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Beiselia mexicana

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Photo by Pavel Golubovskiy.


Photo by Nasua, Inaturalist.org.

Author: Lewis Leonard Forman, 1987
Family:  BURSERACEAE
Origin:  Michoacán, SW Mexico
Soil:  Mix
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  100 Centimetres
Height:  10 Metres
Flower:  White
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  -
Synonyms:  -

This deciduous member of the Burseraceae family was named by Lewis Leonard Forman in 1987. It is found in the forests of Michoacán in south-western Mexico, growing in a well drained soil with some water and some sun. It seems like the branched stem can grow to 100 centimetres in diameter, while it reach ten metres in height. The flowers are white.

Beiselia mexicana was discovered by Karl-Werner Beisel (owner of German Kakteenland) in 1979 in a remote area of Mexico, and its position in the family was not immediately clear. A thorough study by Lewis Leonard Forman considered many characters and could only tentatively conclude that it should belong in Bursereae. The gross morphology suggested affinities with Bursereae, pollen indicated affinities with Canarieae, and many anatomical characters indicated closer agreement with Bursereae and Protieae than Canarieae. The main basis for its final grouping was the emphasis given to fruit characters, which showed similarities to Boswellia and Triomma fruits.  B. m. has simple cotyledons; molecular studies suggest that it is sister to the rest of the family (e.g. Clarkson 2002). This has considerable implications for character evolution, including cotyledon morphology; Beiselia also has probably derived features, like it gyneocium with its 9-12 carpels.