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Hydnora Africana
''Hydnora africana'' is an achlorophyllous plant in the subfamily Hydnoroideae, native to southern Africa that is parasitic on the roots of members of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is also called ''jakkalskos'' or ''jackal food''. The specific epithet ''africana'' means to be from Africa. Molecular data has suggested that Hydnoroideae is a "basal angiosperm" solidifying its place among the more primitive flowering plants. ''Hydnoraceae'' are the only angiosperms known to have no leaves or scales and are considered obligate parasites, completely dependent on their hosts to survive. The plant grows underground, except for a fleshy flower that emerges above ground and emits an odor of feces to attract its natural pollinators, dung beetles and carrion beetles. The vegetative body of the plants has been reduced to only consisting of roots and flowers. The flowers act as temporary traps, retaining the beetles that enter long enough for them to pick up pollen. Description Morpholo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karasburg Constituency
Karasburg was a constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. The main towns were Karasburg and Grünau; other populated places included Warmbad and Aussenkehr, and the border settlements of Ariamsvlei and Noordoewer. The Orange River formed part of the southern border of this constituency. Economic activities in this constituency were mainly small-stock farming, and near the Orange River, grape production. It had a population of 16,470 in 2011, up from 15,758 in 2001. In 2013, the constituency was divided into two: Karasburg East and Karasburg West Politics In the 2010 regional elections, SWAPO's Paulus Ephraim won the constituency with 1,577 votes. He defeated challengers was Desmund Desiderius Andreas of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (839 votes) and Irene Margaret Loberloth of the Democratic Party of Namibia The Democratic Party of Namibia is a political party in Namibia, launched in July 2008 at Keetmanshoop. Although it constitutes an initiative of the Nama ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pollination Trap
Pollination traps or trap-flowers are plant flower structures that aid the trapping of insects, mainly flies, so as to enhance their effectiveness in pollination. The structures of pollination traps can include deep tubular corollas with downward pointing hairs, slippery surfaces, adhesive liquid, attractants (often deceiving the insects by the use of sexual attractants rather than nectar reward and therefore termed as deceptive pollination), flower closing and other mechanisms. In many species of orchids, the flowers produce chemicals that deceive male insects by producing attractants that mimic their females. The males are then led into structures that ensure the transfer of pollen to the surfaces of the insects. Orchids in the genus ''Pterostylis'' have been found to attract male fungus gnats with chemical attractants and then trap them using a mobile petal lip. The general observation of insects being trapped and aiding pollination were made as early as 1872 by Thomas Frederi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flora Of Namibia
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. Etymology The word "flora" comes from the Latin name of Flora, the goddess of plants, flowers, and fertility in Roman mythology. The technical term "flora" is then derived from a metonymy of this goddess at the end of the sixteenth century. It was first used in poetry to denote the natural vegetation of an area, but soon also assumed the meaning of a work cataloguing such vegetation. Moreover, "Flora" was used to refer to the flowers of an artificial garden in the seventeenth century. The distinction between vegetation (the general appearance of a community) and flora (the taxonomic composition of a community) was first made by Jules Thurmann (1849). Prior to this, the two terms were used indiscriminately.Thurmann, J. (1849). ''Essai de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aristolochiaceae
The Aristolochiaceae () are a family, the birthwort family, of flowering plants with seven genera and about 400 known species belonging to the order Piperales. The type genus is ''Aristolochia'' L. Description They are mostly perennial, herbaceous plants, shrubs, or lianas. The membranous, cordate simple leaves are spread out, growing alternately along the stem on leaf stalks. The margins are commonly entire. No stipules are present. The bizarre flowers are large to medium-sized, growing in the leaf axils. They are bilaterally or radially symmetrical. Classification Aristolochiaceae are magnoliids, a basal group of angiosperms which are not part of the large categories of monocots or eudicots. As of APG IV (2016), the former families Hydnoraceae and Lactoridaceae are included, because exclusion would make Aristolochiaceae in the traditional sense paraphyletic. Some newer classification schemes, such as the update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, place the family Aristol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tannin
Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'', from Medieval Latin ''tannāre'', from ''tannum'', oak bark) refers to the use of oak and other bark in tanning animal hides into leather. By extension, the term ''tannin'' is widely applied to any large polyphenolic compound containing sufficient hydroxyls and other suitable groups (such as carboxyls) to form strong complexes with various macromolecules. The tannin compounds are widely distributed in many species of plants, where they play a role in protection from predation (acting as pesticides) and might help in regulating plant growth. The astringency from the tannins is what causes the dry and puckery feeling in the mouth following the consumption of unripened fruit, red wine or tea. Likewise, the destruction or modification of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helicodiceros Muscivorus
