Entada gigas, commonly known as the monkey-ladder, sea bean, cœur de la mer or sea heart, is a species of flowering liana in the pea family, Fabaceae of the Mimosa subfamily, which is often raised to family rank (Mimosaceae). They are native to Central America, the Caribbean, northern South America, and Africa. It is notable for having the family's largest seedpods.[3]
| Entada gigas | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration from Paul Hermann Wilhelm Taubert's Natürliche Pflanzenfamilien. Vol. III, 3 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Entada |
| Species: | E. gigas
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| Binomial name | |
| Entada gigas | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Description
editGenerative characteristics
editThe fruit measures 12 cm (4.7 in) across and can reach 2 m (6.6 ft) in length. There have been reports of pods up to eight feet (2.5 meters) in length.[4][5] This pod, like all legumes, is a single carpel, the largest carpel of any known plant. Inside the pods are ten to fifteen seeds, each of which have a diameter of 6 cm (2.4 in) and a thickness of 2 cm (0.79 in).[6] The seeds contain a hollow cavity, which gives them buoyancy. After being washed by rain into rivers and then the ocean, the seeds of E. gigas drift long distances on ocean currents. Seed buoyancy and vitality lasts at least two years.[7]
Use
editIn Gabon it is used to make ropes and nets.[8]
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Sea heart (Entada gigas) seeds
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A canopy formed over lianas
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Entada gigas seeds, resembling hearts
References
edit- ^ "Entada gigas". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 20 March 2016
- ^ Arbel, Ilil (2004). Amazing Plants. Courier Dover Publications. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-486-43336-3.
- ^ Bailey, Liberty Hyde, ed. (1935). Cyclopedia of Horticulture. New York: MacMillan and Co. p. Vol. 1 p. 1116.
- ^ Dodge, Charles R. (1897). "A Descriptive Catalogue of Useful Fiber Plants of the World". U.S.D.A. Fiber Investigation Report. 9 (1): 157.
- ^ Kaplan, Eugene H. (1988). A Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores: Cape Hatteras to the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Caribbean. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-395-97516-9.
- ^ Loewer, H. Peter (2005). Seeds: the Definitive Guide to Growing, History, and Lore. Timber Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-88192-682-8.
- ^ Fibres. p.153. (2012). Niederlande: Prota Foundation.
External links
edit
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