Balmea
Encyclopedia
Balmea is a monospecific
genus
of flowering plant
s in the Rubiaceae
family
. The genus contains only one species
, i.e. Balmea stormae, which is found in El Salvador
, Guatemala
and Mexico
. It is locally known as ayuque. The plant is picked for its scarlet flowers, and the whole plant is sold on Mexican markets as a Christmas tree
. Because populations are depleted as soon as they are discovered, this species is threatened with extinction.
.
Monospecificity
In zoology, "monospecific" is an adjective describing a genus which contains only one known species. The term comes from the Greek prefix "μονο-" meaning "single" and Latin "species" meaning "kind" or "type". It is thus of hybrid origin....
genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. The genus contains only one species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, i.e. Balmea stormae, which is found in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It is locally known as ayuque. The plant is picked for its scarlet flowers, and the whole plant is sold on Mexican markets as a Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
. Because populations are depleted as soon as they are discovered, this species is threatened with extinction.
Description
The plant is a shrub of four to seven meters. The smooth, greenish purple bark peels off in irregular thin shreds. The hard wood is whitish. The broadly ovate and shortly acuminate leaves are clustered at the end of the branches. The shrub flowers from August to October and the hermaphroditic flowers are scarlet-red, tinged with purple. When fully open they turn dark purple and at night a sweet scent emanates from them. The fruits ripen from December to January and are erect capsules, about 25 mm long that open at the tip in two follicle-like portions. The numerous seed show reticulate wings of about 4 mm.Taxonomy
The genus is named in honor of botanist Juan Balme and the species name honors Marian Storm, a collaborator of the describer. The genus is closely related to Cosmibuena and BlepharidiumBlepharidium
Blepharidium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to Central America. Some authors recognize only one species in Blepharidium, but others recognize two. The type species for the genus is Blepharidium guatemalense.Blepharidium was named by Paul Standley in i918...
.