Lamourouxia multifida
| Lamourouxia multifida | |
|---|---|
| Lamourouxia multifida inflorescence | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Lamourouxia |
| Species: | L. multifida
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lamourouxia multifida Kunth 1818
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Lamourouxia multifida, with no commonly accepted English name, is a mostly Mexican species of perennial herbaceous plant', which is partly parasitic on the roots of other plants.[1] It belongs to the family Orobanchaceae.[2]
Description
Lamourouxia multifida is a handsome wildflower exhibiting the following features:[3]
- Usually its stems are unbranched, and reaching up to 1.5 meters long (~5 feet).
- Leaves up to 6 cm long (~2⅕ inches) rise opposite one another with blades twice divided (bipinnate) into slender segments.
- Flowers with bright red corollas are of irregular form (zygomorphic) and up to 5 cm long (~2 inches); there are 4 fertile stamens, and the style is longer than the corola.
- Fruits are capsules up to 11 mm long (~⅖ inch).
Distribution
Lamourouxia multifida occurs throughout most of upland Mexico, into Guatemala.[4]
Habitat
In the Valley of Mexico, Lamourouxia multifida inhabits pine-oak forest and grasslands at elevations of 2250–3450 meters (~7400-11,300 feet).[3] On this page, images show an individual growing on the face of a roadcut through limestone at an elevation of about 2300 meters (7500 feet).[5]
Human uses
In traditional medicine
In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Lamourouxia multifida is used by traditional healers during limpias in order to bring the body, mind and spirit back into balance, especially by eliminating negative energies.[6][7] In the state of Morelos the inflorescence is recognized as medicinal.[8]
As an ornamental
Sometimes Lamourouxia multifida is used to adorn altars during religious ceremonies.[7]
In beekeeping
In various Mexican states it is known to attract honeybees.[7][8] In fact, one of the common names in Spanish for Lamourouxia multifida is Chupamiel Milhojas, roughly translatable to "thousand-leaf honey-sucker."[9]
Ecology
Rivoli's hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens, and Lucifer sheartail, Calothorax lucifer, have been documented visiting Lamourouxia multifida.[10]
In an area of dry scrubland in the highland Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt it's been documented that hummingbirds visit Lamourouxia multifida flowers in August, then from September into November shift to flowers of Lamourouxia dasyantha.[11] Another study, also in the volcanic belt, at Jardines del Pedregal, Mexico City, indicates that the flowering time of Lamourouxia multifida is from early September to mid November.[12]
Taxonomy
Aimé Bonpland and Alexander von Humboldt first scientifically collected Lamourouxia multifida at a temperate elevation between Guanajuato and nearby Santa Rosa de la Sierra, in September 1803. In 1818 it was formally described by Carl Sigismund Kunth.[13][14]
Etymology
The genus name Lamourouxia is a New Latin construct honoring Jean Vincent Félix Lamouroux, an early Professor of Natural History in Caen, France.[15]
The species name multifida is from Latin multifidus, meaning "much divided," in reference to the leaves' many slender divisions.[16]
Gallery
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Lamourouxia multifida flower side view
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Lamourouxia multifida much divided leaf
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Lamourouxia multifida immature capsular fruits
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Lamourouxia multifida habitat on the limestone wall of a roadcut
References
- ^ Francisco-Gutiérrez, Antonio; Ruiz-Sanchez, Eduardo; Lira-Noriega, Andrés (December 31, 2023). "Biogeography and conservation assessments of the species of Lamourouxia (Orobanchaceae)". Acta Botanica Mexicana. 130. Mexico: Instituto de Ecología, A.C. doi:10.21829/abm130.2023.2213. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Lamourouxia multifida Kunth". Plants of the World Online. United Kingdom: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ a b Calderón de Rzedowski, Graciela; Rzedowski, Jerzy (2010). "Flora fanerogámica del Valle de México" (PDF). biodiversidad.gob.mx (in Spanish). Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México: Instituto de Ecología, A.C. y Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad. ISBN 978-607-7607-36-6. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Lamourouxia multifida Kunth". catalogueoflife.org. Catalogue of Life. February 13, 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "Lamourouxia multifida Research Grade". inaturalist.org. iNaturalist. October 2, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ Vibrans, Heike, ed. (August 13, 2009). "Lamourouxia multifida Kunth". Malezas de México. Mexico: Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Use de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO). Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ a b c Bello-González, Miguel Ángel; Hernández-Muñoz, Selene; Lara-Cháves, Ma. Blanca Nieves; Salgado-Garciglia, Rafael (February 2015). "Plantas Útiles de la Comunidad Indígena Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, Michocán, México". Polibotánica (in Spanish with English abstract). 39. Mexico City, México: Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, México: 175–215. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b Rendón Correa, Alejandro; Fernández Nava, Rafael (June 2007). "Plantas con potencial uso ornamental del estado de Morelos, México" (PDF). Polibotánica (in Spanish). 23. Mexico City, México: Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, México: 121–165. ISSN 1405-2768. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ "Chupamiel Milhojas". inaturalist.org. iNaturalist. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ Díaz Valenzuela, Román (June 2016). Historia Natural, Ecología, y Análisis de la Interacción Planta-Colibrí en un Paisaje Mexicano, Bajo Dos Aproximaciones Teóricas: Escalamiento en Ecología y Redes de Interacciones Complejas. Doctoral Dissertation (in Spanish). Alicante, Spain: Universidad de Alicante. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ Jones Albertí, Laura (2019). Uso de modelos ideales de distribución libre y despótica para explicar la selección de hábitat por colibríes (PDF). Grau de Biologia (in Spanish). Balearic Islands, Spain: Universitat de les Illes Balears. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ César García, Sara Fabiola (2002). Análisis de algunos factores que afectan la fenología reproductiva de la communidad vegetal de La Reserva Del Pedregal de San Ángel, D.F. (México). Tesis que para obtener el títluo de Bióloga (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ Bonpland, Aimé; Humboldt, Alexander von; Kunth, Karl Sigismund (1818). Nova genera et species plantarum:quas in peregrinatione ad plagam aequinoctialem orbis novi collegerunt /descripserunt, partim adumbraverunt Amat. Bonpland et Alex. de Humboldt; ex schedis autographis Amati Bonplandi in ordinem digessit Carol. Sigismund. Kunth ... (in Latin). Vol. 2. Ex officina Christophori Plantini. p. 339.
- ^ "Von Humboldt in Guanajuato". The Historical Marker Database. June 15, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ Paray, Ladislao (1950). "The genus Lamorouxia in Mexico". Botanical Sciences. 11. Mexico City, México: Botanical Sciencies, Sociedad Botánica de México. doi:10.17129/botsci.965. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
- ^ Whenua, Manaaki (2006). "Pteris multifida Poir". Biota of New Zealand. New Zealand: Landcare Research. Retrieved March 13, 2026.