Sebastiania pavoniana explained

Sebastiania pavoniana is a species of tree in the spurge family native to Mexico[1] and northwest Costa Rica. It is the 'bean' part of the Mexican jumping bean, despite not being a legume like true beans. The 'jumping' is provided by the larva of the jumping bean moth (Cydia saltitans).[2]

Name

The term 'Mexican jumping bean' usually refers to the seeds that have been attacked by moth larvae, but the entire plant is also called a 'Mexican jumping bean.' It was difficult to determine the species of plant responsible for the novelty item at first, as the C. saltitans larva leaves the seed sterile.[2] In addition, a related plant Sapium biloculare (syn. Pleradenophora bilocularis) also has jumping seeds and is also commonly called 'Mexican jumping bean.'[3] [4] However S. pavoniana is the species most commonly sold as curios.[5]

In Spanish, it is called Spanish; Castilian: semillas brincadores ('jumper seeds'),[6] or simply Spanish; Castilian: brincador ('jumper'). Other Spanish names include Spanish; Castilian: palo de flecha ('arrow wood') and Spanish; Castilian: yerba de flecha ('arrow herb'), but it is not used to create or poison arrows.[7] In Mayan it is called Mayan languages: túbucti.[8] The Aztecs call it Nahuatl languages: mincapatli (or Nahuatl languages: miccapatli[7]) which means "herb of death,"[9] but the name is understood as 'seeds against death' and not as causing death.[7] The Yaqui named the seeds echimu-chechepete (seeds that jump).[9] [7] The seeds are called German: wurmiger Kaffee in German.[7]

Johannes Müller Argoviensis when he originally described the species first placed it in Gymnanthes sect. Stenogussonia, but the species was later transferred to Sebastiania.

The specific epithet pavoniana might derive from the Latin Latin: pavon ('peafowl').[10] However neither the flowers nor fruit are peacock blue or any other shade of blue, but more of a greenish yellow. The seeds do have a spot that might abstractly resemble the eyespot on a peacock's tail feathers. The most likely etymology honors José Antonio Pavón Jiménez, from whose collection the species was originally described.[1]

Description

S. pavoniana is a slender tree or large shrub that grows up to tall. The trunk diameter at breast height is . Initially it can resemble Excoecaria indica, but the female calyx is eglandulose (lacking glands) inside.

The branches have subterete twigs with leaves that are up to 8 cm long by 3 cm wide, but often smaller. The leaves are membranous,[1] fuscous, and glabrous. The leaf shape is oblong-ovate[1] to oblong-subelliptical. The base is obtuse, with the apex shortly cuspidate-acuminate.[1] Margins are bluntly crenate-serrate.[1] Petioles are short,[1] about 8 mm long.

Spines are shorter than the leaves, about 3-5 cm long.

Bracts are broadly ovate, subtruncate, and lacerate-denticulate.[1]

The plant is monoecious, and thus has both male flowers and female flowers on the same individuals. Female flowers have a calyx with sessile laciniae.[1] The ovary is appressed, broadly ovate, apiculate, and denticulate.[1] The style column is very short.[1] Sepals of male flowers are subulate and entire. Male flowers have short pedicels with younger ones subsessile.

S. pavoniana has cryptic fruit[11] with hard capsules. Each fruit has three sections.[2]

Distribution

S. pavoniana is native to northwest Costa Rica in Guanacaste Province,[12] and Mexico,[8] [1] [6] including the states of Baja California Sur, Puebla, Sonora, Jalisco, and Veracruz. Specimens have also been found in Belize.[13] It is one of the most common trees of the Tropical dry broadleaf forest,[8] especially in late-succession forests as it is shade-tolerant.[12] It can be found growing at in elevation.[14] It typically grows in arroyos or other riparian zones.

Ecology

S. pavoniana flowers in both March[14] and June through August.[14] [15] The pollination syndrome is entomophily (insect-pollinated).[12]

Fruiting occurs mainly from the start of the summer wet season in July.[14] White-headed capuchins (Cebus capucinus) eat the fruit of S. pavoniana,[11] as does Cydia saltitans.[16] Occasionally military macaws (Ara militaris) will also eat the fruit.[17]

The leaf phenology is late-drought deciduous.[15]

The ello sphinx (Erinnyis ello) also feeds on S. pavoniana, and in turn can be parasitized by the braconid wasp Microplitis figueresi.[18]

Use by humans

Besides the seeds selling as novelty items, the Yaqui grate the unpeeled (and unparasitized) seeds turning them into flour which is baked into a loaves for feast days.[9] [7] The chuculi-buahuame,[7] or 'bread of hunger,' as it's called, is thought to provide a boost of energy.[9] An American entrepreneur in Havana once tried to sell the flour mixed with chicle to make an energizing gum, but was stopped over concern for accidentally introducing the moth to the island of Cuba.[7]

It is not known if this is a true pharmacological effect or a placebo effect, hoping that the observed jumping vigor of the seeds is transferred.[9] If a true biological effect is taking place, it would be similar to chewing coca leaves or drinking very strong coffee.[7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Müller Argoviensis . Johannes . Johannes Müller Argoviensis . von Schlechtendal . D. F. L. . Euphorbiaceae. Vorläufige Mittheilungen aus dem für DeCandolle's Prodromus bestimmten Manuscript über diese Familie, von Dr. J. Müller (Müll. Arg.), Conservator des DeCandolle'schen Herbariums . Linnaea: Ein Journal für die Botanik in Ihrem Ganzen Umfange . 1863 . 32 . 106–107 . 24 July 2018 . Latin . PDF.
  2. V. . D. . Wetenschappelijk bijblad: Plantkunde . Album der Natuur . 1891 . 40 . 1 . 44–45 . 21 July 2018 . Scientific supplement: Botany . Dutch . PDF . 945506638.
  3. Lampe . Kenneth F. . Contact Dermatitis From Sonoran Desert Plants . Desert Plants . 1986 . 8 . 1 . English . 0734-3434 . 635722148. 10150/609073 .
  4. Web site: Department of Agricultu re - Environmental Services Division . Arizona Administrative Code Title 3, Ch. 3 . Arizona Department of Agriculture . 26 July 2018 . 49 . English . 31 March 2016 . EUPHORBIACEAE Spurge Family... Sapium biloculare (Wats.) Pax–Mexican jumping-bean . https://web.archive.org/web/20180815201017/https://agriculture.az.gov/sites/default/files/Native%20Plant%20Rules%20-%20AZ%20Dept%20of%20Ag.pdf . 15 August 2018 . live .
  5. Felger . Richard Stephen . Rutman . Susan . Taylor . Nathan Caleb . Ajo Peak to Tinajas Altas: A flora of southwestern Ari zona. Part 13. Eudicots: Euphorbiaceae . Phytoneuron . 15 April 2015 . 26 . 55 . 26 July 2018 . English . 2153-733X . 705933532 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160624065041/http://cabezaprieta.org/flora_research/26PhytoN-SWArizFlora13.pdf . 24 June 2016 . live .
  6. Webster . Grady L. . The Genera of Euphorbiaceae in the Southeastern United States . Journal of the Arnold Arboretum . October 1967 . 48 . 4 . 386–387 . 10.5962/p.185727 . 43782494 . 240326194 . English . 3178505 . free .
  7. Book: Reko . Viktor A. . Victor A. Reko . Magische Gifte: Rausch- und Betäubungsmittel der Neuen Welt . German . 1949 . Ferdinand Enke . Stuttgart . 145–150 . Dritte auflage.
  8. Book: Robichaux . Robert Hall . Yetman . David A. . The Tropical Deciduous Forest of Alamos: Biodiversity of a Threatened Ecosystem in Mexico . 2000 . University of Arizona Press . Tucson . 9780816519224 . 59, 81 . 26 July 2018 . English . PDF . 42968002.
  9. Pereira . Jayme Regallo . Gomes da Cruz . Jayme P. . Contribuição para o estudo das plantas alucinatórias particularmente a maconha (Cannabis sativa L.) . Revista da Flora Medicinal . March 1945 . 12 . 3 . 108–111 . Contribution Toward the Study of hallucination Producing Plants, Particularly of Maconha, Cannabis sativa, Known as Marihuana in the United States . Portuguese . 0370-484X . 802456693.
