''Xylopia micans'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the Annonaceae family. It is native to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Robert Elias Fries (Klas) Robert Elias Fries (11 July 1876, Uppsala – 29 January 1966, Stockholm), the youngest son of Theodor Magnus Fries (1832–1913) and grandson of Elias Magnus Fries(1794–1878) and an expert on mushrooms. A Swedish botanist who was a mem ...

, the botanist who first formally described the species, named it after the gleaming ( in Latin) hairs on the undersides of its leaves.

Description

It is a tree reaching 5 meters in height. The young, branches have dense, rust-colored, soft, silky hairs. The young branches have

internodes A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, stores nutrien ...

about 1 centimeters long. Its lance-shaped, papery leaves are 6-9 by 1.3-2 centimeters. The upper surfaces of the leaves are hairless; the lower surfaces are densely covered in long, rusty-gold, silky, gleaming hairs that lay flat against surface. The base of the leaves come to a brief point with one side extending further than the other. The tips of the leaves are tapered and shallowly pointed. The midribs of the leaves are very impressed on the upper surfaces and prominently raised on the lower surface. Its petioles are 3-5 millimeters long, and covered in soft, silky hairs, with an narrow groove on their upper side. Its solitary flowers occur in axillary positions. The flowers are on

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 ...

that are 2-3 millimeters long and covered in gold-colored silky hairs. The petioles have

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s. Its flowers have 3 round to egg-shaped

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

that are 1.5 millimeters long. The lower surfaces of the sepals are covered in silky hairs. The sepals are almost free. Its 6 petals are arranged in two rows of 3. The yellow-orange, linear to strap-shaped, outer petals are 18 by 1.5-3.5 millimeters. The lower surfaces of the outer petals are covered in silky hairs that lay flat above the base; the upper surface has tufts of soft, white, woolly hairs. The inner petals are slightly shorter, broadened and concave at the base, and linear with three faces, about 1 millimeters wide, above the base. The flowers have

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 that are 0.8 millimeters long. The flowers have up to 6

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

with densely hairy

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

that are 1 millimeter long. The flowers have stigma that are 5 millimeters long with styles that are bent near their base.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''Xylopia micans'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Distribution and habitat

It has been observed growing in forests and old clearings at elevations of 200 meters.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q15366422 Plants described in 1937 Flora of Colombia Flora of Ecuador Flora of Peru Taxa named by Robert Elias Fries micans