Maerua crassifolia

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Maerua hirtella
• Maerua rigida
• Maerua meyeri-johannis
• Maerua uguenensis

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Brassicales, it is classified under the family Capparaceae. Specifically, it is identified by the genus Maerua, with its species name being crassifolia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, Maerua crassifolia, is found across several specific regions within Northern Africa. Its presence is well-documented in the country of Algeria. It also grows within the territories of Egypt and Libya. Additionally, the species can be found in Morocco. Finally, its distribution extends into the region of Western Sahara.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Maerua crassifolia is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. It exhibits a phanerophyte life form, specifically categorized as both a phanerophyte and a nanophanerophyte, meaning its buds are located on aerial shoots well above the ground level. Throughout its existence, the plant maintains an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that it retains its foliage and remains active across different climatic cycles.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Maerua crassifolia is characterized by its robust growth form as a woody tree. It functions as an independent organism, neither acting as a parasite nor an epiphyte, and maintains a terrestrial habitat. The plant exhibits a self-supporting climbing habit, reaching significant dimensions in stature. Its height varies according to environmental conditions and developmental stages, with recorded measurements ranging from a minimum of approximately 6.10 meters to a maximum of approximately 9.14 meters, maintaining an average height of around 6 meters.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

9.144111192 m

Plant height mean:

6 m

Plant height min:

6.096074128 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Maerua crassifolia is characterized by its specific metabolic and nutritional processes, most notably its reliance on the C3 photosynthetic pathway for carbon fixation. This metabolic framework involves the direct fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide via the enzyme RuBisCO during the Calvin cycle, a process typical of most woody plant species in its taxonomic group. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the specialized symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of nitrates and ammonium from the surrounding soil medium.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Maerua crassifolia is characterized by the production of seeds that exhibit specific morphological weight profiles. Quantitative analysis of the seed mass reveals a relatively consistent range, with a calculated mean mass of 0.051283333 g. Within the sampled population, individual seed weights fluctuate between a minimum value of 0.0415 g and a maximum value of 0.06391 g. These data points reflect the natural variability in seed development and energy investment during the plant's reproductive cycle.

Seed mass max:

0.06391 g

Seed mass mean:

0.051283333 g

Seed mass min:

0.0415 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Activities

Maerua crassifolia has 2 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Cytotoxic.

Antioxidant

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Cytotoxic

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations