Plasticfruits, part 3: Thymelaeaceae

@arthur_chapman @botaneek @troos @vynbos @ducco @carber @mercantour @david_lyttle @mark_smale @reiner @michael1922 @scottwgavins @craigpeter

In previous Posts in this series (https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/62134-plasticfruits-part-2-polygalaceae# and https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/61996-plasticfruits-part-1-how-an-ordinary-daisy-becomes-extraordinarily-fruity#), I have shown how daisies and polygalas have converted their normally dry fruits into succulent fruits attractive to seed-dispersing vertebrates.

Here I show a similar pattern in Thymelaeaceae (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymelaeaceae).

The fruit in thymelaeas is either an achene or a single-seeded berry, depending on species rather than genus. This shows remarkable evolutionary plasticity, and implies that this conspicuous transformation has occurred independently and repeatedly within several genera.

Where thymelaeas differ from daisies or polygalas is that the dry fruits do not seem to be adapted for dispersal and sowing by ants. This means that the mode of dispersal of many species (in various genera), that lack fleshy fruits, remains obscure.

The following presents three of the genera of thymelaeas in alphabetical order. I illustrate only the species with fleshy fruits, because I have found no relevant photo of the mature fruit in any species bearing dry fruits.

DAPHNE

Many species in this genus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphne_(plant)) have dry fruits and an obscure means of dispersal and sowing of seeds. However, in some species fruit-flesh has developed, attractive to seed-dispersing birds. The most-frequently photographed of these is Daphne mezereum, in which the ripe fruits are spectacularly red.

Daphne exemplifies 'plasticfruits' because the naive naturalist would not expect species with such different-looking fruits (dry and inconspicuous vs fleshy and conspicuous) to belong to a single genus.

Daphne alpina https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/489982-Daphne-alpina and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/83481166 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/97755272

Daphne arisanensis https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/737612-Daphne-arisanensis and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100026671

Daphne glomerata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/841366-Daphne-glomerata and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106478001

Daphne gnidium https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/82836-Daphne-gnidium and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101935083 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103304671 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104464206 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105277207

Daphne kamtschatica https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/841382-Daphne-kamtschatica and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92417875

Daphne kiusiana https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428419-Daphne-kiusiana and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106479832 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84526792 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81733656

Daphne kurdica https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/841386-Daphne-kurdica and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103513998

Daphne laureola https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/127391-Daphne-laureola and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68275690 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80652926 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/84109818 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/81772506 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52892876

Daphne mezereum https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/133034-Daphne-mezereum and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102877761 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101823460 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107052978 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105256454 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105671757

Daphne mucronata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/803915-Daphne-mucronata and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1555643 and http://www.birdsoman.com/Flowers/30-Thymelaelales/Daphnemucronata/Daphnemucronata.htm

Daphne oleoides https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/335859-Daphne-oleoides and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/85672431

Daphne papyracea https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/707256-Daphne-papyracea and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/77387465

PASSERINA

Most species of Passerina have dry achenes. However, two species have fleshy fruits consisting of bright-hued berries.

There may possibly be convergence with sympatric Muraltia spinosa in that the fleshy fruits are partly adapted to attract tortoises as agents of dispersal. However, the two species of Passerina with fleshy fruits are specialised for coastal dunes (e.g. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/63420381) to a degree not seen in the species of Muraltia with fleshy fruits.

The association between fleshy fruits and sandy coastal habitats can also be seen to some extent in Pimelea, below (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42820980).

Passerina ericoides https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/591418-Passerina-ericoides and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36812574 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104336941

Passerina rigida https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66668708 and https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/591431-Passerina-rigida and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/67187864 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103046086

PIMELEA

Like the ericaceous genus Leucopogon, Pimelea extends from southwestern Western Australia to the eastern states of Australia and across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.

There are 45 species of Pimelea in Western Australia (https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/static/Journals/080057/080057-06.012.pdf), only two of which have fleshy fruits. As in Leucopogon (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107014739 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106782531 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106227525 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87353451 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9720623), the incidence of fleshy fruits increases from west to east, culminating in New Zealand (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288250909509813).

Pimelea acra https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/470814-Pimelea-acra

Pimelea aridula https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1057534-Pimelea-aridula-aridula and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102983836

Pimelea barbata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/470817-Pimelea-barbata-barbata and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68979940

Pimelea clavata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/841593-Pimelea-clavata

Pimelea ignota fruit is fleshy (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288250909509813) but no photo is available

Pimelea lyallii https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/404890-Pimelea-lyallii and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1461436 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37518242

Pimelea mesoa https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/424569-Pimelea-mesoa and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68886234 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38013992

Pimelea microcephala https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/416361-Pimelea-microcephala and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1038184 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47700221 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/94668555

Pimelea microphylla https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/366736-Pimelea-microphylla and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70435832 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/76015215 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/20141179

Pimelea neo-anglica https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/967145-Pimelea-neoanglica and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98470241 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103811715

Pimelea notia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/483119-Pimelea-notia and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92090682 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38769763

Pimelea oreophila https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/366713-Pimelea-oreophila and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92884725 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21103828 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106901234

Pimelea prostrata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/366715-Pimelea-prostrata and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/20210244 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/105188092 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39504205 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39504205 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/20210244 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8748822

Pimelea pseudolyallii https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/404892-Pimelea-pseudolyallii and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1255451

Pimelea suteri https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104205179 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104205179

Pimelea tomentosa https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/407335-Pimelea-tomentosa and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70616778 and https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pimelea-tomentosa/ and https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pimelea-tomentosa/?download=pdf

Pimelea urvilleana https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/404891-Pimelea-urvilleana and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/1432394

Pimelea villosa https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/410592-Pimelea-villosa and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2670760 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72655186 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106363051 and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/106590183

to be continued in https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/milewski/73269-plasticfruits-the-case-of-chenopodium-amaranthaceae#...

Posted on February 24, 2022 07:29 AM by milewski