The base of the stamen filaments are bent so that they run along the upper portion of the flower with the arrow shaped anthers then depositing pollen on the dorsal side of a variety of pollen-feeding insects. At the bottom of the corolla tube is a short corolla-stamen tube. (C) Inside the corolla tube, and approximately half way down, are 4 stamen filaments fused to the petals at the base, with 2 being longer than the others. These are interpreted as floral guides to the top of the corolla tube. On the inner side of the lower trilobed corolla tube run two light yellow folded ridges from the calyx to the lip. Letters A-F correspond to descriptions in the adjacent Morphology paragraph The lips of all the petals are curled and their surface tomentose. The corolla has 5 fused lobes with a shorter adaxial bilobed lip and a somewhat longer abaxial trilobed lower lip. elogata where the lobes are shorter than the calyx tubes. (C) The thick fused calyx is covered by a brown hairy indumentum and the fused calyx tube is the same length as its calyx lobes, except in P. The (B) inflorescences are terminal erect 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in) long panicles of ~5 centimetres (2 in) long flowers. Like most members of the Lamiales the flowers are zygomorphic. The leaves are often preceded by pale violet to purple shaded tubular flowers similar to a foxglove. The leaves are late to come in on the tree and late to fall from the typically deciduous Paulownia, however in tropical areas the tree can become evergreen. They can be distinguished from common look alike genera such as Catalpa and Cercis by secondary and tertiary venation. The leaf margin can be toothed or entire and sometimes may be slightly lobed. The leaves grow in opposite decussate pairs, and as the name tomentosa suggests, are covered in hairs. Paulownia tomentosa can grow over 30 metres (98 ft) tall and has (E – see labeled image below ) large heart shaped leaves ranging from 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) wide and 15–30 centimetres (6–12 in) long with a 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) long petiole. Paulownia is a genus of angiosperm trees, and one of the fastest growing trees in the world. Its density is low at around 0.28 kg/liter, although significantly higher than balsa's very low 0.16 kg/liter. Trees can grow to maturity in under 10 years and produce strong, lightweight timber, good as firewood, with an even higher strength to weight ratio than balsa wood. Although seeds, seedlings, and roots of even mature trees are susceptible to rot, the wood is not and is used for boat building and surfboards. Successful plantations usually purchase plants that have been professionally propagated from root cuttings or seedlings. However, the seeds are very susceptible to soil biota and only colonize well on sterile soils (such as after a high temperature wildfire). Paulownia trees produce as many as 20 million tiny seeds per year. It is also called "princess tree" for the same reason. The genus, originally Pavlovnia but now usually spelled Paulownia, was named in honour of Anna Paulowna, queen consort of The Netherlands (1795–1865), daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia. Some US authorities consider the genus an invasive species, but in Europe, where it is also grown in gardens, it is not regarded as invasive. In some areas it has escaped cultivation and is found in disturbed plots. The tree has not persisted prominently in US gardens, in part due to its overwintering brown fruits that some consider ugly. Its fruits (botanically capsules) were also used as packaging material for goods shipped from East Asia to North America, leading to Paulownia groves where they were dumped near major ports. It was introduced to North America in 1844 from Europe and Asia where it was originally sought after as an exotic ornamental tree. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea. Paulownia ( / p ɔː ˈ l oʊ n i ə/ paw- LOH-nee-ə) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. Genus of flowering plants in the family Paulowniaceae
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |