Biology:Pycnandra acuminata
| Pycnandra acuminata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Sapotaceae |
| Genus: | Pycnandra |
| Species: | P. acuminata
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| Binomial name | |
| Pycnandra acuminata (Pierre ex Baill.) Swenson & Munzinger[1]
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Pycnandra acuminata is a species of plant in the family of Sapotaceae. It is a rainforest shrub, endemic to New Caledonia, and is adapted to the nickel-rich ultramafic soils found there. Pycnandra acuminata is notable as one of the most prolific hyperaccumulators of trace metals known, actively absorbing nickel from the soil and concentrating it within the plant to a concentration of up to 25% nickel citrate as dry weight of the sap, which is turquoise-green in colour due to the nickel content.[2] It is the only known plant with turquoise sap. The vernacular name in French is sève bleue (blue sap).[3]
The reason for this adaptation is not well established, but heavy metals such as nickel in soil are usually toxic to plants and it is thought that by complexing them into less-toxic organic salts and concentrating them in certain tissues, the plant may protect other more sensitive tissue from excess levels of toxic metal ions, or deter herbivores due to the toxicity. Such plants are of considerable interest due to their potential use in phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated former mine sites, or potentially even as a means of non-destructive phytomining of metal-rich soils allowing metals to be harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner.[4][5][6]
The tree's unusual affinity for nickel first came to light in the 1970s, and research into other hyperaccumulator plants has increased since then.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Pycnandra acuminata (Pierre ex Baill.) Swenson & Munzinger". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77109733-1.
- ↑ "Maquis plants". Atlanta Botanical Garden. https://newcaledoniaplants.com/plant-catalog/maquis-shrubland-plants/.
- ↑ "Pycnandra acuminata (Pierre ex Baill.) Swenson & Munzinger". 2025. https://endemia.nc/en/flore/fiche1257.
- ↑ Callahan, Damien L.; Roessner, Ute; Dumontet, Vincent; De Livera, Alysha M.; Doronila, Augustine; Baker, Alan J.M.; Kolev, Spas D. (2012). "Elemental and metabolite profiling of nickel hyperaccumulators from New Caledonia". Phytochemistry 81: 80–89. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.06.010. PMID 22795763. Bibcode: 2012PChem..81...80C.
- ↑ Jaffré, Tanguy; Pillon, Yohan; Thomine, Sébastien; Merlot, Sylvain (2013). "The metal hyperaccumulators from New Caledonia can broaden our understanding of nickel accumulation in plants". Frontiers in Plant Science 4: 279. doi:10.3389/fpls.2013.00279. Bibcode: 2013FrPS....4..279J.
- ↑ Rascio, Nicoletta; Navari-Izzo, Flavia (2011). "Heavy metal hyperaccumulating plants: How and why do they do it? And what makes them so interesting?". Plant Science 180 (2): 169–181. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.08.016. PMID 21421358. Bibcode: 2011PlnSc.180..169R.
- ↑ Jaffré, Tanguy; Reeves, Roger D.; Baker, Alan J. M.; Schat, Henk; van der Ent, Antony (2018). "The discovery of nickel hyperaccumulation in the New Caledonian tree Pycnandra acuminata 40 years on: an introduction to a Virtual Issue". New Phytologist 218 (2): 397–400.
Wikidata ☰ Q28820782 entry
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