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Prota 16: Fibres/Plantes à fibres Record display |
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Protologue Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille 7: 59 (1909). Family Passifloraceae Origin and geographic distribution Paropsia perrieri is endemic to the northern-most part of Madagascar. Uses Fibres from Paropsia perrieri are used in textile fabrics, although they are not very durable. Botany Shrub or small tree up to 15 m tall; bole up to 25 cm in diameter; branches ferruginous-tomentose, lateral ones always longer than terminal one, hairy when young. Leaves alternate, distichous, short-lived; petiole thin, 5–8 mm long; blade broadly oblong, (3.5–)5–10 cm × (2–)2.5–4(–6) cm, base rounded, apex tapering, margin entire or somewhat toothed, papery to thin-leathery, both surfaces shortly ferruginous-tomentose, lateral veins in 8–10 pairs. Inflorescence an axillary cyme 2–10 mm long, on specialized branches bearing leaves, long-pedunculate, (1–)2–4-flowered; bracts linear, 4–5 mm long; flowers bisexual, fragrant; pedicel 10–25 mm long; sepals 5, oblong, 10–12 mm × 4–5 mm, shortly connate at base, apex obtuse, reddish tomentose outside, white to greyish velvety inside; petals 5, narrowly oblong, 8–10 mm × 3.5–4.5 mm, thinner than sepals, white, velvety on both surfaces; corona laciniate, 2.5 mm long, in bundles in front of the petals; stamens 5, filaments 5–6 mm long, anthers c. 2.5 mm long; ovary on a 12 mm long reddish hairy gynophore, obovoid, 1-celled, styles c. 3, 1.5–2 mm long, free, with thick stigmas. Fruit a nearly globose 3-valved capsule 12–15 mm in diameter, tomentose. Seed compressed ovoid, 5–7 mm × 1–2 mm, with thin, entire, fleshy aril. Seedling with epigeal germination. Paropsia perrieri flowers in October–November. Paropsia comprises 12 species, of which 5 occur in mainland tropical Africa, 6 in Madagascar and 1 in South-East Asia. Ecology Paropsia perrieri is rather rare in dry deciduous forest, at low altitudes. Management Paropsia perrieri only occurs wild. Genetic resources and breeding Paropsia perrieri occurs only in a small part of Madagascar. It is also rare and therefore at risk of genetic erosion. Prospects It is unlikely that Paropsia perrieri will become an important source of fibre. Major references • Decary, R., 1946. Plantes et animaux utiles de Madagascar. Annales du Musée Colonial de Marseille, 54e année, 6e série, 4e volume, 1er et dernier fascicule. 234 pp. • Perrier de la Bâthie, H., 1945. Passifloracées (Passifloraceae). Flore de Madagascar et des Comores (plantes vasculaires), famille 143. Imprimerie Officielle, Tananarive, Madagascar. 50 pp. • Sleumer, H., 1970. Le genre Paropsia Noronha ex Thouars (Passifloraceae). Bulletin du Jardin Botanique National de Belgique 40(1): 49–75. Other references • Medina, J.C., 1959. Plantas fibrosas da flora mundial. Instituto Agronômico Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 913 pp. • Missouri Botanical Garden, undated. VAST (VAScular Tropicos) nomenclatural database. [Internet] http://mobot.mobot.org/ W3T/Search/ vast.html. Accessed February 2010. Author(s)
Editors
Correct citation of this article: Oyen, L.P.A., 2010. Paropsia perrieri Claverie. In: Brink, M. & Achigan-Dako, E.G. (Editors). Prota 16: Fibres/Plantes à fibres. [CD-Rom]. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. |