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Pisonia Horneae
''Pisonia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678). Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees or birdlime trees because they catch birds. The sticky seeds are postulated to be an adaptation of some island species that ensures the dispersal of seeds between islands by attaching them to birds, and also allows the enriching of coralline sands. (Should a fledgling fall to the ground, become entangled in the ''Pisonia'' sticky seeds, and be unable to free itself, then it will starve, and so enrich the soil within the tree's rootzone.) These island species include '' P. brunoniana'' of Australasia and Polynesia and '' P. umbellifera'', which is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. Species *'' Pisonia aculeata'' L. – pullback ( pantropical) *'' Pisonia alba'' Span. *'' Pisonia albida'' (Heimerl) Britton ex Stan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pisonia Brunoniana
''Pisonia brunoniana'' is a species of flowering tree in the family Nyctaginaceae that is native to New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Hawaii. The common names in New Zealand are parapara or birdcatcher tree. Description ''Pisonia brunoniana'' is a small tree, spreading to or more tall. The wood is soft and the branches are brittle. The large leaves are opposite or ternate, glabrous, and glossy, entire (simple with smooth margins), and obtuse to rounded at apex. The inflorescence is paniculate, many-flowered, and the flowers are unisexual. The very sticky fruits, in which small birds are often trapped, are narrowly ellipsoidal, and long, having five ribs. In the Seychelles, the sticky seeds of a related species, ''Pisonia grandis'', regularly causes seabird deaths, and research suggests that the seeds evolved to be transferred on the plumage of seabirds to distant islands, enabling the long-distance dispersal of the species. The situation may be similar with '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
