Nothomyrcia
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nothomyrcia is a genus in the family Myrtaceae, the myrtle family. It is a monotypic taxon, with Nothomyrcia fernandeziana (Luma de Juan Fernández) as the sole species in the genus.[2] Nothomyrcia fernandeziana is a tree endemic to Robinson Crusoe Island in the Juan Fernández Islands of Chile.[2]
| Nothomyrcia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Nothomyrcia Kausel |
| Species: | N. fernandeziana |
| Binomial name | |
| Nothomyrcia fernandeziana | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
Nothomyrcia fernandeziana can grow to 20–28 meters in height and up to 1 meter in diameter with mature specimens.[1] Its bark is whitish or grayish, and its leaves are 3–10 cm long by 1.5–3.2 cm wide.[1] The leaves are hypostomatic with anomocytic stomatal complexes.[3] Nothomyrcia fernandeziana has hermaphrodite flowers with 4 sepals and 4 white petals with numerous stamens.[1]
Its fruits are small (8 x 8 mm), reddish when ripe with 2–3 aromatic seeds, and are dispersed by birds and by gravity.[1] Its maximum age is approximately 250 years with average radial growth of 0.16 to 0.3 cm per year.[4] There is no distinction between its sapwood and heartwood, and its dense, resistant properties have historically made it useful for constructing boats, posts, and agricultural tools.[4]
Distribution
Nothomyrcia fernandeziana is endemic to the montane forests of Robinson Crusoe Island where it historically formed dense stands with species like Drimys confertifolia.[5] The impact of introduced shrubs like Aristotelia chilensis and Rubus ulmifolius is higher in the Nothomyrcia forests than it is in areas of tree ferns.[5]
Nothomyrcia fernandeziana is at severe risk of habitat loss, as its estimated extent of occurrence is less than 36 km2.[1] Threats from introduced herbivores like rabbits, rats, and domestic livestock have caused IUCN to list this species as critically endangered.[1]