plants people new world crop
DESCRIPTION
College Plant Biology PowerpointTRANSCRIPT
Plants and PeopleOverview of New World Crops
and their Areas of Origin
Plant Domestication and the Shift to Agriculture in the Andes
What environments characterize the Andean cultural area?
The major types of tropical crops:Lowland roots and tubersMid- and high elevation roots and tubersPseudocerealsMaizeLegumesSquashesGourdFibersSpicesStimulantsFruits and nuts
Major New World root/tuber crops
Potato, Solanum tuberosumSweet potato, Ipomoea batatasManioc, Manihot esculentaYam, Diocorea trifidaCocoyam, Xanthosoma saggitifoliumArrowroot, Maranta arundinaceaLleren, Calathea allouiaAchira, Canna edulis
Potato: a high elevation Andean domesticate
Solanum tuberosumDomesticated in
central Peru to northern BoliviaChromosome
doubling occurred (diploid to tetraploid)
Commonly grown at Contact between 2000-4000 m (above the range of lowland tubers)
Llerén (a) and arrowroot (b)Llerén, Calathea allouiaArrowroot, Maranta
arundinacea?? area of origins: likely
in seasonal forest edges, Northern South America and/or Central America
Very little used today, except for production of arrowroot starch in the Caribbean
Llerén requires no processing
Achira, or cannaAchira, Canna edulisAnother robust herb
with broad leavesDifferent family than
arrowroot, llerén, but in the same order
Can grow in a broad range of conditions in lowlands
Grows up to 2000 m in Andes
?? Area of origin, perhaps low elevation northern Andes
Cocoyam (a) and yam (b)Cocoyam, Xanthosoma
sagittifolium?? Area of origin,
northern or southern seasonal tropics
Robust herb, can grow in wetter conditions than other root/tuber crops
Yam, Dioscorea trifidaPossibly originated in
Guiana, based on wild related plants
A vine adapted to forest edges
Manioc (a), sweet potato (b)Manioc, Manihot esculenta
Likely domesticated in seasonal forests on southern edge of Amazon
High yielding“bitter” varieties must be
processedSweet potato, Ipomoea
batatas?? Area of origin, Central
America/Northern South America
Spread early into the Pacific, SE Asia
vine
Legumes (pulses) of the lowland tropics:Vegetable protein, nitrogen fixingPeanutJack beanCommon beanLima bean
A: Peanut, B: Jack bean Peanut, Arachis hypogaeaDomesticated in NW
Argentina/S Bolivia in seasonal moist habitat
Riverine setting likelyFruits develop
underground Jack bean, Canavalia
plagiosperma?? Area of origin,
perhaps dry coastal South America
First legume in coastal Ecuador
Common bean Common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris
All P. vulgaris: green bean, kidney bean, black bean, butter bean, navy bean, etc.
Domesticated in low to mid-elevation mountains in South and Central AmericaMultiple
domesticationsWidely grown
except in Amazon (too wet)
Lima bean Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus
Two basic types: large seeded, small seeded
Domesticated independently in low-mid elevation Andes and in Central America/northern South America
Multiple domestications and hybridizations likely
The squash family (Cucurbitaceae)•Gourd, Lagenaria siceraria•Squash, Cucurbita spp.
A: gourd; B: squash Gourd, Lagenaria sicerariaNOT a native New World
plantBrought from Asia via
Beringia or via coastal migration
Squashes:C. moschata (lowlands)C. maxima (w. Andes)C. ficifolia (high
elevation)Squashes independently
domesticated
Chile peppers, Capsicum spp.
Three domesticated species:C. frutescens
N. lowland South AmC. baccatum
S. lowland South AmC. pubescence
mid-elevation, Bolivia
Highly variable shapes, colors, degree of “hotness”
Lots of overlap in range, hydrization with wild, feral chilis
Wild are bird-dispersed
Maize (b) and ancestor teosinte (a)
Maize, Zea maysAncestor: Balsas
teosinte, Zea mays spp. parviglumis
Area of origin: dry tropical forests of southern/western Mexico
Hundreds of local varieties, high variability
Good carbohydrate source, good protein (if cooked with calcium carbonate)
A demanding crop
Major crops of the Eastern Woodlands
SquashSunflower and
marchelderThe “starch
sisters”:ChenopodErect knotweedMaygrass Little barley
Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera, squash
One lineage of C. pepo was domesticated in the Eastern US
seeds are edible and nutritiousOily, protein-rich
Hard rind is useful as container, net float
Later replaced by an introduced Mexican variety (pumpkin)
Helianthus annuus, sunflowerDomesticated
sunflowers have larger seed heads, fewer side branches than wild sunflower
Domesticated seeds (achenes) 6-20 mm longOily, protein
Wild H. annuus grows in central-western US and northern Mexico
Domesticated in Eastern US and Mexico
Iva annua, marshelderMember of the
daisy family, like sunflower
Achenes 4-10 mm longOily, high protein
wild plants occur in middle and lower Mississippi river region and west onto the plains
Disturbed, moist habitats
Chenopodium berlandieri, Chenopod
Domesticated seeds 1.5 mm in diameterstarchy
Wild plants are annuals found in disturbed habitats
Widespread in the eastern US
Polygonum erectum, erect knotweedDomesticated
seeds (achenes) 2-5 mm longStarchy
Wild annual grows throughout the Eastern US, scarce today
Disturbed, open habitats
Summary: Plant Domestication in Eastern North America