Oreocallis
| Oreocallis | |
|---|---|
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| Flowers of Oreocallis grandiflora. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| Order: | Proteales |
| Family: | Proteaceae |
| Genus: | Oreocallis |
| Species: | O. grandiflora |
| Binomial name | |
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Oreocallis grandiflora (Lam.) R. Br. |
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Oreocallis is a South American plant genus in the family Proteaceae. There is only one species, O. grandiflora, which is native to mountainous regions in Peru and Ecuador.
Previously, the genus was considered to have several species on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, however the four Australasian species were reclassified in the genus Alloxylon.
The genus was originally defined by Robert Brown in 1810 to contain the Australian species now classified elsewhere, while the two recognised South American species were placed in Embothrium at the time. A reclassification by Dutch botanist Hermann Otto Sleumer in 1954 saw these species transferred into Oreocallis. A second species O. mucronata, has been reclassified as conspecific with O. grandiflora. Some recent sources recognize both species.
The genus' name is derived from the Ancient Greek words or(e)os "mountain", and kalli- "beauty".
The species is a tree or shrub which reaches heights of about 6 metres (20 ft). The leaves, which are arranged in a spiral pattern along the twigs, have a simple, entire blade. As is the case with many species in the Proteaceae, the leaves are highly variable. The shape of the leaves varies from narrow and elongate (lanceolate, or lance shaped) to broad and ellipse-shaped, or anything in between. The base of the leaf can be narrow or broad, and the leaf tip can be pointed or rounded. They usually range from 4.8 to 12.7 centimetres (1.9 to 5.0 in) in length, occasionally reaching lengths of 21.5 cm (8.5 in), and are 1.6 to 3.4 cm (0.63 to 1.34 in) wide. Young leaves are often covered with dense, reddish hairs while older leaves tend to have smooth surfaces with hairs concentrated along the main veins on the lower surface of the leaf. Plants have a terminal or lateralconflorescence (a type of inflorescence). The inflorescences, which are usually 7 to 17.5 cm (2.8 to 6.9 in) long ;but occasionally as much as 38 cm (15 in), bear flowers that can be white, pink, yellow or red in colour. The tepals (petals and sepals) are mostly fused along their length, with only the tips of the tepals unfused. The pollen grains have three pores, a condition that is thought to be primitive in the Proteaceae.
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Wikipedia