Thanks for the very useful info. The photographs are also excellent. Your inquisitiveness to know more on the subject has brought out interesting information.
On Mar 18, 12:42 am, Padmini Raghavan <[email protected]> wrote: > I suddenly noticed the roots of the Autograph Tree and wondered if it was a > mangrove species. > I came across this fascinating item on the net. Hope you like it. > ( No wonder Dr. M . Swamy told us it was a special tree. I forget what else > he said abt it.) > > Regards, > Padmini Raghavan. > > *Clusia rosea* Jacq. > > Common Name: COPEY, MATAPALO > > Clinging evergreen treelet, aerial shrub, or rarely ground-rooted tree (10 > m) most often found attached to the trunks of large forest trees. As do most > *Clusias*, *C. rosea* begins life as a seedling high in the branches of a > canopy tree or wedged into a crevice on a steep, rocky cliff. Growing > epiphytically at first, this succulent, dry-adapted plant eventually > generates roots that extend to the soil far below. *Clusia rosea* may be > found anywhere sunlight and rainfall are abundant. > > *Description*: When growing on the side of another tree, *C. rosea* is > composed of multiple small *trunks* and many extended branches. Roots > encircle the host bole and may extend all the way down to the forest floor. > When growing independently, > <http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/clusia%20flower.jpg>this species > produces many low, thick, and horizontal limbs from which a confusing tangle > of aerial roots emerge. Reaching the soil, these vertical roots may later > thicken, becoming secondary stems. Over time, this unusual growth results in > a dense, spreading and low (10 m) crown. *Clusia* bark is smooth textured > and gray in color. As do others of the genus, *C. rosea* exudes copious > quantities of thick, latex sap from its leaves, twigs, and fruits - however > that of this species is a striking fluorescent yellow-green color (and not > the more usual white). *Leaves* are large (17 by 12 cm), simple, and > oppositely arranged. Thick and succulent, the waxy blades are used by the > plant to store water. Each leaf is very widely rounded in shape (nearly > orbicular), possessing a semicircular, drip-tipless apice. A single thick > mid rib is flanked by fine, parallel secondary veins that emerge from it at > an acute angle and continue to the leaf margin. The disk-shaped > *flowers*are large (10 cm in diameter), attractive, and showy. Seven > fleshy > snow-white petals surround a button-sized, green central pistil. An annular > nectary adorns the base of the ovary. Flowers open facing downwards, in the > late afternoon or evening. By morning, they have already begun to turn brown > and die. Flower buds are globular and also mostly white, however they show > some pink tinges as well. The yearly, very regular, and synchronized > flowering period begins in late June and terminates in early September. * > Fruits* begin to grow immediately thereafter, from the expanding ovary. They > mature five months later as glossy green, globular capsules (5 cm in > diameter). Fruiting commences as each capsule splits into a flower-like > star. Inside, eight narrow compartments hold many small (4-5 mm) > orange-ariled, white seeds. Harvests last from mid-March through late May. > > *Similar Species*: *C. rosea* may be confused with some of the other aerial > *Clusias*, like *C. peninsulae*, however the former has larger and much > rounder leaves than all the others (see description for *C. peninsulae*). > > *Natural History*: *Clusia* flowers, open primarily in the evening, are > probably bat pollinated. Fruits are visited by small birds (e.g. Red-legged > Honeycreepers) that consume the ariled seeds. > <http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/clusia%20fruit.jpg>The arboreal habits > of these small creatures ensure that some seeds will end up high in the > branches of other rain forest trees, ready to germinate where insolation > levels are high - but water is scarce. *Clusia*'s water-storing, succulent > leaves represent an adaptation to these droughty conditions and help the > tree survive during the time it exists as an epiphyte. Though it does rely > on a large tree for support, this species does not seem to pose a major > threat to its host - rarely growing large or high enough to compete with it > for sunlight. > > *Uses*: The leathery, flexible, and durable leaves are said to have been > used by pirates as playing cards. > > *Distribution*: *Clusia rosea* can be found where sunlight is abundant - as > in the tall crowns of canopy trees. Common in many parts of Costa Rica, this > species is also known from Nicaragua, Panamaa, Ecuador, Peru, the Dominican > Republic, and Puerto Rico. > > Clusia rosea-15-3-2011 005.jpg > 234KViewDownload > > Clusia rosea-15-3-2011 008.jpg > 230KViewDownload > > Clusia rosea-15-3-2011 009.jpg > 231KViewDownload > > Clusia rosea - 4-3-2011 002.jpg > 227KViewDownload > > Clusia rosea - 4-3-2011 010.jpg > 209KViewDownload
