Clusia Grandiflora MHNT
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Clusia'' is the
type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...
of the plant family
Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae and Hypericaceae. ...
. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
in honor of the botanist
Carolus Clusius Charles de l'Écluse, L'Escluse, or Carolus Clusius (19 February 1526 – 4 April 1609), seigneur de Watènes, was an Artois doctor and pioneering botanist, perhaps the most influential of all 16th-century scientific horticulturists. Life Clu ...
. The closest relatives of ''Clusia'' are the neotropical genera ''
Chrysochlamys ''Chrysochlamys'' is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae. Synonymy The monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not in ...
'', ''
Tovomita ''Tovomita'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Clusiaceae. They are noted for having white-yellow latex and containing xanthones. The genus is distributed in the tropical Americas, with many occurring in Venezuela. Most are native to t ...
'', ''
Dystovomita ''Dystovomita'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Sev ...
'' and ''
Tovomitopsis ''Tovomitopsis'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. Some species have been synonymized to the genus ''Chrysochlamys''. Species * '' Tovomitopsis allenii'' * ''Tovomitopsis angustifolia'' * '' Tovomitopsis centistaminibus'' ...
''. Together with ''Clusia'', these genera form the tribe Clusieae, where the fruit is a fleshy capsule with
arillate An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
seeds. The distribution ranges from the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
and southern Mexico to southernmost Brazil, and from near sea level to at least 3500 m altitude in the northern Andes. Species of ''Clusia'' are a characteristic component of a number of Neotropical vegetation types, and may even be dominant, as is often seen in montane forests of the Greater Antilles. Most species are found in lowland or montane rainforests, but some occur in drier habitats such as the
restingas Restingas () are a distinct type of coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest in eastern Brazil. They form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium-sized trees and shrubs adapted to the drier and nut ...
of Brazil,
caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
coastal scrub and dry interandean valleys. A number of species are confined to rocky habitats, such as
tepuis A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
or granitic
inselberg An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
s. A few grow as scattered shrubs in paramo. The
apomictic In botany, apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". This definition notably does not mention meiosis. Thus "normal asexual reproduction" of plants, such as propagation from cuttin ...
''Clusia rosea'' is an invasive alien in Hawaii and Sri Lanka, and possibly elsewhere.


Description

Its species are
shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s,
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 themselv ...
s and small to medium-size
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 ...
s up to 20 m tall, with
evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
foliage. Some species start life as
epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
s which grow long roots that descend to the ground and eventually strangle and kill the host tree in a manner similar to
strangler fig Strangler fig is the common name for a number of tropical and subtropical plant species in the genus ''Ficus'', including those that are commonly known as banyans. Some of the more well-known species are: * ''Ficus altissima'' * ''Ficus aurea'', ...
s. Many ''Clusia'' species have
Crassulacean acid metabolism Crassulacean acid metabolism, also known as CAM photosynthesis, is a carbon fixation pathway that evolved in some plants as an adaptation to arid conditions that allows a plant to photosynthesize during the day, but only exchange gases at night. ...
, which can be considered an adaptation to the often dry (micro)habitats of the genus. The plants contain variously coloured
latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...
in stems, leaves and fruit. The
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are simple, entire and opposite, 5–70 cm long and 2–20 cm broad. Leaf texture is usually leathery, less commonly rigid or slightly succulent. Flower size varies from ca 5 mm wide (e.g. ''Clusia gundlachii'') to ca 150 mm in ''Clusia grandiflora''. The 4-9
petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...
are white, cream, yellow, pink, red, blackish or green. Flowers are unisexual and plants are
dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
(pistillate and staminate flowers are borne on separate plants).
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 ...
number ranges from four to several hundred. Shape and size of stamens are extremely variable. Sterile stamens are often present, both in pistillate and staminate flowers. Stigmas are four to 16 in number and usually
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
. 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 ...
is a leathery valvate capsule which splits open to release several red or orange, fleshy-coated
seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
s. Pollination involves a range of different animals, and several types of rewards. Floral
resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...
occurs in many, probably most species of ''Clusia''. The resin is produced by the stamens (by sterile stamens, referred to as
staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...
s, in pistillate flowers) and is collected by bees that use it in nest construction. Nectar is most common in montane species, e.g. ''
Clusia clusioides ''Clusia clusioides'' is a small tree which is native to Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, in the family Clusiaceae. One characteristic are the opposite, very thick leaves. It is very common in the dwarf or elfin forests at elevations above , in parti ...
'', and these flowers are visited by insects such as moths and wasps, and sometimes by bats or hummingbirds. In flowers lacking nectar or resin, pollination may be carried out by pollen-eating beetles, which visit also the rewardless pistillate flowers, as observed in ''
Clusia criuva ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
''. '' Clusia blattophila'' is pollinated by male cockroaches attracted by a pheromone-containing fluid produced by the flowers. Seeds are dispersed by birds and perhaps, in some cases, by small mammals. ''Clusia'' plants provide excellent nesting sites for some insects. For instance, ''Clusia grandiflora'', a common species in Guianese forests, is an attractive place for ''
Polistes pacificus ''Polistes pacificus'' is a Neotropical species of social paper wasp belonging to the subfamily Polistinae and the family Vespidae. ''P. pacificus'' can be found distributed throughout most of Central and South America and parts of southern Nort ...
'' wasps to build their paper nests because arboreal ants, which often prey on these wasps, do not normally reside in this species of tree.


