Collins Guide to Tropical Plants: A Descriptive Guide to 323 Ornamental and Economic Plants With 274 Colour Photographs (Collins Pocket Guide)

r COLLINS PHOTO GUIDE

TROPICAL PLANTS

Wilhelm Lotschert Gerhard Beese Translated by Clive King

... HarpcrCollinsPublishers

Contents HarperCollinsPublishers First published in the UK in 1983 by William Collins Sons & Co. LId London. Glasgow' Sydney. Auckland Toronto. Johannesburg Originally published as Pflanzen der Tropen @ BLV Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Miinchen 1981 @ in the English translation William Collins Sons and Co. LId 1983 ISBN 0 00 219112 1 Hardback Reprinted Reprinted Reprinted Reprinted Reprinted

1987 1988 1989 1992 1994

Colour reproduction by Kosel GmbH & Co., Kempted Produced by HarperCollins Hong Kong

Picture

credits

Apel: Croockewit: de Cuveland: Eisenbeiss: Eisenreich: Felten: Kribben: Lotschert:

Rietschel: Rysy: Seibold:

140, 151 199,201 263, 264 132, 133, 152, 155, 157, 159, 160, 161, 162 67, 123, 156, 165, 166, 167, 168, 168a 207, 154, 265 I, 9, 20, 28, 32, 39, 41, 42, 47, 50, 51, 52, 55, 59, 71, 76, 116, 163, 164, 183, 187, 197, 198, 202, 211, 212, 216, 217, 222, 225, 234, 238, 239, 252, 256, 260 2,4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 43, 43a, 44, 46, 53, 56, 57, 58, 60, 61, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73,74,75,78,79,80,82,83,84,88,90,91,92,94,97,98,99, 100, 103, 104, 105, 106, 114, 115, 120, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129,130,134,135,136,138,139,144,146,150,153,170,171,172, 173,174,175,177,178,179,180,182,184,186,188,189, 190, 192, 193, 196, 203, 205, 206, 208, 209, 210, 221, 223, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229,231,235,237,240,241,243,247,255,257,267,268,269 36, 154, 200 158 148,149

All other photographs:

Preface 6 Introduction 7 Ornamental and Economic Plants 7 Area and Climate of the Tropics 7 Influence of Man on Tropical Vegetation 9 Natural and Present Distribution of Tropical Economic Plants Domestication and Cultivation of Economic Plants 14 Tropical Economic Plants in Mythology and Art 16 Economic and Ornamental Plants on Stamps 17 Growth Forms 18 Ornamental Plants 20 Tropical Ornamental Trees 20 Cycads 34 Palms 35 Shru bs 40 Twining and Climbing Plants 49 Herbaceous Plants 55 Coastal Plants 55 Perennials Water Plants 78 Photographs

57

Orchids

13

72

81

Economic Plants 177 Starch Plants 178 Oil and Protein Plants 191 Beverages, Spices, Flavouring Plants, Food Dyes, Masticatories 199 Vegetables and Fruit 213 Citrus Fruits 228 Industrial Plants 235 Some Recommended Botanic Gardens and Parks in the Tropics 247 Glossary

249

Index of Scientific Names

251

Index of English Common Names

254

G. Beese

5

Preface This book is an introduction to the colourful world of tropical plants. It deals mainly with decorative and economic plants common in a~1regions of the tropics. Because of their beauty ornamental plants, especially, have been spread by man from their native la~d.s to all p~rts of the wor.ld. We ha~e therefore tried to select the most stnkmg and widespread species from this bewildering profusion. The book is intended for amateurs as well as for professional botanists, and particularly for those travelling in the tropics who may find themselves in a world of strange plants, not only in gardens and parks, in streets and by the sea, but in markets too. In addition to a botanical description the systematic relationships of each plant are given, together with the meaning of its name, and its flowering time, origin, distribution and ecological requirements. In the case of economic plants details of their use and an account of their distribution and production are also given. The text is headed by the identifying number of the relevant photographs. Using both the pictures and the text it will be possible for the amateur to identify individual species. The number of tropical species is very large, making it impossible for all species to be included. This is especially true for timber trees and medicinal plants, of which new kinds are still being discovered. This state of affairs makes it clear how important it is to put a stop to further destruction of tropical vegetation. For the sake of clarity ornamental plants have been divided into trees, palms, shrubs, climbers, and herbaceous species. Economic plants have been arranged according to their uses and products. In the naming of plant species the scientific name is essential, for these plants may be known by several common names. In a number of cases difficulties arise with English names since the plants do not occur in Britain. However, as the native name for the same plant may vary from country to country, the English name has been given whenever possible. In spite of the necessary limitations imposed by the choice of species we hope that the selection is representative, and that the book will be useful to many plant-lovers on their tropical journeys, and will reveal to them the strange and fascinating variety as well as the beauty of exotic plants.

