''Amherstia nobilis'' ( my, သော်ကကြီး ; the Pride of Burma, in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

with large, showy

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s. It is the only member of the genus ''Amherstia''. It is widely cultivated for ornament in the humid

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

, but is very rare in the wild and has only been collected from its native habitat a few times. It is native to Burma (

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

), hence the common name. The

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

commemorates Lady Amherst, (as does

Lady Amherst's pheasant Lady Amherst's pheasant (''Chrysolophus amherstiae'') is a bird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''khrusolophos'', "with golden crest". The English name and ''amherstiae'' commemorates Sara ...

) and also her daughter Sarah.Wallich, Nathaniel. ''

Plantae Asiaticae Rariores ''Plantae Asiaticae Rariores'' is a horticultural work (alternative title ''Descriptions and figures of a select number of unpublished East Indian plants'') published in 1830–1832 by the Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich. ''Plantae Asiaticae Ra ...

'' 1: 1. 1830

829 __NOTOC__ Year 829 ( DCCCXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * October 2 – Emperor Michael II dies after an 8-year reign in C ...

br>
/ref> Another common name, orchid tree, is also used for members of the genus ''

Bauhinia ''Bauhinia'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Jo ...

''.

Description

The extravagant flowers are seen hanging from the long

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

, or flower stalk, which is a bright

crimson Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, ''Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colo ...

red at the end. There are 5

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s although 2 of these are minute and the rest are of unequal size. These petals are also crimson; the two medium-sized petals are

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

at the tip and the largest

is broad and fan-shaped with a wavy upper margin and a yellow triangle of colour extending from the lip down into the

. This large petal can reach 7.5 centimetres long and over 4 centimetres wide at the end. There are either 9 or 10

stamen 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 filame ...

s, 9 of which are partially fused into a

pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

sheath; the stamens are of two differing lengths with the longer ones having larger

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 filam ...

s. The

compound leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

bear 6 - 8 large leaflets; these are broadly oblong in shape and are pallid underneath. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s (

legume 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 f ...

s) are 11 to 20 centimetres long. They are roughly

scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

-shaped ''pods'', and the woody outer case opens to disperse the seeds.

Gallery

File:AmherstiaNobilis.jpg, Flowers File:P1240147 Amherstia nobilis (fierté de Birmanie).jpg, ''Amherstia nobilis'' File:P1240149 Amherstia nobilis (fierté de Birmanie).jpg, ''Amherstia nobilis'' beginning of the inflorescence File:P1240150 Amherstia nobilis (fierté de Birmanie).jpg, ''Amherstia nobilis'' flowering File:P1240151 Amherstia nobilis (fierté de Birmanie).jpg, ''Amherstia nobilis'' detail of the flower File:Amherstia nobilis with flower, new red leaves, and mature green leaves.jpg, Flower, new red leaves, and mature green leaves File:Amherstia nobilis seedpod.jpg, Seedpod

References

External links

* *
From the ARKive digital database
Detarioideae Monotypic Fabaceae genera Trees of Myanmar Ornamental trees {{Detarioideae-stub