Difference between revisions of "Asimina obovata"
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Revision as of 11:26, 18 May 2016
| Asimina obovata | |
|---|---|
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| Photo by Betty Wargo, Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons |
| Order: | Magnoliales |
| Family: | Annonaceae |
| Genus: | Asimina |
| Species: | A. obovata |
| Binomial name | |
| Asimina obovata (Willd.) Nash | |
| |
| Natural range of Asimina obovata from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common names: Bigflower Pawpaw
Contents
Taxonomic notes
Synonym: Pityothamnus obovatus (Willdenow) Small
Description
A description of Asimina obovata is provided in The Flora of North America.
Asimina obovata is a long-lived perennial.[1] Such as other species in the Genus Asimina, it has a deep taproot and resprouts from a lignotuber after fire or disturbance (Kral 1960, 1993). Leaves are alternate and simple with pinnate venation[2]. It can be a shrub or a small tree growing three meters or more[3].
Ecology
Habitat
Asimina obovata is endemic to the well drained sand of sand ridges, coastal dunes, hammocks and pine-turkey oak sand ridges that occur in southeastern to north central Florida (Kral 1960). Associated species include Pinus clausa, Quercus gemiata, Quercus myrtifolia, Ceratiola ericoides, Ilex opaca var. arenicola, Garberia heterophylla, and Persea humilus (Crummer 2003).
Phenology
Flowers March to June (Kral 1960) with white flowers and green fruit [1].
Asimina obovata is the only species in the genus Asimina to have flower buds that terminate the new shoot growth (Kral 1960). This species can be identified by a bright red-hairy peduncle and a reddish pubescence on the shoots and lower leaf surface (Kral 1960). The stamens are pale green to beige at anthesis [4].
Seed bank and germination
Seedlings have been found in the shade of parent plants due to the importance of shade and seed burial to prevent seed desiccation after ripening (Crummer 2003).
Fire ecology
In the year following a fire, A. obovata resprouts with more stems than were present pre-fire, however these stems are smaller and less woody with a higher chance of herbivory. The amount of flowers blooming is the greatest in the second flowering season post-fire with flower numbers decreasing as the fire interval becomes longer. [4].
The species responds to a disturbance such as fire or cutting vegetatively, sending up several leafy shoots which are forming flower buds that do not open until the following growing season (Kral 1960).
Pollination
Pollination occurs entomophily [5] with beetles such as Typocerus zebra, Trichotinus rufobruneus, T. lunulatus and Euphoria sepulchralis responsible for pollination (Norman and Clayton 1986). The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Asimina obovata at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):
Apidae: Apis mellifera
Vespidae: Polistes dorsalis hunteri
Use by animals
In order to protect itself from herbivory, A. obovata contains a toxin called annonaceous acetogenins which inhibits mitochondrial respiration in preditors. [5]
Gopher tortoises have been observed to eat the ripe fruit and spit out the seeds (Norman and Clayton 1986).
Conservation and Management
Global conservation status: G3-Vulnerable [6]. State status: S3-Vulnerable [6].
References and notes
Deyrup, M.A. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.
Crummer, Kathryn. Physiological Leaf Traits of Scrub Pawpaw, Asimina obovata (Willd.)Nash (Annonaceae). University of Florida, 2003.
Kral, Robert. 1960. A Revision of Asimina and Deeringothamnus (Annonaceae). Brittonia 12:233-278.
Norman, Elaine M. and David Clayton. Reproductive Biology of Two Florida Pawpaws: Asimina obovata and A. pygmaea (Annonaceae). 1986. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 113: 16-22.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 [Florida Native Plant Society. Accessed: November 24, 2015]
- ↑ [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Accessed: November 23, 2015.]
- ↑ [[1]]Accessed: November 24, 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 [[2]] Archbold Biological Station. Accessed: November 24, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 [Encyclopedia of Life]Accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 [[3]] Nature Serve Explorer. Accessed November 24, 2015.]]
