Ailanthus SP.Indd

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ailanthus SP.Indd AILANTHUS Science Page DID YOU KNOW? THE AILANTHUS PLANT .usbg.gov Ailanthus trees grow rapidly, and can reach w Ailanthus can grow in places where 25 meters (80 ft) or more in height. ww almost nothing else All parts of the plant, but will grow. It can especially the flowers, have a strong smell. even grow out of cracks in sidewalks In spring, yellow flowers in polluted cities. appear at the tips of the branches. Male and female flowers are on different trees. male The roots flower UNITEDSTATES BOTANIC GARDEN ORIGINS exude a chemical that Ailanthus is a female hinders the flower native of China. growth of In the US, it was other plants. In summer first planted in and early fall, Philadelphia in The leaves are large clusters of red 1784. It was with pointed leaflets. fruits ripen a popular tree on the female trees. One tree among urban can produce gardeners because thousands of A cluster of its large, fruits each of fruit is year, which are beautiful leaves, rapid growth, and hardiness. Each fruit blown by the 15-30 cm Now the plant is considered a weedy pest 30-60 cm has one (6-12 in) (12-24 in) wind to new seed. long. because it quickly takes over new areas. growing places. CLASSIFYING AILANTHUS FAMILY GENUS SPECIES Simaroubaceae (Quassia family) Ailanthus altissima There are about 150 members in this family. There are about 10 species in “Altissima” is Latin for Most are tropical trees and shrubs. The common name for this genus, all native to Asia “tallest.” Ailanthus grows and Australia. The family is named the family, Quassia, to over after its members in the comes from one of its A. malabarica eight genus Simarouba. members, the quassia stories tree. This tree was high. named after a famous healer in Surinam, who used its bark to cure fevers. All the tropical trees and shrubs in the Quassia family have A. altissima bitter tasting wood. “Ailanthus” comes from the A chemical called Moluccan word meaning “sky quassiin, taken from tree” or “tree of heaven.” Quassia amara the heartwood of some (Molucca is a language spoken species, is used in Simarouba glauca (quassia tree) on some of the islands of insecticides. (paradise tree) Indonesia.) UNITEDSTATES BOTANICGARDEN FRIEND... ...OR FOE? In poorer In cities, ailanthus trees can countries sprout and grow next to buildings, the wood and damage foundations. is used for In woodlots, the trees lumber can quickly take over and fuel. In and crowd out other East Asia species. Once it the fruits starts to grow, ww are used in it is very difficult to w traditional kill, because new shoots can .usbg.gov medicine. sprout up from the roots. SPOTLIGHT PUZZLE ON RESEARCH .usbg.gov w Word Scramble Mapping Ailanthus ww Ailanthus is a native of (1) NICAH. The scientific One female ailanthus tree can produce more name for ailanthus is Ailanthus (2) MALIASTSI. than 300,000 winged seeds each year. The Male and female ailanthus flowers are on (3) seeds can ride the wind for great distances, REPASEAT trees. The fruits of Ailanthus are and when they land, they can quickly sprout one-seeded and (4) GWENID. All parts of the and grow into new trees. In many parts of the ailanthus tree, but especially the flowers, have United States ailanthus is quickly spreading a strong (5) MELLS. Ailanthus is difficult to get from the cities to the countryside. In some rid of because new shoots can sprout from (6) suburban areas, thick stands grow along UNITEDSTATES BOTANIC GARDEN TOROS. highways, overtaking native habitats. Scientists at the West Virginia University are trying to better understand where ailanthus has spread, and where it is likely to invade in the TRY THIS future. To do this, they plotted the location of all the female trees in 9 different 85-hectare plots Ailanthus Survey across a typical urban-rural gradient (a straight Do ailanthus trees grow in your line drawn from the city, through the suburbs, neighborhood? If so, where are they growing? to the countryside). They used both air photos What are they like? Do this survey to find out. and ground surveys to find all the female trees What you need within the 9 plots. The female trees can easily * map of your neighborhood be spotted on air photos taken when the seeds * pencil and paper ripen in mid-summer. * pictures of ailanthus for identification The scientists discovered that there are equal What to do numbers of female trees in the urban and 1. Take a walk all around your neighborhood suburban plots. There are far fewer in the rural and look for ailanthus trees. When you find a plots where native forests are intact. However, tree, mark it on your map with a number. urban trees already occupy most of the available 2. Estimate the size (for example, seedling, space where they can live, except where people small tree, medium tree, or tall tree) of continually remove saplings. Suburban trees the tree. Note the sex of the tree. You may are found at the edges of roadsides and forests, be able to tell by looking at the flowers and in other places where native habitat has or, in the case of a female tree, by noting been disturbed. They are poised to spread into the presence of fruit. Note the growing new areas in the suburbs, especially where new conditions that are present. For