Hook leaf plants

Hook leaf plants
	Hook leaf ( Triphyophyllum peltatum )
Systematics
Subdivision :	Seed plants (Spermatophytina)
Class :	Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
	Eudicotyledons
	Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order :	Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family :	Hook leaf plants
Scientific name
	Dioncophyllaceae
	Airy Shaw

The hook leaf family (Dioncophyllaceae) are a family from the order of the carnation-like (Caryophyllales) with three monotypical genera . The family is fossilized as far back as the Eocene .

description

All species are large, soft woody lianas and climb by means of forked hooks that arise at the tip of the midrib of the leaf. The hook leaves are remarkable for their (optional) carnivory. The parallel- veined rosette leaves are long. The plants are hermaphroditic and form capsule fruits . Their seeds germinate cryptocotylar . The chromosome number is 2n = 36.

distribution

The family is native to the lowland rainforests of West Africa, where they colonize nutrient-poor soils.

Systematics

The systematic position of the hook leaf family has been controversial since its discovery; only recent genetic studies (supported by biochemical studies) have placed it as a member of the carnation-like family , as a sister group of the Ancistrocladaceae and closely related to the ( monogeneric ) pigeon leaf family .

The hook leaf family comprises three genera, each with one species:

Dioncophyllum Airy Shaw
- Dioncophyllum thollonii Baill.
Habropetalum Airy Shaw
- Habropetalum dawei (Hutch, & Dalziel) Airy Shaw
Triphyophyllum Airy Shaw
- Hook leaf ( Triphyophyllum peltatum (Hutch. & Dalziel) Airy Shaw)

Web links

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