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Taxa
Lobelia
EOL Text
Comments: The varieties of Lobelia x speciosa that were accepted in Kartesz (1999) are not accepted by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (as of Nov. 2012).
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Lobelia deckenii (syn. Lobelia keniensis) is a species of giant lobelia of the mountains of East Africa. It grows in moist areas, such as valley bottoms and moorland, in contrast to Lobelia telekii which grows in a similar, but drier habitat. These two species produce occasional hybrids. Lobelia deckenii plants usually produce multiple rosettes. Each rosette grows for several decades, produces a single large inflorescence and hundreds of thousands of seeds, then dies. Because it has multiple rosettes, it survives to reproduce repeatedly, and plants with more rosettes flower more frequently. It is iteroparous.[2]
Lobelia deckenii plants usually consist of between one and eighteen rosettes, connected underground. Individual rosettes grow slowly in the alpine environment.[2] Individual rosettes may take decades to reach reproductive size, then die after flowering, but the connected rosettes live on.[2]
Lobelia deckenii is the only alpine species of lobelia that lives on Kilimanjaro.[3] Kilimanjaro is commonly found in African-alpine zone, between 3800 meters to 4300 meters.[4]
Lobelia deckenii ssp. keniensis is the variety of Lobelia deckenii that lives on Mount Kenya, between 3,300m and 4,600m (10,800 - 15,100 ft). It is eaten less by rock hyrax than Lobelia telekii, which occurs more often in hyrax habitat. Lobelia species on Mount Kenya are all pollinated by birds,[5][6] especially the Scarlet-tufted Sunbird and the Alpine Chat.[7]
This species of giant lobelia is known for the reservoirs of water held in its rosettes, which freeze at night and protects the apical meristem held in a dense central leaf bud. When this reservoir is drained, the temperature of inner meristem drops below freezing, which does not occur when the fluid is left intact.[8] The crescent-shaped ice cubes formed in these rosettes give rise to the nickname, "Gin and tonic Lobelia".
§References[edit]
- ^ International Plant Names Index
- ^ a b c Young, Truman P. (1984). "The comparative demography of semelparous Lobelia telekii and iteroparous Lobelia keniensis on Mount Kenya". Journal of Ecology 72 (2): 637–650. doi:10.2307/2260073. JSTOR 2260073.
- ^ Young, T.P. 1991. The flora, fauna, and ecology of Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro. Pp. 37-49 In: Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro (Iain Allan, ed.) Mountain Club of Kenya ISBN 978-9966-9856-0-6
- ^ Kilimanjaro. O rei da África. Revista Planeta, dezembro de 2005.
- ^ Young, Truman P. (1982). "Bird visitation, seed set, and germination rates in two species of Lobelia on Mount Kenya". Ecology 68: 1983–1986. doi:10.2307/1940139.
- ^ Burd, Martin (1995). "Pollinator behavioural responses to reward size in Lobelia deckenii: no escape from pollen limitation of seed set". Journal of Ecology 83: 865–872. doi:10.2307/2261423.
- ^ Smith, Alan P.; Truman P. Young (1987). "Tropical Alpine Plant Ecology". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 137–158. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.18.110187.001033.
- ^ Young, Truman P.; Susan Van Orden Robe (1986). "Micro-environmental role of a secreted aqueous solution in afro-alpine Lobelia keniensis". Biotropica 18 (3): 267–269. doi:10.2307/2388496. JSTOR 2388496.
§External links[edit]
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Lobelia deckenii". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lobelia_deckenii&oldid=651527679 |
Canada
Origin: Unknown/Undetermined
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
United States
Origin: Unknown/Undetermined
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
Annual or perennial herbs (in ours). Stems not twining. Leaves alternate. Bracteoles minute, ± linear, rarely 0. Flowers usually resupinate, zygomorphic. Corolla usually 2-lipped with upper lip 2-lobed, lower 3-lobed (rarely all petals form a single lip). (The terms 'upper' and 'lower' assume flowers are resupinate). Anthers (5) united into a tube; the two lower or all of them penicillate at tip, the two lower ones somewhat shorter than others. Ovary inferior to ± superior, 2-locular. Stigma lobes 2, surrounded by a ring of hairs. Fruit a capsule dehiscing by 2, rarely 4, apical valves; or, rarely indehiscent.
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Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1458 |
Rounded Global Status Rank: GNA - Not Applicable
Lobelia spp. (Lobelia)
(insect activity is unspecified; information is limited; this observation is from Smith et al.)
Bees (long-tongued)
Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Svastra petulca (Smh)
- Hilty, J. Editor. 2015. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. illinoiswildflowers.info, version (09/2015)
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects//plants/lobelia.html |
Decumbent or erect annual or sometimes perennial herb. Leaves oblanceolate to spathulate below, linear to narrowly elliptic towards the top of the stems, 15 - 80 mm long, hairless or pubescent on both surfaces, leaf base running down into a narrowly winged petiole; margin more or less coarsely toothed or scalloped. Flowers in lax racemes, pale to deep blue, rarely mauve or white. See L. kirkii for comparison.
Foodplant / pathogen
Arabis Mosaic virus infects and damages slightly mottled or distorted leaf of Lobelia
Foodplant / pathogen
Cucumber Mosaic virus infects and damages slightly mottled or distorted leaf of Lobelia
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Rights holder/Author | BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) |
Source | http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Lobelia.htm |
erinus: ancient name of a plant with this habit.