''Helicodiceros muscivorus'', the dead horse arum lily, is an ornamental plant native to Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. It is the only species in the genus ''Helicodiceros''. Within the family Araceae the plant is part of the subfamily Aroideae. The flowers of ''H. muscivorus'' smell like rotting meat, attracting carrion-seeking blow flies which act as pollinators. One of a rare group of thermogenic plants, the dead horse arum can raise its temperature by thermogenesis. This helps to lure flies into the plant to contact its pollen.Stensmyr, Marcus C., et al. “Pollination: Rotting Smell of Dead- Horse Arum Florets.” Nature 420.6916 (2002): 625-6. The plant still is being studied for the way it is able to produce its own heat without being necessarily dependent of ambient temperature. Description The inflorescence of the arum lilies is a three-part spadix which resembles the anal area of a dead mammal. In between is a hairy spathe such as a ‘tail’ running d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dimethyl Trisulfide
Dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest organic trisulfide, with the chemical formula CH3SSSCH3. It is a flammable liquid with a foul odor, which is detectable at levels as low as 1 part per trillion. Occurrence Dimethyl trisulfide has been found in volatiles emitted from cooked onion, leek and other ''Allium'' species, from broccoli and cabbage, as well as from Limburger cheese, and is involved in the unpalatable aroma of aged beer and stale Japanese sake. It is a decomposition product of bacterial decomposition, including the early stages of human decomposition, and is a major attractant for blowflies looking for hosts. Dimethyl trisulfide along with dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide have been confirmed as volatile compounds given off by the fly-attracting plant known as dead-horse arum ('' Helicodiceros muscivorus''). These flies are attracted to the odor of fetid meat and help pollinate this plant. DMTS contributes to the foul odor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dimethyl Disulfide
Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula which is the simplest disulfide. It is a flammable liquid with an unpleasant, garlic-like odor. Occurrence Dimethyl disulfide is a widespread natural odoriferous compound emitted from many sources such as bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. It is an oxidation product of methanethiol in air. Along with dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl trisulfide it has been confirmed as volatile compounds given off by the fly-attracting plant known as dead-horse arum ('' Helicodiceros muscivorus''). These flies are attracted to the odor resembling that of fetid meat, and thus help pollinate this plant. DMDS can be produced by the oxidation of methanethiol, e.g. with iodine: : Chemical reactions Important reactions include chlorination giving methanesulfenyl chloride (), methanesulfinyl chloride (), and methanesulfonyl chloride () as well as oxidation with hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid giving the thiosulf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astringent
An astringent (sometimes called adstringent) is a chemical that shrinks or constricts body tissues. The word derives from the Latin ''adstringere'', which means "to bind fast". Calamine lotion, witch hazel, and yerba mansa, a Californian plant, are astringents. Astringency, the dry, puckering or numbing mouthfeel caused by the tannins in unripe fruits, lets the fruit mature by deterring eating. Ripe fruits and fruit parts including blackthorn (sloe berries), ''Aronia'' chokeberry, chokecherry, bird cherry, rhubarb, quince and persimmon fruits (especially those which are unripe), banana skins (or unripe bananas), cashew fruits and acorns are astringent. Citrus fruits, like lemons, are somewhat astringent. Tannins, being a kind of polyphenol, bind salivary proteins and make them precipitate and aggregate, producing a rough, "sandpapery", or dry sensation in the mouth. The tannins in some teas, coffee, and red grape wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot produce mild as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anther
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament and an anther which contains ''microsporangia''. Most commonly anthers are two-lobed and are attached to the filament either at the base or in the middle area of the anther. The sterile tissue between the lobes is called the connective, an extension of the filament containing conducting strands. It can be seen as an extension on the dorsal side of the anther. A pollen grain develops from a microspore in the microsporangium and contains the male gametophyte. The stamens in a flower are collectively called the androecium. The androecium can consist of as few as one-half stamen (i.e. a single locule) as in '' Canna'' species or as many as 3,482 stamens which have been counted in the saguaro (''Carnegiea gigantea''). The androecium in var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when called a perigone. The term ''perianth'' is derived from Greek περί (, "around") and άνθος (, "flower"), while ''perigonium'' is derived from περί () and γόνος (, "seed, sex organs"). In the mosses and liverworts (Marchantiophyta), the perianth is the sterile tubelike tissue that surrounds the female reproductive structure (or developing sporophyte). Flowering plants In flowering plants, the perianth may be described as being either dichlamydeous/heterochlamydeous in which the calyx and corolla are clearly separate, or homochlamydeous, in which they are indistinguishable (and the sepals and petals are collectively referred to as tepals). When the perianth is in two whorls, it is described as biseriate. While the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Euphorbia
''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to the type genus), not just to members of the genus. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. The genus has roughly 2,000 members, making it one of the largest genera of flowering plants. It also has one of the largest ranges of chromosome counts, along with ''Rumex'' and ''Senecio''. ''Euphorbia antiquorum'' is the type species for the genus ''Euphorbia''. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in ''Species Plantarum''. Some euphorbias are widely available commercially, such as poinsettias at Christmas. Some are commonly cultivated as ornamentals, or collected and highly valued for the aesthetic appearance of their unique floral structures, such as the crown of thorns plant (''Euphorbia milii''). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
