Biology:Acanthosicyos horridus
| Acanthosicyos horridus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Acanthosicyos |
| Species: | A. horridus
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| Binomial name | |
| Acanthosicyos horridus | |
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon that is endemic to the Namib desert. In English it is known as Nara, butter-nuts, or butterpips;[3] in one of the Khoisan languages it is locally called ǃnaras or ǃnara ("!" is pronounced with a click, somewhat like the "tsk" when English people are tutting, tsk-tsk).[3][4][5]
Description
It is a dioecious, leafless, phreatophyte (meaning its roots penetrate deep down to water near the water table) that is found in sandy deserts but not stony plains, in areas with access to ground water such as ephemeral rivers and paleochannels, where sand accumulating in the shelter of its stems can form hummocks up to 1000–1500 m2 in area and 4 meters in height. Its stems may rise more than a meter above the hummocks, while its system of thick taproots can extend up to 50 m downward.[4] The plant is leafless, so modified stems and spines 2–3 centimetres long serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant.[5][6] The plant can survive many years without water.[4]
Ecology
Its sand-binding characteristics also help nara form microclimate within the desert dunes. These microclimates provide food and shelter for a variety of vertebrates.[7] Presence of the nara plant is associated with significantly increased soil microdiversity likely due to the shade it provides and the attraction of foraging mammals which contribute to organic matter.[8]
Acanthosicyos horridus typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate,[4] though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks. It is regarded as a keystone species because its melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small rodents such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.[6] The katydid Acanthoproctus diadematus feeds on the plant, moving between different bushes at night. [9]
Uses
The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny. Within it has a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp. The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known as butter-nuts or butterpips. These have been exported for use in baked goods.[3][4]
The fruit serves as a food source for Nama people from February to April and August to September.[5]
See also
- Nabkha
- Hummock
References
- ↑ "Acanthosicyos horridus". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://www.ipni.org/n/. No
|id=given and no id found in Wikidata. - ↑ Bentham, G. & Hooker, J.D. (1867) Gen. Pl. 1(3): 824
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Indigenous plants of Namibia: !nara". Travel News Namibia. 2015-03-24. http://www.travelnewsnamibia.com/books/indigenous-plants-nara/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Nara Plant, Acanthosicyos horrida, Namibia". Siyabona Africa, Kruger Park Safaris. http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_nara_plant.html.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cornelia Bettina Krug (2002). "Adaptations of the four-striped field mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio, Sparman 1784) to the Namib Desert". University of Bonn. http://hss.ulb.uni-bonn.de/2002/0120/0120.pdf.
- ↑ Klopatek; Stock (1994). "Partitioning of nutrients in Acanthosicyos horridus, a keystone endemic species in the Namib Desert". Journal of Arid Environments 26 (3): 233–240. doi:10.1006/jare.1994.1026. Bibcode: 1994JArEn..26..233K. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196384710263.
- ↑ Unc; Maggs-Kölling; Marais; Sherman; Doniger; Steinberger (2019). "Soil bacterial community associated with the dioecious Acanthosicyos horridus in the Namib Desert". Biology and Fertility of Soils 55 (4): 393–403. doi:10.1007/S00374-019-01358-7.
- ↑ Conti, E.; Viglianisi, F.M. (2005). "Ecology of the calling song of two Namibian armoured ground crickets, Acanthoplus longipes and Acanthoproctus diadematus (Orthoptera Tettigoniidae Hetrodinae)". Ethology Ecology & Evolution 17 (3): 261–269. doi:10.1080/08927014.2005.9522596. http://ejour-fup.unifi.it/index.php/eee/article/view/1045/991. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q1707437 entry
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