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Amazonian Tree with human sized leaves is finally classified as a new species:
Scientists have known about this extremely rare tree for decades, but did not have any genetic material to describe it. In 2005 a couple of botanists collected seeds from a tree in Jamari National Forest, a ancient tropical forest in the Amazon. They took the seeds and planted them and waited for one to flower. Thirteen years later one of the trees flowered and bore fruit, giving the genetic material necessary to name the new species. Coccoloba gigantifolia.
The researchers say that C. gigantifolia, which grows to about 15 meters (49 feet) in height and has leaves that can reach 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length, likely has the largest known leaf among dicotyledonous plants — a large group of flowering plants that include sunflowers, hibiscus, tomatoes and roses. These plants have seeds that can be split into two identical halves, each forming the first two embryonic leaves of the seedling, and their leaves generally have branched veins. The seeds of monocotyledonous plants, by contrast, give out a single embryonic leaf and the grown plants’ leaves have parallel veins, such as those of palm trees, grasses, orchids and bananas.Coccoloba gigantifolia (Polygonaceae) is a newly described plant species from the Brazilian Amazon. It reportedly has the largest leaves in the world.These leaves were measured at >200 cm in length.The individual trees weren’t bearing any flowers or fruits then, parts that are essential to describing a plant species, and their leaves were too large to dehydrate, press and carry back to INPA.
-TreeWeaver/BacktoNature
Scientists have known about this extremely rare tree for decades, but did not have any genetic material to describe it. In 2005 a couple of botanists collected seeds from a tree in Jamari National Forest, a ancient tropical forest in the Amazon. They took the seeds and planted them and waited for one to flower. Thirteen years later one of the trees flowered and bore fruit, giving the genetic material necessary to name the new species. Coccoloba gigantifolia.
The researchers say that C. gigantifolia, which grows to about 15 meters (49 feet) in height and has leaves that can reach 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length, likely has the largest known leaf among dicotyledonous plants — a large group of flowering plants that include sunflowers, hibiscus, tomatoes and roses. These plants have seeds that can be split into two identical halves, each forming the first two embryonic leaves of the seedling, and their leaves generally have branched veins. The seeds of monocotyledonous plants, by contrast, give out a single embryonic leaf and the grown plants’ leaves have parallel veins, such as those of palm trees, grasses, orchids and bananas.Coccoloba gigantifolia (Polygonaceae) is a newly described plant species from the Brazilian Amazon. It reportedly has the largest leaves in the world.These leaves were measured at >200 cm in length.The individual trees weren’t bearing any flowers or fruits then, parts that are essential to describing a plant species, and their leaves were too large to dehydrate, press and carry back to INPA.
-TreeWeaver/BacktoNature
