''Maianthemum salvinii'' is a rare perennial,

epiphytic 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 ...

herb found in southern Mexico and Guatemala.

Description

Plants grow from tall from

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

s. Leafy, straight to arching stems are hairless and ribbed.

Leaves

There are usually more than 7 leaves along the stalk, set apart; more closely spaced near the tip of the plant. They have short, 2–5 mm long petioles and are long by wide with evident veins. Leaf blades are hairless, lance- to egg-shaped with pointed tips and rounded to long-tapered bases and with flat (not undulating) edges.

Inflorescence

120 to 150 flowers are set in a complex

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

with a main axis 14–35 cm long that is hanging but straight. The axis is ribbed, and smooth. There are 25 to 40 nodes along the main axis, set about 5 cm apart and set in helix along the main axis. Each node has 3 or 4 flowers set on slightly bent-back, drooping

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s that are usually 15–25 (up to 30) mm long.

Flowers and fruits

The flowers are cup-shaped, with spreading

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

that are 4–4.5 mm long and lavender to pale pink.

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 are inserted at the tepal bases. Fruits are rounded, 8–10 mm across, ripening to red. Flowering is in March; fruits are retained into January or February.

Distribution

The distribution of ''Maianthemum salvinii'' is not well documented, but is reported from Guatemala and southeast Mexico. It is thought to be rare. The site in Guatemala that it was found has been developed, so is unlikely to have persisted there. It has also been documented adjacent to Guatemala, in the mountainous Tacaná-Boquerón region of Chiapas, Mexico.Martínez-Camilo, R., Pérez-Farrera, M. A., Martínez-Meléndez N. y M. Martínez-Meléndez. 2017. Flora y vegetación de la Región Terrestre Prioritaria Tacaná-Boquerón, Chiapas, México. Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. Informe Final SNIB-CONABIO, Proyecto No. JF092. Ciudad de México.

Habitat and ecology

''Maianthemum salvinii'' Is an epiphyte of primary forests. In Guatemala it was found in forests on white sand slopes at 1800-2000m. It has also been found in the mountainous Tacaná-Boquerón region that has extensive montane cloud forests.

References

External links

Picture of the type specimen
at

GBIF The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around the ...

Bibliography

{{cite journal , last1=LaFrankie , title=Morphology and taxonomy of the new world species of Maianthemum (Liliaceae) , journal=Journal of the Arnold Arboretum , date=October 1986 , volume=67 , issue=4 , page=371-439 salvinii Flora of Chiapas Flora of Guatemala