Ellipsoid Fruits Research Articles

Trimezia campanula, a new species of Trimezieae (Iridaceae) from Brazil

Trimezia campanula (Iridaceae: Iridoideae), here described and illustrated, is endemic to Caparao Mountains, Brazil. The new species broadens the circumscription of Trimezia. Its distinctive features include a golden-yellow campanulate perianth and filiform style branches with undivided apices that lack crests and have an apical stigmatic zone. The flowers of T. campanula most closely resemble those of Pseudotrimezia, but species of that genus have yellow anthers and cylindrical leaves, whereas T. campanula has black anthers and flat leaves. Although different from the other species of Trimezia, the new species is here placed because of a combination of characters that includes cylindrical flowering stems, flat leaves, a spotted perianth, and ellipsoid fruits. Phylogenetic analyses also strongly support its inclusion in Trimezia, where the new species emerges in a clade close to T. martinicensis, the type species of the genus.

707. TILIA CHINENSIS

Tilia chinensis Maxim. is widespread and locally frequent in the mountains of south-western China, mainly in Yunnan and Sichuan. It occurs in mixed evergreen-deciduous, broad-leaved forests and extends up to over 3000 m in coniferous forests and birch woodland. The species is very distinct and easily recognised by its normally orbicular, serrate leaves, sessile or shortly stalked, oblong bracts, cyme with only three flowers and large ellipsoidal fruits with longitudinal ribs, especially prominent when dry. Evidence is summarised for including T. intonsa Wilson, T. laetivirens Rehd. & Wilson and T. yunnanensis Hu within T. chinensis. Until recently T. chinensis was rare in cultivation in the British Isles and confined to botanic gardens and arboreta. Young trees grow slowly but leaf-out late and usually avoid damage from spring frosts; they grow well on moist but freely draining, moderately fertile soils in the shelter of glades.

Eugenia terpnophylla var. keralensis var. nov. (Myrtaceae) from Kerala, India

The new variety Eugenia terpnophylla Thw. viz. var. keralensis S. M. Shareef, E. S. Santhosh Kumar et Roy is described and illustrated from Kerala, India. It differs from the typical variety by its narrowly or broadly elliptic leaves with more numerous lateral nerves, sub‐orbicular petals and ellipsoidal fruits.

Phytochemistry, traditional uses and pharmacology of Eugenia jambolana Lam. (black plum): A review

Eugenia jambolana Lam. (syn. Syzigium cumini (L.) SKEELS; S. jambolana DC; Family: Myrtaceae), commonly known as black plum or Jamun is a plant native to India. Annually the trees produce oblong or ellipsoid fruits (berries). They are green when raw and purplish black when fully ripe. The ripe fruits are sweetish sour to taste and are used to prepare health drinks, squashes, juices, jellies and wine. Studies have shown that the berries contain carbohydrates, minerals and the pharmacologically active phytochemicals like flavonoids, terpenes, and anthocyanins. Jamun is a plant with known ethnomedicinal uses. Before the discovery of insulin, Jamun was useful in the treatment of diabetes and is an integral part in the various alternative systems of medicine. Scientific studies have shown that the various extracts of Jamun possess a range of pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-genotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, cardioprotective, anti-allergic, anticancer, chemopreventive, radioprotective, free radical scavenging, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-diarrheal, hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects. The present paper reviews these aspects and also addresses the lacunas in the existing knowledge.

THREE NEW SPECIES OF CHASSALIA AND PSYCHOTRIA (RUBIACEAE) FROM CENTRAL AFRICA

Three new species of Rubiaceae from Central Africa are described and illustrated. Chassalia lutescens O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (widespread from Cameroon to Democratic Republic of Congo) is recognised inter alia by the T-shaped ventral furrow of the seeds and the orange-yellow discoloration of inflorescences in herbarium specimens. Psychotria nodiflora O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville and Democratic Republic of Congo), belonging to Psychotria subgen. Psychotria sect. Involucratae, is unique among African species of the genus in having paired axillary inflorescences. Psychotria pteropus O.Lachenaud & D.J.Harris (Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo) belongs to Psychotria subgen. Tetramerae; it is closely related to P. leptophylla Hiern but differs in its narrow corolla tube and globose to ellipsoid fruits.

Three New Species of Salacia from Mesoamerica (Celastraceae, Salacioideae)

Three new species of Salacia L. from Mesoamerica (Celastraceae, Salacioideae) are described from Panama. Salacia macrocremastra Lombardi is characterized by its very long pedicels to 50 mm, large flowers to 19 mm diam., and slightly bullate, elliptic leaves with a rounded base. Salacia mennegana J. Hedin ex Lombardi is distinguished by its buds with the calyx initially truncate and lobes that grow as the flower expands during anthesis, open inflorescences, annular disk, and ellipsoid fruits. Salacia panamensis Lombardi can be recognized by its closed calyx with lobes that are irregular in bud and that tear apart as the flower opens, and its annular-pulvinate, slightly pentagonous disk with outer margin flattened.