  10. Web site: Dictionary of Botanical Epithets . Griffith . Chuck . 2005 . Dictionary of Botanical Epithets . English . 20 July 2018 . pavonius pavonia pavonium peacock like, blue or having an eye pavo pavon noun/m a peacock . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625135430/http://www.winternet.com/~chuckg/dictionary/dictionary.139.html . 25 June 2018 . live .
  11. Melin . Amanda D. . Fedigan . Linda Marie . Hiramatsu . Chihiro . Kawamura . Shoji . Polymorphic color vision in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus): Is there foraging niche divergence among phenotypes? . Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology . 22 September 2007 . 62 . 5 . 663 . 10.1007/s00265-007-0490-3 . 13839857 . 20 July 2018 . English . PDF . 1432-0762 . 437741616.
  12. Hilje . Branko . Calvo-Alvarado . Julio . Jiménez-Rodríguez . César . Sánchez-Azofeifa . Arturo . Tree species composition, breeding systems, and pollination and dispersal syndromes in three forest successional stages in a tropical dry forest in Mesoamerica . Tropical Conservation Science . 23 March 2015 . 8 . 1 . 76–94 . 10.1177/194008291500800109 . 2238/6926 . 88651313 . English . 1940-0829 . 5807396390.
  13. Dwyer . John D. . Spellman . David L. . A List of the Dicotyledoneae of Belize . Rhodora . April 1981 . 83 . 834 . 161–236 . 23311007 . English . 0035-4902 . 19880140 . S. pavoniana Standl. D 12402, 12572.
  14. Steinmann . Victor W. . Felger . Richard S. . The Euphorbiaceae of Sonora, Mexico . Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany . 1997 . 16 . 1 . 1–71 . 10.5642/aliso.19971601.07 . 90332294 . 22 July 2018 . English . PDF . 0013-8908 . 451643301 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180729012810/http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol16/iss1/7/ . 29 July 2018 . live . free .
  15. Borchert . Rolf . Meyer . Stefanie A. . Felger . Richard S. . Porter-Bolland . Luciana . Environmental control of flowering periodicity in Costa Rican and Mexican tropical dry forests . Global Ecology and Biogeography . September 2004 . 13 . 5 . 424 . 10.1111/j.1466-822X.2004.00111.x . 25 July 2018 . English . 1466-822X . 5153614267 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180729012950/http://www.borchert.faculty.ku.edu/documents/13_Borchert_etal_2004.pdf . 29 July 2018 . live .
  16. Baker . Ed . Kitching . Ian J. . Beccaloni . George W. . Whitaker . Amoret . Dupont . Steen . Smith . Vincent S. . Noyes . John S. . Sebastiania pavoniana . HOSTS . 21 July 2018 . English . 10.5519/0060767 . 2016-12-13. Natural History Museum . Data Set .
  17. Puebla-Olivares . Fernando . Salcedo-Hernández . Janitce Elizabeth . Figueroa-Esquivel . Elsa Margarita . El habillo (Hura polyandra) en la dieta de la guacamaya verde (Ara militaris) . Huitzil, Revista Mexicana de Ornitología . 2018 . 19 . 2 . 166 . 10.28947/hrmo.2018.19.2.323 . 26 July 2018 . The possum wood (Hura polyandra) in the diet of the Military Macaw (Ara militaris) . Spanish . PDF . 1870-7459 . 7586687537. free .
  18. Janzen . D. H. . Walker . A. K. . Whitfield . J. B. . Delvare . G. . Gauld . I. D. . Host-specificity and hyperparasitoids of three new Costa Rican species of Microplitis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), parasitoids of sphingid caterpillars . Journal of Hymenoptera Research . April 2003 . 12 . 1 . 51–72 . 25 July 2018 . English . PDF . 1070-9428 . 815681518 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171204093445/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4517423.pdf#page=44 . 4 December 2017 . dead .
  19. Humphreys . Kim . Darling . D. Christopher . Not looking where you are leaping: a novel method of oriented travel in the caterpillar Calindoea trifascialis (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Thyrididae) . Biology Letters . 21 August 2013 . 9 . 5 . 20130397 . 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0397 . 23966594 . English . 1744-957X . 3971676 . 5145587411.
  20. Web site: Marshall . Michael . Zoologger: The secret hop of the Californian flea seed . NewScientist . 27 July 2018 . English . 18 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180728221444/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26066-zoologger-the-secret-hop-of-the-californian-flea-seed/ . 28 July 2018 . live .

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