''Lapageria'' is a genus of flowering plants with only one known species, ''Lapageria rosea'', commonly known as Chilean bellflower or copihue (''copeewueh'', from
Mapudungun
Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
''kopiwe'').
''Lapageria rosea'' is the
national flower
In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to ...
of
Chile. It grows in forests in the southern part of
Chile, being part of the
Valdivian temperate rain forests
The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404) is an ecoregion on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and Argentina. It is part of the Neotropical realm. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia. The Valdivian temperate rainforest ...
flora.
Description
''Lapageria rosea'' is an evergreen climbing plant reaching over high among shrubs and trees. The leaves are arranged alternately and are evergreen, leathery, lanceolate and feature three to seven prominent parallel veins. The vines twine counterclockwise in the Southern hemisphere and clockwise when grown in the Northern hemisphere (likely due to the apparent motion of the sun).
The flowers have six thick, waxy
tepals which are red, spotted with white. They are most frequently produced in late summer and fall, although they may be produced at other times. The fruit is an elongated berry with a tough skin containing numerous small seeds about the size of a tomato seed, which are covered in an edible fleshy
aril
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 ...
s. In the wild the plant is pollinated by
hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...
s.
Pollination
Pollen is distributed by birds, mostly hummingbirds, and also insects and other animals. The flower form is of the syndrome of specialization for hummingbird pollination. Insect pollinators include: ''
Bombus dahlbomii'' (native species to southern South America) and ''
Bombus terrestris
''Bombus terrestris'', the buff-tailed bumblebee or large earth bumblebee, is one of the most numerous bumblebee species in Europe. It is one of the main species used in greenhouse pollination, and so can be found in many countries and areas wher ...
'' and ''
Bombus ruderatus
''Bombus ruderatus'', the large garden bumblebee or ruderal bumblebee, is a species of long-tongued bumblebee found in Europe and in some parts of northern Africa. This species is the largest bumblebee in Britain and it uses its long face and to ...
'' (both of which are not native to southern South America, and, instead, invasive).
[Morales, C. L., et al. (2004)]
"Potential displacement of the native bumblebee ''Bombus dahlbomii'' by the invasive ''Bombus ruderatus'' in NW Patagonia, Argentina"
pp. 70-76 in Proceedings of the 8th IBRA International Conference on Tropical Bees and VI Encontro sobre Abelhas, Ribeirão Preto, Brasil, September 6–10, 2004.
Historical usage
In the past its fruit was sold in markets, but the plant has now become rare through over-collection and forest clearance.
The roots were once collected and used as a substitute for
sarsaparilla. In 1977 the plant was given legal protection in Chile.
Etymology
''Lapageria'' is named for Marie Joséphine Rose Tascher de la Pagerie (1763-1814), also known as Napoleon's
Empress Josephine
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...
, who was a keen collector of plants for her garden at
Château de Malmaison.
[Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 230, 334] ''Rosea'' means 'flushed rose' or 'flushed pink'.
The name of the fruit in
Mapudungun
Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
is actually ''kopiw'' (derived from ''kopün'', "to be upside down"), which is the etymon of Spanish ''copihue''; the
Mapuche call the plant ''kolkopiw'' (''colcopihue'' in Spanish, which may also refer to the whole plant). The flower is called ''kodkülla'' in the indigenous language.
Botany
''Lapageria rosea'' is related to ''
Philesia magellanica'' (syn. ''P. buxifolia''), another plant from the Valdivian flora, having similar flowers, but shrubby rather than climbing. ×''Philageria veitchii'' is a
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
between ''L. rosea'' and ''P. magellanica''. It is more similar in appearance to the former.
Cultivation
The plant was introduced to Britain by
William Lobb during his
plant collecting
Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collecting i ...
expedition to the
Valdivian temperate rain forests
The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404) is an ecoregion on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and Argentina. It is part of the Neotropical realm. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia. The Valdivian temperate rainforest ...
in 1845–1848 and was growing at Kew in 1847.
In cultivation the plant requires a shaded, sheltered position with acid or
neutral soil. It is
hardy
Hardy may refer to:
People
* Hardy (surname)
* Hardy (given name)
* Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica
* Mount Hardy, Enderby Land
* Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island
* Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands
Australia
* Hardy, Sout ...
down to , so in the UK can be grown outside in mild or coastal areas. It has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Cultivars
There are numerous named garden
cultivars, mostly developed at one nursery in Chile, with flower colour varying from deep red through pink to pure white (''L. rosea'' 'Albiflora'), and some with
variegated flowers.
In the United States,
UC Botanical Garden
The University of California Botanical Garden is a 34-acre (13.7 ha) botanical garden located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, in Strawberry Canyon. The garden is in the Berkeley Hills, inside the city boundary of Oakland, wit ...
at the University of California at Berkeley has one of the largest collections of the ''Lapageria'' genus with around 24 named and unnamed cultivars in its collection. This collection was started by T Harper Goodspeed, botany professor at UCB and alternately curator or director of the gardens from 1919–1957. The University established a relationship with El Vergel Farm, a Methodist mission and agricultural school in Angol, Chile which housed the largest collection of named cultivars and wild lapagerias in the world.
[http://www.PacificHorticulture.com/articles/ilapageria-roseai]
Propagation
To obtain fruit in cultivation it is generally necessary to pollinate by hand if there are not native hummingbirds. Chilean bellflower can be propagated from cuttings, layering and fresh seeds.
[http://www.thelovelyplants.com/lapageria-rosea-the-chilean-bellflower/ , Lapageria rosea,The Lovely Plants] Some cultivars are self-fruitful, but better pollination is achieved with differing parents. Germination is best with fresh moist seed; dried seeds take special treatment and have a much poorer germination rate. Propagation of cultivars is by cuttings (usually rooted under mist), layering, or division. Seedlings take from three to ten years to flower. Cuttings usually flower more quickly.
Gallery
Image:Lapageria Rosea, chromolithograph by Helga von Cramm, with verse by F.R. Havergal.jpg, Lapageria Rosea, by Helga von Cramm
Baroness Helga von Cramm (1840–1919) was a German and Swiss painter, illustrator and graphic artist.
Early life
Baroness Helga von Cramm was the eldest child of Wolf Frederick Adolf von Cramm-Burchard (1812–1879) and his wife Hedwig (1 ...
, with verse by F.R. Havergal
Frances Ridley Havergal (14 December 1836 – 3 June 1879) was an English religious poet and hymnwriter. ''Take My Life and Let it Be'' and ''Thy Life for Me'' (also known as ''I Gave My Life for Thee'') are two of her best known hymns. She also ...
, 1870s.
Image:Lapageria rosea twining.jpg, Stem twining counterclockwise
Image:Lapageria rosea fruit.jpg, Buds in the Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Image:Lapageria rosea foliage.jpg,
References
Bibliography
* (Page 9 in the book illustrates clockwise and counterclockwise twining.)
*
*
*
*
* Reproduced at
External links
''Lapageria rosea'' in Chilebosque''Lapageria rosea''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1072906
Liliales
Monotypic Liliales genera
Endemic flora of Chile
Garden plants of South America
Plants described in 1802
National symbols of Chile