A Firmness Index for Fruits of Ellipsoidal Shape

This paper proposes a novel fruit firmness index c 3 for solid ellipsoids with one long principal axis and two equal short principal axes. The firmness index c 3 is dependent on the mass, density, and two natural frequencies of the lowest spherical modes (under free boundary conditions) moving along long and short axes, respectively. In fact, the new index c 3 is a generalisation of the conventional firmness index for a sphere, because the two natural frequencies for an ellipsoid become equal for a sphere. This newly developed index extends the firmness estimation for fruits or vegetables from a spherical to an ellipsoidal shape. The formula was developed according to the following steps: (1) assign mode shape functions observed from a finite element model; (2) approximate the potential energy and kinetic energy over the whole volume; (3) apply Rayleigh's quotient to determine natural frequencies in a simple form; and (4) deduce an appropriate mathematical equation relating firmness (equivalent to modulus of elasticity) with natural frequencies, mass, and density. Detailed derivations are provided, together with finite element models for verifications of the new firmness index. Satisfactory results from simulations show that the proposed formula is quite suitable for predicting the firmness of ellipsoidal fruits or vegetables.

Spondylostrobus F.Mueller: operculate fruits of an extinct dicotyledon from the mid-Tertiary of Australia

Spondylostrobus F.Mueller, which accommodates operculate fruit-stones reported only from the mid-Tertiary of Australia, is redefined on the basis of type and other specimens of the type species, S. smythii F.Mueller, and of specimens included in S. rozefeldsii sp. nov. The globose to ellipsoidal fruits have 3–6 locules symmetrically disposed around a massive fibrous axis. Each locule has a single anatropous ovule, axile placentation, and a dorsal germination operculum that extends from near the base to the apex. In possessing these characters Spondylostrobus more closely resembles operculate fruits within the tribe Spondiadeae (Anacardiaceae) than operculate fruits of other dicotyledonous families. Spondylostrobus has widespread distribution in Oligocene–Miocene sediments of eastern Australia. At many localities it is associated with fruit-stones having affinities with extant taxa that now occur in rainforests, monsoonal forests, and fringing communities of northern Australia.

A new Coprosma (Rubiaceae) from the Surville Cliffs, North Cape, New Zealand

A new ultramafic endemic Coprosma spathulata subsp. hikuruana is named from the Surville Cliffs, North Cape, New Zealand. It differs from C. spathulata subsp. spathulata by its prostrate, trailing habit, narrow ellipsoid fruits, and restriction to ultramafic rocks. Coprosma sputhulata subsp. hikuruana is sparsely distributed along the plateau, gully‐heads, and upper cliff faces of its ultramafic habitat. Because very few plants are known and they are at risk from weeds, browsing mammals, and fire, the new subspecies is considered a threatened taxon.

Una nueva especie de Calatola (Icacinaceae) de México y Centroamérica

La nueva especie Calatola uxpanapensis es un árbol de la selva alta perennifolia y mediana subperennifolia de México (Veracruz), Guatemala (El Petén e Izabal) y Belice. Esta planta ha sido confundida con C. laevigata Standley, especie más escasa de la vertiente del Pacífico de México, de la que difiere notablemente por su fruto anchamente elipsoide, más grande, con endocarpo profundamente reticulado y acostillado. Los dos taxa alopátricos discrepan también en detalles de las inflorescencias femeninas y masculinas, así como en sus habitats. Se incluyen datos sobre las características de campo, fenología, y distribución de la especie nueva, y también sobre la distribución de C. laevigata. Se especifica la presencia en México de material referible a C. costaricensis, y se presenta una clave para las cuatro especies del género conocidas de México.

VIBRATION MODES OF MELONS OF ELLIPSOIDAL SHAPE

This article presents modeling and experimental analyses on the vibrations of agricultural products of ellipsoidal shape, such as watermelon and cantaloupe. Since watermelon is solid while cantaloupe is hollow, different vibration characteristics are expected. Finite element (FE) models of watermelon and cantaloupe were first generated based on measured geometry. It was found that their mode shapes resemble those of spherical models. Comparisons of FE and experimental modal parameters show that both results agree well in mode shapes as well as natural frequencies. A significant difference between the two types of melons is the order of modes. The first mode of watermelon is a pure compression mode while the second mode a prolate/oblate mode, when viewed from the circular cross-section. However, these two modes are reversed for the cantaloupe. Simple and effective rules are thus proposed to distinguish them. The results of this work reveal that the vibrations of ellipsoidal fruits are more complicated and also different from those of spherical ones.