Lesson plan
Malania
Malania oleifera is a species of plant in the Olacaceae family, the only species in the genus Malania. It is a medium-sized tree, tall, that is endemic to southern China where it can be found in Western Guangxi and South-Eastern Yunnan provinces. Known as "garlic-fruit tree" or 'suantouguo' (蒜头果) by local communities due to its garlic-shaped fruits, it is threatened by logging and habitat loss. Notable for its substantial phytochemical value, its seed has the highest-known proportion of nervonic acid (C 24 H 46 O 2 , PubChem CID: 5281120). Nervonic acid is an important component in myelin biosynthesis in the central and peripheral nervous system, and has been proposed to enhance human brain function. To aid this research its 1.51 Gigabase genome has been sequenced by researchers in China.
Article summary
Malania oleifera is a species of plant in the Olacaceae family, the only species in the genus Malania. It is a medium-sized tree, tall, that is endemic to southern China where it can be found in Western Guangxi and South-Eastern Yunnan provinces. Known as "garlic-fruit tree" or 'suantouguo' (蒜头果) by local communities due to its garlic-shaped fruits, it is threatened by logging and habitat loss. Notable for its substantial phytochemical value, its seed has the highest-known proportion of nervonic acid (C 24 H 46 O 2 , PubChem CID: 5281120). Nervonic acid is an important component in myelin biosynthesis in the central and peripheral nervous system, and has been proposed to enhance human brain function. To aid this research its 1.51 Gigabase genome has been sequenced by researchers in China.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.