Uses

The wood of ''Clusia'' is highly durable, and is sometimes used for roof construction. The latex and the floral resin have antiseptic properties and have been used to seal wounds. Dry latex is sometimes burned like
incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...
in churches. A few species are grown as house plants, or, in tropical areas, as ornamental trees and shrubs. Examples are ''Clusia rosea'', ''C. major'' and ''C. orthoneura''.


Selected species

* ''
Clusia alata ''Clusia alata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several fo ...
'' * '' Clusia amazonica'' * '' Clusia blattophila'' * ''
Clusia bracteosa ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia carinata'' * '' Clusia caudata'' * '' Clusia celiae'' * '' Clusia clarendonensis'' * ''
Clusia clusioides ''Clusia clusioides'' is a small tree which is native to Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, in the family Clusiaceae. One characteristic are the opposite, very thick leaves. It is very common in the dwarf or elfin forests at elevations above , in parti ...
'' * ''
Clusia cochlitheca ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia croatii'' * ''
Clusia colombiana ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia columnaris'' * '' Clusia congestiflora'' * '' Clusia crenata'' * '' Clusia cuneifolia'' * ''
Clusia cupulata ''Clusia cupulata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found only in Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natura ...
'' * ''
Clusia decussata ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia dixonii'' * '' Clusia ducu'' * '' Clusia ducuoides'' * '' Clusia duidae'' * ''
Clusia elliptica ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * ''
Clusia flava ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * ''
Clusia flavida ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * ''
Clusia fluminensis ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' Planch. & Triana * '' Clusia fockeana'' * '' Clusia frigida'' * ''
Clusia fructiangusta ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clu ...
'' * ''
Clusia garciabarrigae ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clu ...
'' * '' Clusia gardneri'' * '' Clusia grandiflora'' * '' Clusia gundlachii'' * '' Clusia hammeliana'' * '' Clusia haugtii'' * ''
Clusia hilariana ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia hydrogera'' * ''
Clusia hyleae ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clu ...
'' * '' Clusia insignis'' * ''
Clusia lanceolata ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia latipes'' * ''
Clusia laurifolia ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia laxiflora'' * ''
Clusia leprantha ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia lineata'' * '' Clusia longipetiolata'' * '' Clusia longistyla'' * '' Clusia loretensis'' * ''
Clusia magnoliiflora ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia major'' * '' Clusia melchiorii'' * '' Clusia mexiensis'' * '' Clusia minor'' * '' Clusia minutiflora'' * '' Clusia nemorosa'' * '' Clusia nubium'' * '' Clusia octandra'' * ''
Clusia orthoneura ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * ''
Clusia osseocarpa ''Clusia osseocarpa'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found in montane forests of Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat redu ...
'' * '' Clusia pallida'' * ''
Clusia palmicida ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia panapanari'' * ''
