Salta triflora

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Triplaris triflora
• Magonia triflora
• Ruprechtia triflora
• Ruprechtia triflora var. guaranitica

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Magnoliidae, it is further organized into the order Caryophyllales and the family Polygonaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic identification is placed within the genus Salta.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical range across several regions of South America. In Western South America, it can be found within the borders of Bolivia. Its presence extends into Brazil, specifically concentrated in the West-Central region. In Southern South America, the species is distributed throughout the Northeast and Northwest areas of Argentina. Finally, its habitat reaches further south into the country of Paraguay.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Salta triflora is characterized by its specific adaptation to the Floresta Estacional Decidual, where it plays a role within this seasonal deciduous forest ecosystem. This species inhabits a broad altitudinal gradient, thriving at elevations ranging from a minimum of 200 m AMSL to a maximum of 1500 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

1500 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

200 m AMSL

Habitat :

Floresta Estacional Decidual

Life history

The life history of Salta triflora is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons. In terms of its structural growth strategy and ecological positioning, it is classified as a phanerophyte, specifically exhibiting traits consistent with both the phanerophyte and nanophanerophyte life forms. This classification indicates that its perennating buds are elevated above the ground level, protected by its structural development throughout its extended lifespan.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Salta triflora is characterized by a diverse growth habit that can manifest as either a tree or a shrub, reaching a maximum plant height of approximately 10 m. It possesses a woody structure and functions as an independent organism, lacking parasitic tendencies. While its ecological niches are broad, encompassing aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial environments, it is primarily identified as a terrestrial species. In terms of its spatial orientation, the plant is non-epiphytic, maintaining a terrestrial existence rather than growing as a holoepiphyte, hemiepiphyte, or any other epiphytic form. Additionally, it exhibits a self-supporting climbing habit, categorized as both a self-supporting liana/vine and a self-supporting climber, allowing it to maintain its structural integrity within its habitat.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

10 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Salvia triflora is characterized by its metabolic processes, most notably its utilization of the C3 photosynthetic pathway. In this pathway, the plant captures atmospheric carbon dioxide through stomata, where the enzyme RuBisCO facilitates the initial fixation of CO2 into a three-carbon compound, 3-phosphoglycerate, during the Calvin cycle. This C3 mechanism dictates the plant's resource management, influencing its water-use efficiency and transpiration rates in response to environmental humidity and light intensity. The metabolic efficiency of this process is closely tied to the plant's ability to regulate stomatal conductance, balancing the necessity of carbon uptake for glucose synthesis against the risk of desiccation.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Salta triflora has 3 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Sterols, stigmast-4-en-6beta-ol-3-one, triterpene.

Sterols

1. Planta medica

stigmast-4-en-6beta-ol-3-one

1. Planta medica

triterpene

1. Planta medica