Jellyfish Tree

Intro: 00:05

Welcome to Bad at Goodbyes.

On today’s show we consider the Jellyfish Tree.

Species Information: 02:05

The Jellyfish Tree is a critically endangered tropical tree native to the Seychelles Islands, in the Indian Ocean, roughly 900 miles east of the African continent.

The Jellyfish Tree is a small tree, typically reaching heights of roughly 40 feet. Its trunk is slender, with dark, fissured bark. Branches are numerous and spreading, resulting in a dense, rounded crown of foliage. Its vibrant green leaves, that grow up to 3 inches in length, are glossy and leathery in texture, with wavy, slightly scalloped edges.

The Jellyfish Tree is andromonoecious, meaning male and bisexual flowers present on the same individual. These small, white blossoms measure about a half-inch in diameter, grow in downward hanging clusters and feature many long, thin stamens. Stamen are the pollen-producing male reproductive organ. So, the upside down cupped flowers have numerous stamens that radiate down and outwards, which do, in fact, resemble the tentacles of a jellyfish.

These flowers are primarily pollinated by the wind, though insects like flies and small bees may also play a role. The tree's copious pollen production seems adapted for wind pollination, but the presence of some nectar in the flowers suggests an adaptation to attract insect pollinators.

The Jellyfish Tree has a relatively long reproductive cycle. Flowering and pollen-release typically occur in the late dry season, roughly September, October, November. After successful pollination, fruit development is gradual, with mature fruit appearing between 6-9 months later, late in the following spring, early summer.

The small, round roughly 1 inch fruits begin as green and gradually turn reddish-brown. When the fruit dries, its outer layer dehisces, meaning it splits open, at the top, into a kind of umbrella shape, a jellyfish-ish shape. So the fruit opens, and inside, the seeds are held within a network of fibers, and this structure aids in wind dispersal, like how an umbrella catches big gusts. The seeds have papery wings and when blown from the opened fruit, disperse widely. This dispersal process can take days or even weeks, depending on wind conditions and the distance the seeds travel.

In the wild, Jellyfish Tree seeds have very low germination rates. Scientists suspect they need very specific conditions, possibly involving high humidity, or particular soil microorganisms to successfully germinate.

The germination process is basically the awakening of a dormant seed into a new plant. For that process to begin, certain environmental conditions need to be met. These conditions vary from species to species, but a quick overview in general we’re looking for presence of water, optimal temperature, presence of oxygen, presence or absence of light, and soil conditions like depth, acidity, or nutrient content. So in the case of the jellyfish tree, scientists are uncertain what specific conditions are critical to triggering germination, though they suspect humidity likely plays a role.

Once initiated, germination begins with imbibition, where the seed soaks up water, swelling the seed, weakening the seed coat, and activating internal enzymes. Those enzymes break down stored food reserves within the seed, transforming them into usable energy for rapidly growing cells. The internal pressure from the growing cells causes the weakened seed coat to rupture. The radicle pushes through this opening, emerging into the soil. Radicle is the name given to the first part of a seedling to emerge from the seed, like the first embryonic root.

No matter from which direction the radicle emerges, it will grow downward. This adaptation is called geotropism, plant growth in response to gravity. This is so amazing. So a quick simplified explanation of this. Within the cells of the radicle are starch-filled statoliths and the hormone auxin which inhibits cell growth. The statoliths are heavy, starch filled and due to gravity sink to the bottom, displacing the auxin. The auxin accumulates on the upper side, prohibiting growth and so as the root cells grow and divide, they do so downwardly (away from the auxin).

This downard growth is critical in ensuring access to the water and soil nutrients necessary for survival. It also anchors the young seedling in the ground.

With the first roots established, the stem begins to grow upwards emerging from the soil. The first leaves soon follow initiating food production, photosynthesis. Food that powers further growth and gradual maturation.

After a few years, it reaches the sapling stage, a phase marked by strengthening of root, trunk, and branches. And eventually with time and the right conditions, the sapling grows into a mature Jellyfish Tree, ready to produce flowers and the seeds that will continue the reproductive cycle. This entire process, from seed dispersal to a mature tree capable of reproduction, can take decades.

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In the dream, I am, as ever, a disappointing student. In the dream when I study in the shade of the deep green teachers, the lighteaters, the breatheworkers, my attention wanes. At first I am cherishing the slow language of wind carrying seed, and feeling inspired to open to our earths’ forces, inviting them to affect my path, and then I’m thinking about lunchtime. At first I marvel and imagine modeling a striving downward growth, a rooting, holding firm in place, and then I’m wondering about who might want to kiss me. And though I repeatedly fail my lessons, worrying about money, cranky when the train is stalled, my teachers persevere, remain encouraging with their foliage shimmering. And so I will, once again, commit to my studies and promise to be a better listener, in my days and in the dream.

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Based on genetic studies scientists estimate that the Jellyfish Tree diverged from its closest relatives during the Late Cretaceous period, around 60 million years ago. But the Jellyfish Tree has leathery, waxy leaves, that reduce water transpiration, suggesting it is drought tolerant, which is curious, because it lives on a wet island. Scientists hypothesize these adaptations evolved when the Seychelles islands were still a part of the mainland of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana which would make the Jellyfish Tree over 150 million years old as a species.

Let’s take a quick tangent into prehistoric plate tectonics. This is a simplified timeline of how the Seychelles formed:

Around 170 million years ago, Gondwana, the giant supercontinent, which encompassed modern-day South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia, began to split apart. The Indian subcontinent drifted away from Africa, and a fragment of continental crust broke off from it. This fragment eventually became the Seychelles microcontinent.

The Seychelles microcontinent, including the granite that forms the islands' bedrock, continued to drift northward with the Indian subcontinent. But then approximately 65 million years ago, the Seychelles microcontinent separated from India as the Indian Plate continued to move northward. The Seychelles remained, now isolated in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Over tens of millions of years, the granite bedrock of the Seychelles was eroded and shaped by weathering and wave action leading to the formation of the diverse landscapes, beaches, and unique granite rock formations seen on the islands today.

These rock formations are the Jellyfish Trees' contemporary home.

The Jellyfish Tree is solely found in a roughly 25 square mile area, on Mahé island in the Seychelles, in the western Indian Ocean, all populations growing less than two miles from the coast.

This area is the Seychelles' Granitic Islands Ecoregion, which is characterized by lush, tropical forests, tall granite peaks, and expansive beaches. The climate is tropical, with warm temperatures year-round. Summer highs typically reach the mid-90s, while winter lows rarely dip below 75°F. Annual rainfall is abundant, averaging 110 inches of precipitation, with the wettest months occurring from December to February.

The Jellyfish Tree has adapted to a specific niche within this ecoregion. It clings to crevices and cracks on exposed granite slopes and inselbergs. Inselbergs are isolated hills, ridges, or small mountains that rise abruptly from otherwise flat plains, so like a single extrusion popping out from a flat landscape. These areas are characterized by shallow soils, intense sunlight, and occasional strong winds.

The Jellyfish tree shares this habitat with Flying fox, pitcher plant, Stilt palm, Tiger Chameleon, magpie robin, Bamboo, scops owl, palm frog, Kestrel, Blue Pigeon, Brush-footed Butterfly, Tree fern, Vanilla orchid, and many more.

settlers on Mahé in the late: 1700

es were 'rediscovered' in the: 1970

Today, habitat loss and invasive species continue to threaten the Jellyfish tree, deforestation for agriculture and development, and non-native plants that outcompete the Jellyfish tree for essential resources, hindering its growth and ability to reproduce.

Additionally, human induced climate change, with rising temperatures, increased wildfires, altered weather patterns, and potential sea level rise pose further threat.

Jellyfish Tree propagation programs are ongoing at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Biodiversity Center Mahé, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh. Three of the known native populations of the jellyfish tree are within the Morne Seychellois National Park, but the tree itself is not legally protected.

tically Endangered species in: 1998

Our most recent counts estimate that less than 90 Jellyfish Tree remain in the wild.

Citations: 22:43

IUCN – https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/37781/10072208

.: 1111

New Phytologist: Volume 171, Issue 3 – https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01787.x

.: 1086

Aline Finger’s doctoral dissertation “Ecological And Genetic Processes Underlying Allee Effects Among Tree Populations In The Context Of Divergent Population Histories” – https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/bitstream/handle/20.500.11850/153625/eth-5967-02.pdf

Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medusagyne

Music: 24:29

Pledge: 33:13

I honor the lifeforce of the Jellyfish Tree. I will carry its human name in my record. I am grateful to have shared time on our bright planet with this being. I lament the ways in which I and my species have harmed and diminished this species.

And so, in the name of the Jellyfish Tree I pledge to reduce my consumption. And my carbon footprint. And curb my wastefulness. I pledge to acknowledge and attempt to address the costs of my actions and inactions. And I pledge to resist the harm of plant or animal kin or their habitat, by corporations and governments.

I pledge my song to the witness and memory of all life, to a broad celebration of biodiversity, and to the total liberation of all beings.

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