''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'', commonly called JC's vine or purple jade vine, is a species of

leguminous A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, 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 in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ...

(woody

vine A vine ( Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners thems ...

)

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

to the tropical forests of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It bears a cluster of large flowers that are initially lilac to purple in color, but become a striking blue as they mature.

Taxonomy

''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' was first described in 2016 from specimens collected from the

Buenavista Protected Landscape The Buenavista Protected Landscape is a conservation area and an archaeological site located on Bondoc Peninsula in the southern Luzon province of Quezon in the Philippines. It conserves an important watershed area composed of secondary-growth fo ...

Mulanay Mulanay, officially the Municipality of Mulanay ( tgl, Bayan ng Mulanay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,576 people. This place is situated on the ...

Quezon Province Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...

. It is named after Juan Carlos Tecson Gonzalez, a professor of zoology and the then director of the

UPLB Museum of Natural History The UPLB Museum of Natural History (also known as MNH) is a natural science and natural history museum within the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus. It serves as a center for documentation, research, and information of flora ...

. The generic name comes from Greek ''strongylos'' ("round") and ''odontos'' ("tooth-like"), in reference to the teeth-like shape of the flowers.

Description

''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' is a large woody vine (

) that climbs up to forest canopies. Each leaf is borne on long petioles that split into three leaflets with rounded bases and pointed tips, each around long and wide. The leaves are dark green in color on both the upper and lower surfaces. The flowers of ''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' point upward. They bloom in dense clusters. They are a vibrant lilac to purple color when young, becoming a striking blue color as they mature. The seed pods are oblong in shape. They split longitudinally as they ripen and mature. The seeds are shiny and maroon in color when fresh, but turn dark brown and papery as they dry. ''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' begins to flower and bear fruits from February to mid-March.

Distribution and habitat

''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' is a

. It climbs large trees in disturbed

secondary growth forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. I ...

s. ''Strongylodon juangonzalezii'' is

to the

(it is the eighth endemic species of ''

Strongylodon ''Strongylodon'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. The most well-known species of this genus is ''Strongylodon macrobotrys'', also known as jade vine. Taxonomy The genus is ...

'' in the country). It has only been recorded in four sites in

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, ...

island. Aside from the

, it has also been described from the

Masungi Georeserve The Masungi Georeserve is a conservation area in the Philippines situated in the southern Sierra Madre range in Baras. It centers on the geological formations of Masungi Rock, at an elevation of . In 1993, the Masungi Rock and its vicinity was ...

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The province is named after José R ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q42678444 Phaseoleae Vines Endemic flora of the Philippines Plants described in 2016 Fabales of Asia

Taxonomy

Description

Distribution and habitat

See also

References