Clusia paralicola ''Clusia paralicola'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found in northeastern Brazil (Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia, Alagoas Alagoas (, ) is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern ...
'' G.Mariz 1972 * '' Clusia penduliflora'' * ''
Clusia pernambucensis ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia platystigma'' * ''
Clusia plurivalvis ''Clusia plurivalvis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are presen ...
'' * '' Clusia polystigma'' * '' Clusia portlandiana'' * ''
Clusia pseudomangle ''Clusia pseudomangle'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found only in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = G ...
'' * '' Clusia pulcherrima'' * '' Clusia renggerioides'' * '' Clusia rigida'' * ''
Clusia rosea ''Clusia rosea'', the autograph tree, copey, cupey, balsam apple, pitch-apple, and Scotch attorney, is a tropical and sub-tropical flowering plant species in the family Clusiaceae. The name '' Clusia major'' is sometimes misapplied to this specie ...
'' – Scotch attorney, autograph tree, pitch-apple * '' Clusia schomburgkiana'' * '' Clusia sellowiana'' * ''
Clusia skotaster ''Clusia skotaster'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Clusiaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpi ...
'' * '' Clusia sphaerocarpa'' * '' Clusia spiritu-sanctensis'' * '' Clusia stenophylla'' * '' Clusia tarmensis'' * ''
Clusia thurifera ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia triflora'' * '' Clusia trochiformis'' * '' Clusia uvitana'' * ''
Clusia valerioi ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clus ...
'' * '' Clusia venusta'' * '' Clusia viscida'' * '' Clusia weberbaueri'' * ''
Clusia weddelliana ''Clusia'' is the type genus of the plant family Clusiaceae. Comprising 300-400 species, it is native to the tropics of the Americas. The genus is named by Carl Linnaeus in honor of the botanist Carolus Clusius. The closest relatives of ''Clu ...
''


Gallery

Image:Autograph tree (Clusia rosea)- leaf with autograph, flower, fresh fruit, and dried fruit.jpg, Autograph tree ('' C. rosea''): leaf with autograph, flower, fresh fruit, and dried fruit. File:Clusia lanceolata.jpg, ''Clusia lanceolata'',
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is an botanic garden with extensive collections of rare tropical plants including palms, cycads, flowering trees, and vines. It is located in the city of Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, just south of Miami, s ...


References

Correia MCR, Ormond WT, Pinheiro MCB, Lima HA (1993) Estudos da biologia floral de Clusia criuva Camb. um caso de mimetismo. Bradea 24:209–219 Gustafsson, M. H. G. and V. Bittrich (2003) Evolution of morphological diversity and resin secretion in flowers of Clusia L. (Clusiaceae): insights from ITS sequence variation. Nordic Journal of Botany 22: 183-203. Gustafsson, M. H. G. (2012) A new xeromorphic species of Clusia (Clusiaceae) from dry valleys of northern Peru. Novon 20: 414-417 Gustafsson, M. H. G., V. Bittrich and K. Winter (2007) Diversity, phylogeny and classification of Clusia. In U. Lüttge (ed.) Ecological studies vol. 194. Clusia: a woody Neotropical genus of remarkable plasticity and diversity, pp. 95–116. Springer, Heidelberg. Bittrich, V and M. C. E. Amaral (1996)Flower Morphology and Pollination Biology of Some Clusia Species from the Gran Sabana (Venezuela) Kew Bulletin 51: 681-694.


External links


''Clusia rosea'' photos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q765930 Malpighiales genera Epiphytes Dioecious plants