Overview
Macrocarpaea dies-viridis, commonly known as the Green Day moon gentian, is a species of flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae. It is a small tree with thin leaves, a funnel-shaped corolla, and capsule fruits. Each capsule has over 10,000 seeds. Macrocarpaea dies-viridis is native to Ecuador. It was described in 2007, and named after the band Green Day.
Taxonomy
Macrocarpaea dies-viridis was described in 2007, by Jason Randall Grant. The type material was collected from the Cordillera del Cóndor in 2006. It was described alongside Macrocarpaea luctans, Macrocarpaea lucubrans, and Macrocarpaea opulenta. Within genus Macrocarpaea, the species is part of the section Choriophylla. It is closely related to M. jensii, M. lenae, M. pringleana, and M. sodiroana.
Distribution
Macrocarpaea dies-viridis is native to the wet tropical biome of Ecuador's Zamora-Chinchipe Province.
Description
Macrocarpaea dies-viridis is a shrub or small tree, that grows high. The trunk is up to wide, and hollow at the top. The bark is tan to greenish in colour, thin and papery in texture, and covered with lichen and moss. The leaves are papery and thin, ovate to ovate-elliptical, long, and wide. They are dark green, and have smooth edges. The leaf stems are long. The inflorescence is an open thyrse with many branches. The inflorescence is over long, and the branches are long. Each branch has nine to twenty flowers, which grow on stems. The calyx is green, bell-shaped, long, and wide. The calyx lobes are ovate to rotund. The corolla is funnel-shaped, and has not been described in detail, as the only collected flower was lost. The fruits are ellipsoidal to linear, greenish-brown capsules. The capsules are long, and wide. They are smooth, or have faint ribs. The seeds are long, wide.
The seed coat is tannish. Each capsule has 10,400 to 11,000 seeds, depending on the method of counting used. This results in each plant having 520,000 to 550,000 seeds. Macrocarpaea dies-viridis was the first species of Macrocarpeae to have its seeds counted.
Etymology
The specific epithet "dies-viridis" refers to the American punk-rock band Green Day, which the authors listened to during their 2006 expedition to Ecuador. The hyphen is to be maintained.