Balanophoraceae

Balanophoraceae
Two species of the Balanophoraceae: Lophophytum mirabile on the left, Sarcophyte sanguinea on the right
Systematics
Subdivision : Seed plants (Spermatophytina) Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida) Eudicotyledons Nuclear eudicotyledons Order : Sandalwoods (Santalales) Family : Balanophoraceae
Scientific name
Balanophoraceae
Rich. & A.Rich.

Balanophoraceae are a family of plants in the order Sandalwood-like (Santalales). Most of the approximately 50 species in around 17 genera occur in tropical areas.

description

Balanophora indica - male stem

Balanophora indica - female stem

The belonging to the family Balanophoraceae species are fleshy, parasitic living herbaceous plants that lack the leaves. The leaves are reduced to scales. Since they do not have any other chlorophyll , they do not appear in green, but rather resemble mushrooms . Underground they are connected to a host plant by a strand. Roots are missing. Bare or scaly stems protrude upwards from the rhizome .

They are separate sexes, monoecious ( monoecious ) or dioecious ( dioecious ). The small, unisexual flowers are arranged in several cephalic, racemose or piston-shaped inflorescences . The male flowers have no to eight bracts and the same number of stamens as bracts. If there are no bracts, the flowers have one or two stamens. The female flowers have no bracts and only two to five carpels , which are to a subordinate ovary .

Balanophora indica

Corynaea crassa

Helosis cayennensis

Rhopalocnemis phalloides

Thonningia sanguinea

Systematics and distribution

The Balanophoraceae family was established by Louis Claude Marie Richard and Achille Richard . The type genus is Balanophora Forst. & G.Forst. Balanophora means "acorn-bearing".

The family of the Balanophoraceae is classified in the order of the sandalwood-like (Santalales).

In the family Balanophoraceae there are 17 genera with about 50 species:

• Balanophora Forest. & G.Forst. : The 15 to 17 species are common in the Paleotropic .
• Chlamydophytum Mildbr. : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Chlamydophytum aphyllum Mildbr. : It occurs in tropical Africa .
• Corynaea Hook. f. : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Corynaea crassa Hook. f. : It is common in the Neotropics .
• Dactylanthus Hook. f. : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Dactylanthus taylorii Hook. f. : It occurs in New Zealand .
• Ditepalanthus Fagerl. : There are only two species in Madagascar:
  • Ditepalanthus afzelii Fagerl.
  • Ditepalanthus malagasicus (Jum. & H. Perr.) Fagerl.
• Exorhopala Steenis : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Exorhopala ruficeps (Ridl.) Steenis : It occurs in Malaysia .
• Hachettea Baill. : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Hachettea austrocaledonica Baill. : It occurs in New Caledonia .
• Helosis Rich. : It is a genus with the only species:
  • Helosis cayennensis (Sw.) Spreng. : It occurs in the Neotropic .
• Langsdorffia Mart. : The only three species come from Madagascar, New Guinea and in the Neotropics.
• Lathrophytum Eichler : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Lathrophytum peckoltii Eichler : It occurs only in the Brazilian province of Rio de Janeiro .
• Lophophytum Schott & Endl. : There are about four species in the Neotropic:
  • Lophophytum leandrii Eichler
  • Lophophytum mirabile Schott & Endl.
  • Lophophytum rizzoi Delprete
  • Lophophytum weddellii Hook. f.
• Mystropetalon Harv. : There are only one or two species in the Capensis :
  • Mystropetalon polemannii Harv.
  • Mystropetalon thomii Harv.
• Ombrophytum Poeppig ex Endl. : The four or so species occur in South America and the Galapagos .
• Rhopalocnemis Young Chicken : It is a monotypic genus with the only species:
  • Rhopalocnemis phalloides Jungh. : It occurs in the Indo-Malaysian area .
• Sarcophyte Sparrmann : It is a monotypic genus with only one species, but with two subspecies in sub- Saharan Africa :
  • Sarcophyte sanguinea subsp. piriei (Hutch.) B. Hansen
  • Sarcophyte sanguinea Sparrm. subsp. sanguinea
• Scybalium Schott & Endl. : There are about four species in the Neotropic:
  • Scybalium depressum (Hook. F.) Eichler
  • Scybalium fungiforme Schott & Endl.
  • Scybalium glaziovii Eichler
  • Scybalium jamaicense (Sw.) Schott & Endl.
• Thonningia Vahl : It is a monotypical genus with the only species:
  • Thonningia sanguinea Vahl : It occurs in West and Central Africa.

swell

• The family of Balanophoraceae in APWebsite . (English)
• The family of the Balanophoraceae at DELTA by L. Watson and MJDallwitz.
• The Balanophoraceae family in Parasitic Plants.
• David John Mabberley: Mabberley's Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses. 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press 2008, ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4 . (Species numbers and distribution of the genera)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group : An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. In: Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Volume 161, No. 2, 2009, pp. 105-121, DOI: 10.1111 / j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x .

Web links

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