example, roads and homes are being built. is the tree growing in full sun or mostly in Source: Landerberger, R.E., McGraw, J.B., and Warner, T.A. [poster] shade? What is the soil like? Note if the tree (2005) Spatial patterns of female Ailanthus altissima across an urban-to-rural land use gradient in the mid-Atlantic region, U.S. is damaging or is likely to damage building Department of Biology and Department of Geology and Geography, foundations or underground pipes. Make a West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, U.S.A. chart with these headings to record your observations: “...” date QUOTE specimen number size “The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a sex (if female, does it have fruits?) pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which growing conditions grew along green switches which radiated from causing damage? the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened up green umbrellas. Some people 3. Prepare a report of your findings. ww call it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where w GARDEN MOSAICS GARDEN its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to .gardenmosaics.org reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up plots and out of neglected rubbish heaps, and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenement districts.” - from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Tandem Publishing Co. Ltd, (1971) p. 5. .
Recommended publications
  • Draft Recovery Plan for Quassia Sp
    Draft NSW & National Recovery Plan Quassia sp. B (Moonee Quassia) August 2004 © NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, 2004. This work is copyright. However, material presented in this plan may be copied for personal use or published for educational purposes, providing that any extracts are fully acknowledged. Apart from this and any other use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (NSW), no part may be reproduced without prior written permission from NSW Department of Environment and Conservation. NSW Department of Environment and Conservation 43 Bridge Street (PO Box 1967) Hurstville NSW 2220 Tel: 02 9585 6444 www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au Requests for information or comments regarding the recovery program for the Moonee Quassia are best directed to: The Moonee Quassia Recovery Co-ordinator Threatened Species Unit, North East Branch NSW Department of Environment and Conservation Locked Bag 914 Coffs Harbour NSW 2450 Tel: 02 6651 5946 Cover illustrator: Liesel Yates This plan should be cited as follows: NSW Department of Environment and Conservation 2004, Draft Recovery Plan for Quassia sp. B (Moonee Quassia), NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, Hurstville. ISBN 07313 69270 Draft Recovery Plan The Moonee Quassia Draft Recovery Plan for Quassia sp. B (Moonee Quassia). Foreword The New South Wales Government established a new environment agency on 24 September 2003, the Department of Environment and Conservation, which incorporates the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Responsibility for the preparation of Recovery Plans now rests with this new department. This document, when finalised, will constitute the formal National and New South Wales State Recovery Plan for Quassia sp.
    [Show full text]
  • Alphabetical Lists of the Vascular Plant Families with Their Phylogenetic
    Colligo 2 (1) : 3-10 BOTANIQUE Alphabetical lists of the vascular plant families with their phylogenetic classification numbers Listes alphabétiques des familles de plantes vasculaires avec leurs numéros de classement phylogénétique FRÉDÉRIC DANET* *Mairie de Lyon, Espaces verts, Jardin botanique, Herbier, 69205 Lyon cedex 01, France - [email protected] Citation : Danet F., 2019. Alphabetical lists of the vascular plant families with their phylogenetic classification numbers. Colligo, 2(1) : 3- 10. https://perma.cc/2WFD-A2A7 KEY-WORDS Angiosperms family arrangement Summary: This paper provides, for herbarium cura- Gymnosperms Classification tors, the alphabetical lists of the recognized families Pteridophytes APG system in pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms Ferns PPG system with their phylogenetic classification numbers. Lycophytes phylogeny Herbarium MOTS-CLÉS Angiospermes rangement des familles Résumé : Cet article produit, pour les conservateurs Gymnospermes Classification d’herbier, les listes alphabétiques des familles recon- Ptéridophytes système APG nues pour les ptéridophytes, les gymnospermes et Fougères système PPG les angiospermes avec leurs numéros de classement Lycophytes phylogénie phylogénétique. Herbier Introduction These alphabetical lists have been established for the systems of A.-L de Jussieu, A.-P. de Can- The organization of herbarium collections con- dolle, Bentham & Hooker, etc. that are still used sists in arranging the specimens logically to in the management of historical herbaria find and reclassify them easily in the appro- whose original classification is voluntarily pre- priate storage units. In the vascular plant col- served. lections, commonly used methods are systema- Recent classification systems based on molecu- tic classification, alphabetical classification, or lar phylogenies have developed, and herbaria combinations of both.
    [Show full text]
  • Ailanthus Excelsa Roxb
    Ailanthus excelsa Roxb. Simaroubaceae maharukh LOCAL NAMES Arabic (ailanthus,neem hindi); English (ailanthus,coramandel ailanto,tree- of-heaven); Gujarati (aduso,ardusi,bhutrakho); Hindi (maharuk,ardu,ardusi,arua,horanim maruk,aduso,mahanim,mahrukh,maruf,pedu,Pee vepachettu,pir nim); Nepali (maharukh); Sanskrit (madala); Tamil (periamaram,peru,perumaran,pimaram,pinari); Trade name (maharukh) BOTANIC DESCRIPTION Ailanthus excelsa is a large deciduous tree, 18-25 m tall; trunk straight, 60-80 cm in diameter; bark light grey and smooth, becoming grey-brown and rough on large trees, aromatic, slightly bitter. Leaves alternate, pinnately compound, large, 30-60 cm or more in length; leaflets 8-14 or more pairs, long stalked, ovate or broadly lance shaped from very unequal base, 6-10 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, often curved, long pointed, hairy gland; edges coarsely toothed and often lobed. Flower clusters droop at leaf bases, shorter than leaves, much branched; flowers many, mostly male and female on different trees, short stalked, greenish-yellow; calyx 5 lobed; 5 narrow petals spreading 6 mm across; stamens 10; on other flowers, 2-5 separate pistils, each with elliptical ovary, 1 ovule, and slender style. Fruit a 1-seeded samara, lance shaped, flat, pointed at ends, 5 cm long, 1 cm wide, copper red, strongly veined, twisted at the base The generic name ‘Ailanthus’ comes from ‘ailanthos’ (tree of heaven), the Indonesian name for Ailanthus moluccana. BIOLOGY The flowers appear in large open clusters among the leaves towards the end of the cold season. Male, female and bisexual flowers are intermingled on the same tree. The fruits ripen just before the onset of the monsoon.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Conservation Alliance®S Alien Plant Working Group Tree of Heaven Ailanthus Altissima (Mill.) Swingle Quassia Family (Sima
    FACT SHEET: TREE OF HEAVEN Tree of Heaven Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle Quassia family (Simaroubaceae) NATIVE RANGE Central China DESCRIPTION Tree-of-heaven, also known as ailanthus, Chinese sumac, and stinking shumac, is a rapidly growing, deciduous tree in the mostly tropical quassia family (Simaroubaceae). Mature trees can reach 80 feet or more in height. Ailanthus has smooth stems with pale gray bark, and twigs which are light chestnut brown, especially in the dormant season. Its large compound leaves, 1-4 feet in length, are composed of 11-25 smaller leaflets and alternate along the stems. Each leaflet has one to several glandular teeth near the base. In late spring, clusters of small, yellow-green flowers appear near the tips of branches. Seeds are produced on female trees in late summer to early fall, in flat, twisted, papery structures called samaras, which may remain on the trees for long periods of time. The wood of ailanthus is soft, weak, coarse-grained, and creamy white to light brown in color. All parts of the tree, especially the flowers, have a strong, offensive odor, which some have likened to peanuts or cashews. NOTE: Correct identification of ailanthus is essential. Several native shrubs, like sumacs, and trees, like ash, black walnut and pecan, can be confused with ailanthus. Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), native to the eastern U.S., is distinguished from ailanthus by its fuzzy, reddish-brown branches and leaf stems, erect, red, fuzzy fruits, and leaflets with toothed margins. ECOLOGICAL THREAT Tree-of-heaven is a prolific seed producer, grows rapidly, and can overrun native vegetation.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Life of Western Australia
    INTRODUCTION The characteristic features of the vegetation of Australia I. General Physiography At present the animals and plants of Australia are isolated from the rest of the world, except by way of the Torres Straits to New Guinea and southeast Asia. Even here adverse climatic conditions restrict or make it impossible for migration. Over a long period this isolation has meant that even what was common to the floras of the southern Asiatic Archipelago and Australia has become restricted to small areas. This resulted in an ever increasing divergence. As a consequence, Australia is a true island continent, with its own peculiar flora and fauna. As in southern Africa, Australia is largely an extensive plateau, although at a lower elevation. As in Africa too, the plateau increases gradually in height towards the east, culminating in a high ridge from which the land then drops steeply to a narrow coastal plain crossed by short rivers. On the west coast the plateau is only 00-00 m in height but there is usually an abrupt descent to the narrow coastal region. The plateau drops towards the center, and the major rivers flow into this depression. Fed from the high eastern margin of the plateau, these rivers run through low rainfall areas to the sea. While the tropical northern region is characterized by a wet summer and dry win- ter, the actual amount of rain is determined by additional factors. On the mountainous east coast the rainfall is high, while it diminishes with surprising rapidity towards the interior. Thus in New South Wales, the yearly rainfall at the edge of the plateau and the adjacent coast often reaches over 100 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Brisbane Native Plants by Suburb
    INDEX - BRISBANE SUBURBS SPECIES LIST Acacia Ridge. ...........15 Chelmer ...................14 Hamilton. .................10 Mayne. .................25 Pullenvale............... 22 Toowong ....................46 Albion .......................25 Chermside West .11 Hawthorne................. 7 McDowall. ..............6 Torwood .....................47 Alderley ....................45 Clayfield ..................14 Heathwood.... 34. Meeandah.............. 2 Queensport ............32 Trinder Park ...............32 Algester.................... 15 Coopers Plains........32 Hemmant. .................32 Merthyr .................7 Annerley ...................32 Coorparoo ................3 Hendra. .................10 Middle Park .........19 Rainworth. ..............47 Underwood. ................41 Anstead ....................17 Corinda. ..................14 Herston ....................5 Milton ...................46 Ransome. ................32 Upper Brookfield .......23 Archerfield ...............32 Highgate Hill. ........43 Mitchelton ...........45 Red Hill.................... 43 Upper Mt gravatt. .......15 Ascot. .......................36 Darra .......................33 Hill End ..................45 Moggill. .................20 Richlands ................34 Ashgrove. ................26 Deagon ....................2 Holland Park........... 3 Moorooka. ............32 River Hills................ 19 Virginia ........................31 Aspley ......................31 Doboy ......................2 Morningside. .........3 Robertson ................42 Auchenflower
    [Show full text]
  • Moths of Ohio Guide
    MOTHS OF OHIO field guide DIVISION OF WILDLIFE This booklet is produced by the ODNR Division of Wildlife as a free publication. This booklet is not for resale. Any unauthorized INTRODUCTION reproduction is prohibited. All images within this booklet are copyrighted by the Division of Wildlife and it’s contributing artists and photographers. For additional information, please call 1-800-WILDLIFE. Text by: David J. Horn Ph.D Moths are one of the most diverse and plentiful HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE groups of insects in Ohio, and the world. An es- Scientific Name timated 160,000 species have thus far been cata- Common Name Group and Family Description: Featured Species logued worldwide, and about 13,000 species have Secondary images 1 Primary Image been found in North America north of Mexico. Secondary images 2 Occurrence We do not yet have a clear picture of the total Size: when at rest number of moth species in Ohio, as new species Visual Index Ohio Distribution are still added annually, but the number of species Current Page Description: Habitat & Host Plant is certainly over 3,000. Although not as popular Credit & Copyright as butterflies, moths are far more numerous than their better known kin. There is at least twenty Compared to many groups of animals, our knowledge of moth distribution is very times the number of species of moths in Ohio as incomplete. Many areas of the state have not been thoroughly surveyed and in some there are butterflies. counties hardly any species have been documented. Accordingly, the distribution maps in this booklet have three levels of shading: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Samia Cynthia in New Jersey Book Review, Market- Place, Metamorphosis, Announcements, Membership Updates
