Triphyophyllum Explained

Triphyophyllum is a monotypic plant genus, containing the single species Triphyophyllum peltatum of the family Dioncophyllaceae. It is native to tropical western Africa, in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia, growing in tropical forests.

It is a liana, with a three-stage lifecycle, each with a different shaped leaf, as indicated by its Greek name. In the first stage, T. peltatum forms a rosette of simple lanceolate leaves with undulate margins. At times when there is insufficient phosphorus in the soil^{[1] [2]} it develops long, slender, glandular leaves, resembling those of the related Drosophyllum, which capture insects; one to three of these leaves in each rosette.^[3] In the plant's adult liana form it has short non-carnivorous leaves bearing a pair of "grappling hooks" ^[4] at their tips on a long twining stem which can become 165abbr=offNaNabbr=off in length and 4inches thick.^[5] T. peltatum is the largest of all confirmed carnivorous plants in the world, but its carnivorous nature did not become known until 1979, some 51 years after the plant's discovery.^[6] Its seeds are about 3inches in diameter, bright red in color, disc-shaped, with a peltate stalk emerging from the fruit. Most of the seed's development occurs outside the fruit.^[7] The fruit and seed develop from an orange flower with five incurved petals.^[8] As the seed dries out, its wide umbrella shape enables it to be transported on the wind.

Triphyophylum peltatum is difficult to cultivate;^{[1] [9]} it is cultivated in four botanical gardens: Abidjan, Bonn, Cambridge University and Würzburg, and is exceedingly rare in private collections.

Uses

Triphyophyllum peltatum is traditionally used in folk medicine. It produces many pharmaceutically active secondary metabolites, some of which have been found to have strong antiplasmodial activity. Some metabolites were found to have antitumoral and anti-multiple myeloma activity.^[1]

External links

• The Carnivorous Plant FAQ: About Triphyophyllum
• Bringmann, G., H. Rischer, J. Schlauer, K. Wolf, A. Kreiner, M. Duschek & L.A. Assi 2002. Web site: The Tropical Liana Triphyophyllum peltatum (Dioncophyllaceae): Formation of Carnivorous Organs is only a facultative prerequisite for shoot elongation. .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 31(2): 44–52.
• Bringmann, G., J. Schlauer, K. Wolf, H. Rischer, U. Buschbom, A. Kreiner, F. Thiele, M. Duschek & L.A. Assi 1999. Web site: Cultivation of Triphyophyllum peltatum (Dioncophyllaceae), the part-time carnivorous plant. .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 28(1): 7–13.
• Bringmann, G., M. Wenzel, H.P. Bringmann & J. Schlauer 2001. Web site: Uptake of the amino acid alaninie by digestive leaves: proof of carnivory in the tropical liana Triphyophyllum peltatum (Dioncophyllaceae). .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 30(1): 15–21.
• Jonathan 1992. Web site: A letter from Sierra Leone. .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 21(3): 51–53.
• Rice, B. 2007. Carnivorous plants with hybrid trapping strategies. Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 36(1): 23–27.
• Simons, P. 1981. Web site: How Exclusive are Carnivorous Plants? .   Carnivorous Plant Newsletter 10(3): 65–68, 79–80.

Notes and References

1. Winkelmann . Traud . Bringmann . Gerhard . Herwig . Anne . Hedrich . Rainer . Carnivory on demand: phosphorus deficiency induces glandular leaves in the African liana Triphyophyllum peltatum . New Phytologist . 239 . 3 . 2023 . 0028-646X . 10.1111/nph.18960. free. 1140–1152. 37191044 . confirmation of phosphorus starvation to be essential and sufficient.
2. News: Simons . Paul . Plantwatch: why does a rainforest vine turn into a part-time carnivore? . The Guardian . 17 April 2024 .
3. Web site: Triphyophyllum peltatum - Redfern Natural History . www.redfernnaturalhistory.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170319022540/http://www.redfernnaturalhistory.com/stock/images/triphyophyllum-peltatum-15/ . 2017-03-19.
4. Web site: Image of Triphyophyllum leaves . https://web.archive.org/web/20180216144030/http://www.carnivoria.eu/photogallery/photos/trip.jpg . 2018-02-16.
5. George Cheer, A GUIDE TO CARNIVOROUS PLANTS OF THE WORLD (Pymble, New South Wales, Aust.: Angus and Robertson, 1992) p. 122.
6. Sally Green et al, "Seasonal Heterophylly and Leaf Gland Features in Triphyophyllum (Dioncophyllaceae)", BOT. JOURNAL LINNEAN SOC. LONDON Vol. 78 # 2 (February 1979) pp. 99-116.
7. John Hutchinson and J. M. Dalziel, "Tropical African Plants II" KEW BULLETIN (1928) pp. 31-32. (Under the name Dioncophyllum peltatum).
8. Web site: Triphyophyllum peltatum flower floristtaxonomy.com . www.floristtaxonomy.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170318174424/http://www.floristtaxonomy.com/triphyophyllum-peltatum-flower . 2017-03-18.
9. Bringmann . Gerhard . Schlauer . Jan . Wolf . Kristina . Rischer . Heiko . Buschbom . Uwe . Kreiner . Andreas . Thiele . Friedrich . Duschek . Martin . Assi . Laurent Ake . Cultivation of Triphyophyllum peltatum (Dioncophyllaceae), the part-time carnivorous plant . Carnivorous Plant Newsletter . 28 . 1 . 1999-03-01 . 10.55360/cpn281.gb418. free. 7–13.