''Lithraea caustica'' (commonly known as the litre tree, and historically as llithi or liti) is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the soapberry family

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

. This plant is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to central

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

; an example occurrence is in the area of

La Campana National Park La Campana National Park is located in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago. This national park covers approximately and ...

and

Cerro La Campana Cerro la Campana, the Bell mountain, is a mountain in La Campana National Park in central Chile. The Pacific and the mountain Aconcagua are visible from the summit on clear days. Due to the area's expanding human population, considerable def ...

. The tree is a well known allergenic and can cause a rash of the skin, the effects and susceptibility of which can vary greatly from person to person.

Description

Litre is evergreen, with oval leaves with a smooth or undulating border. It can grow to be a full tree when undisturbed; the tree-like formation was formerly common, but it is now most frequently found as a shrub due to changing patterns of land use. It has dense leaves due to the high levels of lignin and cellulose. It grows large, underground burls from which new growth with emerge after it is cut or burned down; it shares this trait with most of the woody plants in its region.

Toxicology

The leaves and branches of litre induces severe dermatitis after contact with human skin. The dermatitis characterized by swelling and

itching Itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. Itch has resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itch has many similarities to pain, and while both are unpleasan ...

in some people. The allergenic agent of litre is 3–pentadecyl (10–enyl) catechol (litreol), an

urushiol Urushiol is an oily mixture of organic compounds with allergenic properties found in plants of the family Anacardiaceae, especially ''Toxicodendron'' ''spp.'' (e.g., poison oak, Chinese lacquer tree, poison ivy, poison sumac), ''Comocladia sp ...

similar in structure to the allergens from

poison oak Poison oak refers to two plant species in the genus ''Toxicodendron,'' both of which can cause skin irritation: *''Toxicodendron diversilobum'' or Western poison oak, found in western North America *''Toxicodendron pubescens ''Toxicodendron pub ...

and poison ivy.

Metabolism

''Lithraea caustica'' has been studied for diurnal variation in

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...

function in various seasons. In early summer the photosynthetic peak occurs relatively soon in the morning and declines steadily the remainder of the day; whereas, in late summer there is a morning peak, midday low and a late afternoon peak.

Ecology

Litre grows in

matorral 300px, Springtime in Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago along the Pan-American Highway Matorral is a Spanish language, Spanish word, along with ''tomillares'', for shrubland, thicket or bushes. It is used in naming and describin ...

climates (i.e., areas with similar climates to the southern

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

); its range in Central Chile is the broadest of any matorral shrub in the region. It has been found to increase in abundance in response to grazing. The plant propagates through the dispersal of seedlings. Instrumental in this dispersal are both birds ( Turdus falklandii,

Mimus thenca The Chilean mockingbird (''Mimus thenca''), locally known as ''tenca'', is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It primarily inhabits Chile's northern half, though there are sightings in Argentina. Taxonomy and systematics The Chilean mo ...

Phytotoma rara The rufous-tailed plantcutter (''Phytotoma rara''), sometimes called the Chilean plantcutter, is a passerine bird of southern South America, now placed in the cotinga family. It is a medium-sized bird about long with a long black tail with a red ...

) and foxes (

Pseudalopex The South American foxes (''Lycalopex''), commonly called ''raposa'' in Portuguese language, Portuguese, or ''zorro'' in Spanish language, Spanish, are a genus from South America of the subfamily Caninae. Despite their name, they are not Vulpes, ...

spp.) It is drought resistant, due to its deep and extensive root system. Probably due to its toxicity, litre is one of the least disturbed plants in its habitats. The plant and its surrounding soil have been found to be home to 29 families, 57 genera and 69 species of

beetles Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

Scientific History

Litre has been described in the scientific literature since at least the early 18th century. Explorer and botanist

Louis Feuillée Louis Éconches Feuillée (sometimes spelled Feuillet) (1660, Mane, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – 18 April 1732) was a French member of the Order of the Minims, explorer, astronomer, geographer, and botanist. Biography Feuillée was educated at th ...

reported that sailors on his expedition experienced severe reactions after cutting down some 'Llithi' trees. It was given its first

binomial 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 ...

, ''Laurus caustica'', by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botanic garden. At Kew he ...

and

George Arnott Walker-Arnott George Arnott Walker Arnott of Arlary (6 February 1799 – 17 April 1868) was a Scottish botanist. Early life George Arnott Walker Arnott was born in Edinburgh in 1799, the son of David Walker Arnott of Arlary. He attended Milnathort Parish ...

in 1832.

References

External links

Feuillée's illustration
via Google Books {{Taxonbar, from=Q2713347 caustica Chilean Matorral Plants described in 1833 Trees of Chile