Search results for "Melastoma"
showing 5 items of 15 documents
Observations on ant-plant interactions in Pachycentria and other genera of the Dissochaeteae (Melastomataceae) in Sabah and Sarawak
1998
Summary In Sabah and Sarawak (Malaysia) ant-plant interactions of Dissochaeteae were studied in the field. Whereas some species of Dissochaeteae show only loose and fortuitous interactions with ants as the result of the provision of pearl bodies and nesting places which are used by ants facultatively, Pachycentria constricta and P. glauca show a complex relationship with ants mediated by other ant plants. Both species provide pearl bodies and potential nesting space or shelter for ants in dried out and hollow root swellings. The main characteristic which differentiates them from all other Melastomataceae interacting with ants are their particular seeds which are attractive to ants and carri…
Evolution of growth form in epiphytic Dissochaeteae (Melastomataceae)
2001
Abstract We trace the evolution of root climbing and scrambling in Dissochaeteae and Sonerileae, two closely related groups that comprise the majority of Old World climbing Melastomataceae. The morphological and anatomical adaptations of the different climbers are interpreted in the context of a phylogeny based on chloroplast (cp) DNA sequences of the ndhF gene, generated for 31 representatives of Dissochaeteae and Sonerileae/Oxysporeae plus nine outgroups. For 20 of these taxa, the ndhF sequences were combined with cpDNA rpl16 intron sequences to obtain higher statistical support. Parsimony, minimum evolution, and maximum likelihood approaches yield congruent topologies that imply that scr…
Towards a complete phylogeny of African Melastomateae : systematics of Dissotis and allies (Melastomataceae)
2020
Correlations among fruit traits and evolution of different fruits within Melastomataceae
2000
Abstract The anatomy and morphology of nearly mature fruits in 85 mainly palaeotropical species of Melastomataceae were examined using microtome- and hand-sectioning, and differential staining. Much structural heterogeneity was observed in both capsules and berries. Multivariate analyses of 31 of the 52 characters recorded for each species, revealed that indehiscence is associated with fusion of ovary and hypanthium tissues, placenta persistence, lack of a persistent endocarp, and a dearth of sclereids in these tissues, while dehiscence is correlated with the opposite states and a persistent exocarp. Other fruit characters such as lignification or fleshiness of tissues do not show a consist…