Contents
Description
Amborellales is a small order of flowering plants that contains only one living genus, Amborella. It is considered one of the most basal angiosperm lineages, meaning it is a primitive flowering plant that has retained many ancestral features. Amborellales is believed to have diverged from other flowering plants around 140 million years ago, making it a crucial link in the evolution of angiosperms. Amborella is a shrub or small tree from New Caledonia, an island in the Pacific Ocean. It is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants.
Taxonomic Information
| Domain | Eukarya |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Amborellales |
| Family | Amborellaceae |
| Genus | Amborella |
Appearance
Amborella has simple, alternate leaves that are glossy and leathery. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, with no petals or sepals. They are borne in clusters on separate male and female plants. The fruit is a small red drupe that contains a single seed. Amborella is a slow-growing plant that can reach up to 10 meters in height in the wild.
Care Guide
Amborella is a challenging plant to grow outside of its native habitat. It requires a warm, humid environment with plenty of rainfall. Here are some tips for caring for Amborella:
Water: Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Amborella is sensitive to drought and should not be allowed to dry out.
Fertilization: Amborella is a light feeder and does not require heavy fertilization. Use a balanced fertilizer once a month during the growing season.
Soil: Amborella prefers well-draining, acidic soil that is rich in organic matter. A mix of peat moss and perlite or vermiculite is ideal.
Sunlight: Amborella needs bright, indirect sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves.
Hardiness Zones: Amborella is not cold-hardy and should only be grown in USDA zones 10-11.
Common Pests & Diseases
Amborella is relatively pest-free, but it can be susceptible to fungal diseases in humid conditions. Here are some common pests and diseases that can affect Amborella:
Anthracnose: This fungal disease causes brown spots on the leaves and can lead to defoliation.
Leaf spot: Another fungal disease that causes circular brown spots on the leaves.
Mealybugs: These small, white insects can infest the leaves and stems, sucking the sap and causing wilting.
Habitat
Amborella is native to the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. It grows in the understory of the rainforest, where it receives filtered sunlight. The soil is acidic and rich in organic matter, providing ideal growing conditions for Amborella. In the wild, Amborella is an important food source for native birds and insects.
Question and Answer
Q: Why is Amborellales important in the evolution of angiosperms?
A: Amborellales is considered a primitive angiosperm lineage that has retained many ancestral features. Studying Amborella can provide insights into the early evolution of flowering plants.
Q: Can Amborella be grown as a houseplant?
A: Amborella is a challenging plant to grow outside of its native habitat and is not recommended for indoor cultivation.
Q: What is the significance of Amborella being dioecious?
A: Dioecious plants have separate male and female plants, which means they have to rely on pollination to produce fruit. This can make them more vulnerable to environmental changes and can make it more difficult for them to colonize new areas.
Q: How can I propagate Amborella?
A: Amborella can be propagated from seed or by cuttings, but it can be a slow process. The best way to propagate Amborella is by layering, where a stem is bent down to the ground and covered with soil until it roots.
Related Plants
There are no other living genera in the Amborellales order.
References
- APG IV. (2016). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 181(1), 1-20.
- Endress, P. K. (2011). Amborella not a “basal angiosperm”? Not so fast. American Journal of Botany, 98(3), 1-17.
- Wu, C. S., & Chaw, S. M. (2014). Evolutionary stasis in cycad plastomes and the first case of plastome GC-biased gene conversion. Scientific Reports, 4, 1-8.
