aluille

Aluille is a fictional genus of flowering plants created for illustrative purposes in botanical teaching materials. It appears in example taxonomies used to demonstrate how genera and species are named, described, and cited in scientific literature.

Taxonomy and description: In these materials, Aluille belongs to the invented family Aluilaceae and contains a single species, Aluille montana. The plant is described as a perennial shrub reaching 0.6 to 1.4 meters in height, with simple, alternate leaves and small tubular flowers arranged in loose inflorescences. The flowers are typically white with faint purple markings, and fruit is a small drupe.

Habitat and distribution: According to the mock accounts, Aluille montana is endemic to montane cloud forests in the fictional region of Valara at elevations between 1,200 and 2,000 meters. The climate is cool and humid with frequent mist.

Ecology and uses: Pollination is attributed to bees and hummingbirds in the examples; fruit dispersal by gravity and small mammals is noted. In teaching contexts, Aluille is used to illustrate hypotheses testing in ecology and to show how to describe a so-called “type specimen” and “type locality.”

Conservation and cultural significance: As a fictional taxon, Aluille montana has no real conservation status, but the exercise notes emphasize careful habitat description and the potential for data deficiency in newly described taxa.

Notes: This article describes a fictitious genus created for pedagogical purposes and is not a real taxon.