Belongs within: Orchidoideae.Contains: Spiranthinae. The Cranichideae are a group of orchids characterised by the presence of specialised amyloplasts in the roots called spiranthosomes, together with distinguishable subsidiary cells in the leaf epidermis and type III/type IV thickenings in the anther endothecium (Freudenstein & Rasmussen 1999). They include the Goodyerinae which have a creeping, typically soft… Continue reading Cranichideae
Category: Diaphoretickes
Aloe
Belongs within: Alooideae.Contains: Aloe series Saponariae, Aloe section Leptoaloe, Aloe subsection Grandes, Aloe subsection Prolongatae, Aloe subsection Magnae. Aloe is a genus of more or less succulent, spiny-leaved plants native to sub-Saharan Africa and Arabia. Species with fleshy fruits have historically been separated as the now-synonymous genus Lomatophyllum (Eggli & Nyffeler 2020). Characters (Eggli & Nyffeler 2020):… Continue reading Aloe
Romulea
Belongs within: Iridaceae. Romulea, star-grass, is a genus of grass-like herbs found primarily in southern Africa with a smaller number of species extending into Europe (Healy & Edgar 1980). Romulea rosea has become naturalised in Australasia and California. Characters (Healy & Edgar 1980): Summer-green perennial. Corm small; tunic hard, woody, brown, usually smooth. Stem often not protruding… Continue reading Romulea
Magnoliales
Belongs within: Magnoliidae.Contains: Myristica, Annonaceae. The Magnoliales are a clade of flowering plants well supported by molecular analyses, as well as by two morphological synapomorphies: midrib vasculature in shape of an arc with adaxial plate, and secondary phloem stratified into tangential bands (Chatrou 2003). Within the clade, the Myristicaceae are the sister group to all… Continue reading Magnoliales
Asparagaceae
Belongs within: Petrosaviidae. The Asparagaceae are a family of herbs and subshrubs with green branches and phylloclades, the true leaves being reduced to scales (Eggli & Nyffeler 2020). Most species are included in the genus Asparagus, including the cultivated asparagus A. officinalis and related species. Many species in this genus are commonly known as asparagus… Continue reading Asparagaceae
Hyacinthoideae
Belongs within: Hyacinthaceae.Contains: Scilla, Ledebouria, Lachenalia. The Hyacinthoideae are the largest of the subfamilies recognised in the Hyacinthaceae, including the northern Holarctic members of the family together with a number of southern African taxa. Members of the Hyacinthoideae have a penicillate stigma and ellipsoid or globose to pear-shaped seeds (Manning et al. 2004). Phylogenetic analysis… Continue reading Hyacinthoideae
Miliuseae
Belongs within: Malmeoideae.Contains: Pseuduvaria, Polyalthia. The Miliuseae are a clade of trees bearing cryptoaperturate/disulculate pollen (Chatrou et al. 2012). Members of the genera Pseuduvaria and Mitrephora bears flowers with the inner petals distinctly clawed for at least half their length (Jessup 2007). Characters (Chatrou et al. 2012): Trees; indument of simple hairs, rarely T-shaped hairs; bracts present; inflorescences rhipidiate,… Continue reading Miliuseae
Annonaceae
Belongs within: Magnoliales.Contains: Malmeoideae, Annonoideae. The Annonaceae are a pantropical family of trees, shrubs and vines with a characteristic cobweb-like wood structure. Phylogenetic analysis places the Neotropical genus Anaxagorea, small trees with distichous phyllotaxis and non-arillate seeds, as sister to the rest of the family (Chatrou et al. 2012). Oily and salty trees Published 24… Continue reading Annonaceae
Matoniaceae
Belongs within: Leptosporangiatae. The Matoniaceae are a family of ferns with peltate indusia covering the sori (Klavins et al. 2004). Matoniaceae: ferns with a heritage Published 13 January 2019 Ferns are one of those groups of organisms, like sharks and cockroaches, that are not really as ancient as most people imagine. For all that ferns… Continue reading Matoniaceae
Pan-Gnetophyta
Belongs within: Spermatophyta.Contains: Gnetophyta. The Pan-Gnetophyta are the total clade of all plants more closely related to modern gnetophytes than other plants (Cantino et al. 2007). Candidate representatives are united by the possession of seeds with an outer envelope and the integument extended into a long, narrow micropylar tube (Friis et al. 2007). These include the Erdtmanithecales,… Continue reading Pan-Gnetophyta