Paris japonica
Encyclopedia
is a species of the genus Paris
in the family Melanthiaceae
, which has the largest genome
of any plant yet assayed, about 150 billion base pair
s long. An octoploid and suspected allopolyploid hybrid of four species, it has 40 chromosomes. It is native to sub-alpine regions of Japan
.
of about eight stem leaves. It prefers cool, humid, shady places.
The rare flower has a genome 50 times larger than that of a human. With 150 billion base pairs of DNA per cell, it is the biggest known genome of any living organism; the DNA from a single cell stretched out end-to-end would be taller than 300 feet (91 m).
The flower has 19 billion more base pairs than the previous record holder, the marbled lungfish
, whose 130 billion base pairs weigh in at 132.83 picograms per cell. Since then, other organisms have been assayed and found to have larger genomes, Polychaos dubium being the current record holder.
Paris (genus)
Paris is the botanical name of a genus of flowering plants. It consists of less than two dozen herbaceous plants: the best known species is Paris quadrifolia. The primary center of Paris diversity is China; the genus includes representatives native to Europe and Asia...
in the family Melanthiaceae
Melanthiaceae
Melanthiaceae is a family of flowering perennial herbs in the Northern Hemisphere. The family has been recognized by relatively few taxonomists, and the circumscription has varied...
, which has the largest genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
of any plant yet assayed, about 150 billion base pair
Base pair
In molecular biology and genetics, the linking between two nitrogenous bases on opposite complementary DNA or certain types of RNA strands that are connected via hydrogen bonds is called a base pair...
s long. An octoploid and suspected allopolyploid hybrid of four species, it has 40 chromosomes. It is native to sub-alpine regions of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Characteristics
A slow growing perennial, it flowers in July. The showy white star-like flower is borne above a single whorlWhorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
of about eight stem leaves. It prefers cool, humid, shady places.
The rare flower has a genome 50 times larger than that of a human. With 150 billion base pairs of DNA per cell, it is the biggest known genome of any living organism; the DNA from a single cell stretched out end-to-end would be taller than 300 feet (91 m).
The flower has 19 billion more base pairs than the previous record holder, the marbled lungfish
Marbled Lungfish
The marbled lungfish, Protopterus aethiopicus, is a lungfish of the family Protopteridae. Also known as the leopard lungfish, it is found in Africa...
, whose 130 billion base pairs weigh in at 132.83 picograms per cell. Since then, other organisms have been assayed and found to have larger genomes, Polychaos dubium being the current record holder.