correction of Mora species epithet

[Daniel Janzen]

But Robin, he didn't ask how big, but rather what is the biggest.  Smile.

Slightly more seriously, it shows one should not trust memory.  The
correct name is Mora megistosperma (an older name is Mora oleifera).

Try 300-1000 grams fresh weight (n = 126, average 526 g, s.d., 168
g).  That is the SEED, not the fruit.  The seed is, incidentally, not
puffed up with water, but rather has the consistency and tissue
density of an avocado seed, if you want a convenient reference point.
Its very large size is more or less the evolutionary result of
leaving animal dispersal behind and moving into water dispersal, and
growing/germinating in deep shade of large trees where a high tide
leaves it, where there is a lot of space, probably all of it about
the same quality at the moment, but little light, and hoping like
crazy that someone overhead dies within a few years.   A bit of
miscellany on the natural history of the tree is pp. 280-281 in Costa
Rican Natural History, D. H. Janzen,ed., 1983 University of Chicago
Press.

Happy Sunday, Dan Janzen



>From: "Robin Leech" <releech at telusplanet.net>
>To: "Daniel Janzen" <djanzen at sas.upenn.edu>, <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
>Subject: Re:      Fwd: Biggest seed in dicots, back
>Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2005 17:15:35 -0600
>X-Priority: 3
>X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.36
>Status:
>
>But Dan, you don't tell us, the uninformed, how big the seeds are.
>Robin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Daniel Janzen"
><djanzen at SAS.UPENN.EDU>
>To: <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
>Sent: Sunday, April 24, 2005 6:51 AM
>Subject: Fwd: Biggest seed in dicots, back
>
>>Mora excelsa, in the Fabaceae, a Central American tree (and probably
>>elsewhere in the neotropics) is probably the record-holder.  It is
>>water-dispersed, and at least on the southern Pacific coast of Costa
>>Rica, grows along the inner margins of mangrove swamps - the seeds
>>get there (and out of there) during exceptionally high tides).  Dan
>>Janzen
>>
>>>Date:         Sun, 24 Apr 2005 14:04:08 +0900
>>>Reply-To: Hidenobu Funakoshi <alpinist at BLUE.PLALA.OR.JP>
>>>Sender: Taxacom Discussion List <TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU>
>>>From: Hidenobu Funakoshi <alpinist at BLUE.PLALA.OR.JP>
>>>Subject:      Biggest seed in dicots
>>>To: TAXACOM at LISTSERV.NHM.KU.EDU
>>>X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.36
>>>Status:
>>>
>>>Hi Taxacomers,
>>>
>>>I wonder if someone out there let me know what is the
>>>biggest seed in dicots. Some sources said it must be
>>>Eusideroxylon zwageri  of Lauraceae, but I want to make
>>>it sure. Thanks in anticipation.
>>>
>>>regards,
>>>H.Funakoshi
>>>
>>>----------------------------------------------------
>>>NOTE THAT MY POSTAL AND EMAIL ADDRESS HAS CHANGED.
>>>
>>>Throw off the bowlines. Away from the safe harbor.
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>>>
>>>Hidenobu Funakoshi, Ph.D
>>>Graduate School of Science, Shinshu University
>>>E-mail: alpinist at blue.plala.or.jp
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