''Acrosanthes'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s in the family ''

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and New ...

''. It is native to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number ...

Description

Plants in this genus are generally

prostrate Prostrate may refer to:- *Prostration, a position of submission in religion etc. *Prone position, a face-down orientation of the body *Prostrate shrub A prostrate shrub is a woody plant, most of the branches of which lie upon or just above the ...

to sprawling branching perennials with opposite succulent leaves. Inflorescences are a cyme, and flowers have 5

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

lobes, 8 to many

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 ...

, and an

inferior ovary In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule(s) and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the bas ...

. Fruits are 2 loculed capsules with basal

placentation Placentation refers to the formation, type and structure, or arrangement of the placenta. The function of placentation is to transfer nutrients, respiratory gases, and water from maternal tissue to a growing embryo, and in some instances to remov ...

(see "in plants"), and the fruit is xerochastic (fruit dehisces when dry). Their seeds are likely dispersed by ants.

Taxonomy

This genus was first described by Ecklon and Zeyher in 1837.

Species

There are 7 recognized species as of 2022: # '' Acrosanthes anceps'' (Thunb.) Sond. # '' Acrosanthes angustifolia'' Eckl. & Zeyh. # '' Acrosanthes decandra'' Fenzl # '' Acrosanthes humifusa'' (Thunb.) Sond. # '' Acrosanthes microphylla'' Adamson # '' Acrosanthes parviflora'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt # ''

Acrosanthes teretifolia ''Acrosanthes'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family ''Aizoaceae''. It is native to Southern Africa. Description Plants in this genus are generally Prostrate shrub, prostrate to sprawling branching perennials with Opposite leaves, opp ...

'' Eckl. & Zeyh.

References

Aizoaceae Plants described in 1837 Flora of Southern Africa Aizoaceae genera {{aizoaceae-stub