Pisonia

Pisonia
Pisonia brunoniana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Nyctaginaceae
Tribe: Pisonieae
Genus: Pisonia
L.[1]
Type species
Pisonia aculeata
L.[2]
Species

See text

Pisonia is a genus of flowering plants in the four o'clock flower family, Nyctaginaceae. It was named for Dutch physician and naturalist Willem Piso (1611–1678).[3] Certain species in this genus are known as catchbirdtrees, birdcatcher trees or birdlime trees because they catch birds.[4] The sticky seeds are postulated to be an adaptation of some island species that ensures the dispersal of seeds between islands by attaching them to birds, and also allows the enriching of coralline sands. (Should a fledgling fall to the ground, become entangled in the Pisonia's sticky seeds, and be unable to free itself, then it will starve, and so enrich the soil within the tree's rootzone.[4]) These island species include P. brunoniana of Australasia and Polynesia and P. umbellifera, which is widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific region.

  1. ^ "Genus: Pisonia L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-11-18.
  2. ^ "Pisonia L." TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  3. ^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Vol. 3. CRC Press. p. 2083. ISBN 978-0-8493-2673-8.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference PlanetEarth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).