    ________________________________________________________________________________________ Volume 61, Number 4 Winter 2019 www.lepsoc.org ________________________________________________________________________________________ Inside: Butterflies of Papua Southern Pearly Eyes in exotic Louisiana venue Philippine butterflies and moths: a new website The Lepidopterists’ Society collecting statement updated Lep Soc, Southern Lep Soc, and Assoc of Trop Lep combined meeting Butterfly vicariance in southeast Asia Samia cynthia in New Jersey Book Review, Market- place, Metamorphosis, Announcements, Membership Updates ... and more! ________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Contents www.lepsoc.org ________________________________________________________ Digital Collecting -- Butterflies of Papua, Indonesia ____________________________________ Bill Berthet. .......................................................................................... 159 Volume 61, Number 4 Butterfly vicariance in Southeast Asia Winter 2019 John Grehan. ........................................................................................ 168 Metamorphosis. ....................................................................................... 171 The Lepidopterists’ Society is a non-profit ed- Membership Updates. ucational and scientific organization. The ob- Chris Grinter. ....................................................................................... 171
    [Show full text]
  • Vascular Plant Families of the United States Grouped by Diagnostic Features
    Humboldt State University Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University Botanical Studies Open Educational Resources and Data 12-6-2019 Vascular Plant Families of the United States Grouped by Diagnostic Features James P. Smith Jr Humboldt State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/botany_jps Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Smith, James P. Jr, "Vascular Plant Families of the United States Grouped by Diagnostic Features" (2019). Botanical Studies. 96. https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/botany_jps/96 This Flora of the United States and North America is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Educational Resources and Data at Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Botanical Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Humboldt State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLOWERING PLANT FAMILIES OF THE UNITED STATES GROUPED BY DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES James P. Smith, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Botany Department of Biological Sciences Humboldt State University Second edition — 6 December 2019 The focus is on families of plants found in the conterminous United States, including ornamentals. The listing of a family is not meant to imply that every species has that feature. I am using a fewfamily names, such as Liliaceae, Plantaginaceae, and Scrophulariaceae, in the traditional sense, because their limits remain unsettled. Parasitic on branches Dioscoreaceae
    [Show full text]
  • Plants from the Brazilian Traditional Medicine: Species from the Books Of
    Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia 27 (2017) 388–400 ww w.elsevier.com/locate/bjp Original Article Plants from the Brazilian Traditional Medicine: species from the books of the Polish physician Piotr Czerniewicz (Pedro Luiz Napoleão Chernoviz, 1812–1881) a,c d b,c b,c,∗ Letícia M. Ricardo , Juliana de Paula-Souza , Aretha Andrade , Maria G.L. Brandão a Ministério da Saúde, Departamento de Assistência Farmacêutica e Insumos Estratégicos, Esplanada dos Ministérios, Brasília, DF, Brazil b Centro Especializado em Plantas Aromáticas, Medicinais e Tóxicas, Museu de História Natural e Jardim Botânico, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil c Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil d Universidade Federal de São João del Rei, Campus Sete Lagoas, Sete Lagoas, MG, Brazil a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: The Brazilian flora is very rich in medicinal plants, and much information about the traditional use of Received 1 October 2016 the Brazilian plants is only available from early literature and we are facing a rapid process of loss of Accepted 10 January 2017 biodiversity. To retrieve data about useful plants registered in the books of the Polish physicist P.L.N. Available online 2 March 2017 Chernoviz, who lived in Brazil for 15 years in the 19th century. The aim is to improve our knowledge about Brazilian plants, and to ensure the benefits of sharing it with potential users. Data about Brazilian Keywords: plants were obtained from six editions of the book Formulary and Medical Guide (Formulário e Guia Historical records Médico), published in 1864, 1874, 1888, 1892, 1897 and 1920.
    [Show full text]
  • APPENDIX K Biological Resource Tables
    APPENDIX K Biological Resource Tables APPENDIX K Biology Addendum VASCULAR SPECIES GYMNOSPERMS AND GNETOPHYTES PINACEAE—PINE FAMILY Pinus sp.—pine MONOCOTS ARECACEAE—PALM FAMILY * Archontophoenix cunninghamiana—queen palm * Washingtonia robusta—Washington fan palm EUDICOTS APOCYNACEAE—DOGBANE FAMILY * Nerium oleander—oleander ARALIACEAE—GINSENG FAMILY * Hedera helix—English ivy HAMAMELIDACEAE—WITCH HAZEL FAMILY * Liquidambar sp.—sweet gum MYRTACEAE—MYRTLE FAMILY * Eucalyptus sp.—eucalyptus * Eucalyptus sideroxylon—red ironbark ROSACEAE—ROSE FAMILY * Eriobotrya deflexa—bronze loquat * Rhaphiolepis indica—India hawthorn SCROPHULARIACEAE—FIGWORT FAMILY * Myoporum laetum—myoporum SIMAROUBACEAE—QUASSIA OR SIMAROUBA FAMILY * Ailanthus altissima—tree of heaven ULMACEAE—ELM FAMILY * Ulmus parvifolia—Chinese elm * signifies introduced (non-native) species K-1 February 2016 APPENDIX K (Continued) BIRD Accipiter cooperii—Cooper’s hawk Bombycilla cedrorum—cedar waxwing Corvus brachyrhynchos—American crow Mimus polyglottos—northern mockingbird Spinus psaltria—lesser goldfinch Zenaida macroura—mourning dove Haemorhous mexicanus—house finch K-2 February 2016 APPENDIX K (Continued) Primary Habitat Associations/ Life Form/ Blooming Period/ Elevation Range (feet) Potential to Occur Coastal bluff scrub, coastal dunes, coastal scrub; sandy or gravelly/ annual herb/ Mar–June/ 3-1001 Not expected to occur. The site is outside of the species’ known elevation range and there is no suitable habitat present. Chaparral, coastal scrub, riparian forest, riparian scrub, riparian woodland; sandy, mesic/ perennial Not expected to occur. The site is outside of the species’ known deciduous shrub/ (Feb) May–Sep/ 49-3002 elevation range and there is no suitable habitat present. Chaparral, cismontane woodland, coastal scrub; rocky/ perennial rhizomatous herb/ Feb–June/ 591- Not expected to occur. No suitable habitat present. 3281 Coastal bluff scrub, coastal dunes, coastal scrub, valley and foothill grassland; alkaline or clay/ Not expected to occur.
    [Show full text]
  • Tree Height Growth in a Neotropical Rain Forest
    Ecology, 82(5), 2001, pp. 1460±1472 q 2001 by the Ecological Society of America GETTING TO THE CANOPY: TREE HEIGHT GROWTH IN A NEOTROPICAL RAIN FOREST DEBORAH A. CLARK1 AND DAVID B. CLARK1 Department of Biology, University of Missouri±St. Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63121-4499, USA Abstract. There is still limited understanding of the processes underlying forest dy- namics in the world's tropical rain forests, ecosystems of disproportionate importance in terms of global biogeochemistry and biodiversity. Particularly poorly documented are the nature and time scale of upward height growth during regeneration by the tree species in these communities. In this study, we assessed long-term height growth through ontogeny for a diverse group of canopy and emergent tree species in a lowland neotropical rain forest (the La Selva Biological Station, northeastern Costa Rica). Species were evaluated based on annual height measurements of large samples of individuals in all postseedling size classes, over a 16-yr period (.11 000 increments). The study species were seven nonpi- oneers (Minquartia guianensis, Lecythis ampla, Hymenolobium mesoamericanum, Sima- rouba amara, Dipteryx panamensis, Balizia elegans, and Hyeronima alchorneoides) and two pioneers (Cecropia obtusifolia and Cecropia insignis). For each species, inherent height growth capacity was estimated as the mean of the ®ve largest annual height increments (from different individuals) in each juvenile size class (from 50 cm tall to 20 cm in diameter). All species showed marked ontogenetic increases in this measure of height growth potential. At all sizes, there were highly signi®cant differences among species in height growth potential.
    [Show full text]