Wimmeria mexicana

Taxobox


regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Celastrales
familia = Celastraceae
genus = "Wimmeria"
species = "W. mexicana"
binomial = "Wimmeria mexicana"
binomial_authority = Lundell, 1939
synonyms = "Wimmeria confusa" Hemsl., "Celastrus mexicanus"

"Wimmeria mexicana" is a large shrub or small tree, often reaching convert|8|m|ft in height, that is common to southeast North America, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, and central to eastern Sonora. It is commonly called Papelío and Algodoncillo.Felger, Johnson, & Wilson, p. 133]

Description

The branches and trunk, convert|30|cm|in in diameter, are erect to ascending, making it more tall than wide. Large, flaky, papery, gray plates cover its smooth, white bark. Young twigs, petioles, and flower axils sometimes have short, tiny hairs, but are mostly glabrous. The crown is spread out and sparse. The leaves, exstipulate and 2–6 cm in length, alternate and vary in shape between lanceolate, elliptic, and obovate. Flowers tend to be 7.5–8 mm wide, white to cream colored, bisexual, with 5 petals on 5 sepals, and arranged in axillary cyme. The fruits, 1–1.4 cm across, are papery, one-seeded, three-lobed samaras, similar to species of "Dodonaea".

"W. mexicana" mass flowers around July to October, or often after heavy Autumn rain, attracting a large number of insects, particularly bees and flies. The leaves have serrated edges due to insects.

Uses

Wood from the tree is commonly used to make fence posts, house beams, and firelogs. Also, the Guarijío prepare an herbal tea, "malo en el cuerpo" (pain in the body), from "W. mexicana", chamomile, and cilantro.

Taxonomy

"Wimmeria confusa", a synonym of "W. mexicana", was so named because it had been previously confused with "Wimmeria concolor" and was so figured in William Hooker's "Icones Plantarum". "W. confusa" was named by William Hemsley in 1878, based on a plant collected by Karl Hartweg. The same year, Ludwig Radlkofer described "W. pallida", based on the same Hartweg specimen as well as specimens collected by Thaddäus Haenke (perhaps in Acapulco) and Frederik Liebmann. This was confusingly also called "W. confusa" in "Biologia Centrali-Americana". ["Contributions from the U. S. National Herbarium", p. 130]

References

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External links

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* [http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/alamos_trees_wimmex.htm "Wimmeria mexicana" (Algodoncillo, Papelío)]