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Monophyllaea horsfieldii

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monophyllaea horsfieldii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Monophyllaea
Species:
M. horsfieldii
Binomial name
Monophyllaea horsfieldii
R.Br.

Monophyllaea horsfieldii is an herbaceous lithophyte belonging to the family Gesneriaceae and found mostly on limestone outcropings in Borneo and peninsular Malaysia.

Description

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The entire plant consists of a single cotyledon of Brobdingnagian proportions; the blade or lamina can be "over a metre" (over 40 inches) in length and about 30 inches (75 centimeters) wide, topping a massive hypocotyl of similar length. It grows new tissue at the joint of the blade and hypocotyl, while the oldest tissue at the edge gradually dies back.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ Cranbrook, Earl of (1988). Key Environments - Malaysia. Elmsford, N.Y.: Pergamon Press. p. 62. ISBN 0-08-028866-9.
  2. ^ Graf, Alfred Byrd (1970). Exotica. East Rutherford, N.J.: The Roehrs Company. p. 1655.