Batis
| Batis | ||||||||||||
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Batis maritima , male plant |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||||
| Bataceae | ||||||||||||
| Perleb | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Batis | ||||||||||||
| L. |
Batis is the only genus of the Bataceae plant family in the order of the cruciferous (Brassicales). Only two species thrive on tropical to subtropical coasts.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The species of the genus Batis are hairless, many-branched shrubs that can reach heights of 1.5 meters. They form both prostrate, horizontal and upright shoot axes that are succulent .
The opposite and cross-opposite arranged leaves are sitting. The fleshy leaf blades are simple and have entire margins. The very fine and soon dying stipules are often only formed as glandular bodies.
Inflorescences and flowers
The flowers are always unisexual. The plants of Batis maritima are dioeciously segregated ( diocyte ), whereas Batis argillicola is monoeciously segregated ( monocyte ). The inflorescences are cone-shaped spikes or short shoots, the bracts of the flowers are fine, stipple-like appendages.
The male flowers are arranged in the axes of the cross-opposite bracts or in terminal cones. Each of the flowers has a tube that looks like a clove and splits irregularly into two to four parts. Inside are four spatulate, corolla-like structures , often referred to as staminodes , alternating with four stamens . The stamens are free, the dust bags are fixed on the back and inclined inwards. The center of the flower is raised and probably represents a reduced pistil .
The female flowers are perched in the axils of the inflorescence, stand alone or fused together at the base. Each flower consists of a pistil, which is supported by a single bract, there is no flower cover. The ovary is vierkammerig, each chamber contains a single ovule , the epitroph at the base of the ovary enlarged chamber from placentas growing. Two sessile scars are formed.
Fruits and seeds
The fruits are stone fruit-like or compound. The seeds have no endosperm , the embryo is straight and has large cotyledons .
Systematics and distribution
The genus Batis was established by Carl von Linné . Batis is the only genus of the Bataceae Perleb family in the order Brassicales .
The genus Batis contains only two species:
- Batis argillicola P.Royen : It occurs from the south coast of New Guinea to northern Australia.
- Batis maritima L .: It is the more widespread species of the genus and occurs on the coasts of the Neotropics , on the Pacific coast from California to Peru , on the Atlantic coast from Florida and Texas to Brazil . It is also common on the West Indies and on various islands in the Pacific. It grows there on sandy coasts and near mangrove formations . Their number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
literature
- William Burger: Flora costaricensis , Fieldiana: Botany, Volume 40, Field Museum of Botany, Chicago, USA, 1977. Pages 54-55.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Batis. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ Batis maritima at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