6

Introduction

Ornamental and Economic Plants in the Tropics The tropical zone is the home of a vast number of ornamental and economic plants, many of them unfamiliar or unknown to Europeans. However, since the great voyages of discovery a considerable number of tropical economic plants have become some of the most sought after natural products of those regions. There are common spices such as pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Then there is a wide range of beverages and spices, including coffee, tea, cocoa, cola, mate-tea, ginger, curry and allspice. Tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples are on sale nowadays just like our native fruits. Coconuts, Brazil nuts and peanuts are also of tropical origin. Even the potato, which originated in the uplands of the Andes, is a tropical plant, although few people remember that today. The discovery of tropical economic and decorative plants together with their export and import has a long and varied history. Because of its great economic value such exploitation frequently resulted in wars and diplomatic complications. The introduction into Europe of unknown and at first very valuable ornamental plants, and their cultivation in glasshouses for the first time, were often sensational events, and owning them has been regarded through the centuries as a special privilege. With the development of modern forms of transport, tropical fruits and ornamental plants are increasingly common freight in our latitudes. Their appearance in supermarkets and flower shops is visible proof of this. Exotic fruits such as the mango and avocado, or even passion-fruit, are nowadays no longer out of the ordinary. The increasing wave of tourism to distant places has now reached the homes of these species and many visitors return with an impression of the variety that exists in the world of tropical plants. The purpose of this book is to present an overall view of that world.

Area and Climate of the Tropics The region of the tropics lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, 23° north and 23° south of the equator respectively. The tropical climate is characterised by uniformly high temperatures and high humidity. The average annual temperature at sea level varies only slightly around 26°-27°C, and the extreme values are rarely below 18° or above 35°C. The relative air humidity lies between 70% and 80%, a very high average. The equatorial region contains the area with the world's greatest annual rainfall which is spread over the whole year. It forms a belt some 10° north 7

9 and south of the equator. The rainfall can be considerable especially on the slopes of high mountains. For example, in the Gulf of Guinea south-west of Mt Cameroun an average annual rainfall of II,OOOmm has been recorded. It has generally been established that rainfall in the tropical zone is greatest at heights of IOO0--2000m and then declines again. The temperature also drops with the increase in height, at the rate of about O.4-0.5°C for every 100m of elevation. Frosts occur occasionally above 1800--2000m and regularly above 3000m. A feature of the tropical climate, in contrast to that of Europe, is the almost total lack of fluctuation in the temperature throughout the year. Because of the relatively uniform temperature on every day in the year, the tropical climate is also described as a diurnal climate. Outside the tropics, however, the term seasonal climate is used. In addition, differences in day-length in the course of the year are small. On the equator the sun rises at 6 o'clock in the morning at all times of the year and sets at the same time in the evening. As one goes further north or south of this line the days become only slightly shorter, so that in Jamaica, in the second half of December, sunrise and sunset are only half an hour later or earlier respectively. The closer one gets to the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the more noticeable are the dry periods. Precipitation may reach its lowest level on the borders of the area, in the region of the trade-winds, as is clearly shown by the desert-belts of Africa. Large parts of the tropical region are therefore conspicuous on account of a more or less long, rain-free period. Zones of vegetation vary accordingly, as may be seen from the tables on pp. 10-11. Lastly, the duration of the particular wet or dry season is of crucial importance in the cultivation of economic and ornamental plants. Briefly it may be said that the environmental factors mentioned above led to an abundance oflife which in its diversity was not surpassed in any area of similar size in the world. In the tropics the opportunity for adaptation in plants and animals is correspondingly great. This is reflected in the enormous number of species. Add to the high temperatures abundant rainfall, distributed equally throughout the year, and you have the best possible conditions for development as is shown most impressively by the tropical rain-forest. Growth and decay succeed each other so rapidly that few nutrients remain in the soil. Agricultural use of land is only possible on a limited scale. Interference in the delicately balanced ecology of the tropics can have catastrophic effects, as we see again and again by the increase in famine conditions in the developing countries. INTRODUCTION

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