Boquila
Taxonomy and etymology
Boquila is a monotypic genus of flowering plants (angiosperms) in the family Lardizabalaceae with one known species, Boquila trifoliolata. The species was first described as Dolichos funarius in 1782 by Juan Ignacio Molina, and in 1817, the holotype Lardizabala trifoliolata was named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. In 1838, Stephan Endlicher, Eduard Friedrich Poeppig, and Gustav Kunze proposed the name Lardizabala discolor. In between 1837 and 1839, Joseph Decaisne identified Boquila trifoliolata and Boquila discolor, and established the Boquila genus in 1837. The name Boquila discolor was later declared a orthographic variant. In 1936, Gualterio Looser attempted to reclassify the species to Lardizabala funaria based upon the observations of Carlo Giuseppe Bertero, but this classification is not considered valid.
Description
Boquila trifoliolata is a woody vine with a highly variable appearance due to its crypsis abilities. The vines are evergreen or partly deciduous, meaning they largely retain their leaves over winter. The vines follow a twining pattern when climbing host plants, meaning the stems bend around host plants during their ascent. The branches are thin, less than 1 cm (0.39 in) in diameter, and are covered in red-brown bark). The lenticels are elliptical in shape, and the wider branches are a speckled grey color. When not mimicking a host plant, B. trifoliolata employs smaller 'charlatan leaves' that are short, stubby, and have three lobes (trifoliate). The petioles) range from 2 cm (0.79 in) to 6 cm (2.4 in) in length and the petiolules) range from 0.5 cm (0.20 in) to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in length. Leaflets) are oval or elliptical and range from 2 cm (0.79 in) to 6 cm (2.4 in) in height and 1 cm (0.39 in) to 3 cm (1.2 in) in width. The base of the leaves is rounded, the margins are irregular (most often trilobate), the tips are rounded and wide-angled, the top of the leaves are dark green and hairless, the undersides are glaucous (pale-grey to blue-green), and the veins have a pinnate pattern.
Reproduction
In its natural habitat, flowering occurs between September and December, while fruiting occurs between January and March. This pattern is opposite when the plant is raised in the Northern Hemisphere. B. trifoliolata is monoecious, meaning that both male and female floral parts are present in the same plant. The petals are small (1.5 cm (0.59 in) to 3 cm (1.2 in) in length) and have a green-white to yellow-white color. These flowers tend to be in 2- to 4-flower umbels with small hairs and lepidote bracts along the petals. Each flower has six sepals, and are biserate, petaloid, ovate, and the three inner sepals are larger than the outer ones. Staminate flowers (male flowers) have six stamens, petals in an opposite pattern, and anthers are oblate. Carpellate flowers (female flowers) have six conical staminodes, three carpels, an elongated stigma), and sutures running vertically up the petals.
Reading List
Report Issue