''Calligonum'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
plant
Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...
s in the family
Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1 ...
with about 80
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
across the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
region,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
and
North America.
Description
Plants of the genus ''Calligonum'' are shrubs, diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches. Leaves are simple, opposite, nearly sessile, linear or scale-like, sometimes absent or very small, linear or filiform, distinct or united with short membranous ochreae. Flowers are bisexual, solitary or in loose axillary inflorescences. Flowers have persistent, 5-parted
perianth
The perianth (perigonium, perigon or perigone in monocots) is the non-reproductive part of the flower, and structure that forms an envelope surrounding the sexual organs, consisting of the calyx (sepals) and the corolla (petals) or tepals when ca ...
s not accrescent in fruit, and 10-18
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
s with filaments connate at the base. The
ovary
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the bod ...
is tetragonous.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Calligonum'' was first published by
Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...
in 1753.
It is placed in the subfamily
Polygonoideae
Polygonoideae is a subfamily of plants in the family Polygonaceae. It includes a number of plants that can be highly invasive, such as Japanese knotweed, ''Reynoutria japonica'', and its hybrid with '' R. sachalinensis'', ''R.'' × ''bohemica'' ...
, tribe Calligoneae, along with its sister genus, ''
Pteropyrum''.
Species
*''
Calligonum acanthopterum''
I.G.Borshch.
*''
Calligonum alatosetosum''
Maassoumi & Kazempour
*''
Calligonum aphyllum''
(Pall.) Gürke
*''
Calligonum arborescens''
Litv.
*''
Calligonum azel''
Maire
*''
Calligonum babakianum''
Godw.
*''
Calligonum bakuense''
Litv.
*''
Calligonum bucocladum''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum bykovii''
Godw.
*''
Calligonum calvescens''
Maire
*''
Calligonum caput-medusae''
Schrenk
*''
Calligonum crinitum''
Boiss.
*''
Calligonum crispum''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum cristatum''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum ebinuricum''
N.A.Ivanova ex Soskov
*''
Calligonum eriopodum''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum junceum''
(Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Litv.
*''
Calligonum klementzii''
Losinsk.
*''
Calligonum laristanicum''
Rech.f. & Schiman-Czeika
*''
Calligonum leucocladum''
(Schrenk) Bunge
*''
Calligonum litwinowii''
Drobow
*''
Calligonum macrocarpum''
I.G.Borshch.
*''
Calligonum matteianum''
Drobow
*''
Calligonum mejidum''
Al-Khayat
*''
Calligonum microcarpum''
I.G.Borshch.
*''
Calligonum mongolicum''
Turcz.
*''
Calligonum murex''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum polygonoides
''Calligonum polygonoides'', locally known as ''phog'' ( hi, फोग), is a small shrub found in Thar desert areas, usually 4 feet to 6 feet high but occasionally may reach even 10 feet in height with a girth of 1 to 2 ft.L R Burdak (1982 ...
''
L.
*''
Calligonum rubicundum''
Bunge
*''
Calligonum santoanum''
Korovin
*''
Calligonum schizopterum''
Rech.f. & Schiman-Czeika
*''
Calligonum setosum''
(Litv.) Litv.
*''
Calligonum spinosetosum''
Maassoumi & Batooli
*''
Calligonum taklimakanense''
B.R.Pan & K.M.Shen
*''
Calligonum tetrapterum''
Jaub. & Spach
*''
Calligonum trifarium''
Z.M.Mao
*''
Calligonum triste''
Litv.
*''
Calligonum turbineum''
Pavlov
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2988961
Polygonaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus