Tacca ampliplacenta facts for kids

Tacca ampliplacenta is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the yam family, called Dioscoreaceae. This plant is only found in Yunnan, China. It was first discovered and described in 2008. The scientists who found it were Ling Zhang and Qing-Jun Li.

What Does Tacca ampliplacenta Look Like?

Tacca ampliplacenta is a plant that lives for many years. It grows from a root that looks like a cylinder. This root is called a rhizome. The plant has leaves that are a pretty purple-pink color at the very top.

How It's Different from Other Plants

This plant has some unique features. It has special leaves around its flowers called involucral bracts. These bracts are arranged in a criss-cross pattern. The two inner bracts are shaped like an oval. This is different from a similar plant, Tacca integrifolia, whose inner bracts look like "rabbit's ears"!

Another difference is in its seeds. Tacca ampliplacenta's seeds are very hard to separate from the fruit. This is not the case for Tacca chantrieri, another related plant.

Leaves and Flowers

The plant usually has five to ten leaves that grow from its base. These leaves have veins that look like feathers. The flower stalks are a deep red-wine color. They grow from where the leaves meet the stem.

The flowers grow in a cluster called an umbel. An umbel is like an umbrella shape. There can be up to 25 flowers in one cluster. Each flower cluster has four of those special involucral bracts. When they are young, the flowers are triangular and greenish-purple. The flower buds are a dark black-purple color. Each flower has three parts that look like petals, called stigmas.

When It Flowers and Fruits

Tacca ampliplacenta blooms from early July to late August. It then produces its fruits the following year, usually from June to July.

Where Tacca ampliplacenta Grows

This plant is found in the southwest and west parts of Yunnan Province in China. It likes to grow in thick, damp forests.