil. It is found in the Atlantic Forest Biome of Brazil and Misiones Province, Argentina. It ...
'' eats the leaves of ''P. elegans'' on BCI, but not in Southeastern Brazil. Woolly spider monkeys in Brazil feed extensively on the leaves in October, prior to the beginning of their mating season. The leaves are thought to be low in
tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and Precipitation (chemistry), precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' is widel ...
s and other
secondary metabolite Secondary metabolites, also called ''specialised metabolites'', ''secondary products'', or ''natural products'', are organic compounds produced by any lifeform, e.g. bacteria, archaea, fungi, animals, or plants, which are not directly involved ...
s which hinder protein digestion, making them an ideal food before the mating season. They also contain
phytoestrogen A phytoestrogen is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (a type of estrogen produced by organisms other than humans) not generated within the endocrine system, but consumed by eating plants or manufactured foods. Also called a "dietary estrogen", it ...
s which can change the monkey's
estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...
levels, possibly affecting their fertility. Both young and mature leaves of ''P. elegans'' are eaten by
howler monkeys Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropical realm, Neotropics and are among the largest of the New World monkey, platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyte ...
, as the leaves mature, the protein content decreases, the cell wall content increases, but the proportion of non-structural carbohydrates remains equal. When fresh, the leaves contain between 100 and 200 mg of
ascorbic acid Ascorbic acid is an organic compound with formula , originally called hexuronic acid. It is a white solid, but impure samples can appear yellowish. It dissolves freely in water to give mildly acidic solutions. It is a mild reducing agent. Asco ...
(
Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...
) per 100 g, like humans some primates on BCI require in their diet, since they do not possess the gene for
L-gulonolactone oxidase L-Gulonolactone oxidase ( ECbr>1.1.3.8 is an enzyme that produces vitamin C. It is expressed in most mammals, but is non-functional in Haplorrhini (a suborder of primates, including humans), in some bats, and in guinea pigs. It catalyzes the ...
, the enzyme required to convert glucose to ascorbic acid.


Uses

''Platypodium elegans'' is not known to have any uses in traditional medicine. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute herbarium report its wood is used for timber, being described as "white, knotty, light and fragile". Pittier remarked in 1931 that the wood is little used in Panama however since the mature trunks are normally hollow and filled with an oily liquid.


References


External links


Photographs of ''Platypodium elegans''
from the
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI, ) is located in Panama and is the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States. It is dedicated to understanding the past, present, and future of tropical ecosyst ...
Herbarium
Herbarium specimens
from JSTOR plants. {{Taxonbar, from=Q7202696 Dalbergieae Plants described in 1887 Trees of Panama Trees of Paraguay Trees of Bolivia Trees of Colombia Trees of Brazil Trees of the Amazon rainforest Trees of Venezuela