''Berkheya'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in South Africa.Funk, V. A. and R. Chan. (2008)
Phylogeny of the spiny African daisies (Compositae, tribe Arctotideae, subtribe Gorteriinae) based on ''trn''L-F, ''ndh''F, and ITS sequence data.
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 48(1), 47-60. Most species have yellow ray florets, a few have white, and ''B. purpurea'' has light purple or

mauve Mauve ( ; ) is a pale purple color named after the mallow flower (French: ). The first use of the word ''mauve'' as a color was in 1796–1798 according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', but its use seems to have been rare before 1859. ...

florets. ''Berkheya purpurea'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. Some ''Berkheya'' are known as weeds.Clark, M. M
A comparison between the flower-head insect communities of South African ''Berkheya'' and European Cynareae.
In: ''Proceedings of the VIII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds''. (pp. 165-170). Istituto Sperimentale per la Vegetale, Ministero dell'Agricoltura e delle Foreste. 1990. ''Berkheya coddii'' is a well-known

hyperaccumulator A hyperaccumulator is a plant capable of growing in soil or water with high concentrations of metals, absorbing them through their roots, and concentrating extremely high levels of metals in their tissues. The metals are concentrated at levels th ...

. Concentration of Ni as the leaves of this species may reach 7.6% DW Ni. The genus was named in honor of the Dutch scientist and artist Johannes le Francq van Berkhey. ''Berkheya'' are associated with a variety of

weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They belong to several fa ...

s in the genus ''

Larinus ''Larinus'' is a genus of Curculionidae, true weevils, comprising about 180 species, mostly in the Palaearctic region with some species introduced to North America. Turkey appears to have a significant diversity of the group, with more than 50 ...

''. The tephritid fruit fly '' Urophora agromyzella'' is also found on the plants.

Species

Species include: * '' Berkheya acanthopoda'' * '' Berkheya angusta'' * '' Berkheya angustifolia'' * '' Berkheya annectens'' – thistle-thorn * '' Berkheya armata'' * '' Berkheya barbata'' * ''

Berkheya bergiana ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * '' Berkheya bipinnatifida'' * '' Berkheya caffra'' * '' Berkheya canescens'' * ''

Berkheya cardopatifolia ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya carduoides ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya carlinifolia ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya carlinoides ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya carlinopsis ''Berkheya carlinopsis'' Welw. ex O.Hoffm. is a Southern African herb or subshrub belonging to the family Asteraceae and was first described in 1896 in Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana 13 34. The genus '' Berkheya'' was describe by the Germa ...

'' * ''

Berkheya chamaepeuce ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya cirsiifolia ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya coddii ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya coriacea ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya cruciata ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * '' Berkheya cuneata'' * '' Berkheya debilis'' * '' Berkheya decurrens'' * '' Berkheya densifolia'' * '' Berkheya discolor'' * '' Berkheya draco'' * '' Berkheya dregei'' * '' Berkheya echinacea'' * '' Berkheya eriobasis'' * '' Berkheya erysithales'' * '' Berkheya ferox'' * ''

Berkheya francisci ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * '' Berkheya fruticosa'' * '' Berkheya glabrata'' – yellow thistle * '' Berkheya griquana'' * '' Berkheya herbacea'' * ''

Berkheya heterophylla ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * ''

Berkheya insignis ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * '' Berkheya latifolia'' * '' Berkheya leucaugeta'' * '' Berkheya mackenii'' * '' Berkheya macrocephala'' * '' Berkheya maritima'' * '' Berkheya montana'' * '' Berkheya multijuga'' * '' Berkheya nivea'' * '' Berkheya onobromoides'' * '' Berkheya onopordifolia'' * '' Berkheya pannosa'' * '' Berkheya pauciflora'' * '' Berkheya pinnatifida'' * '' Berkheya purpurea'' – purple berkheya * '' Berkheya radula'' * '' Berkheya radyeri'' * '' Berkheya rhapontica'' * '' Berkheya rigida'' – Augusta thistle, Hamelin thistle * ''

Berkheya robusta ''Berkheya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed in tropical Africa, especially in southern regions.Hind, N. (2006). ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine'' 23(4), 289-96. Of about 75 species, 71 can be found in So ...

'' * '' Berkheya rosulata'' * '' Berkheya seminivea'' * '' Berkheya setifera'' * '' Berkheya speciosa'' * '' Berkheya sphaerocephala'' * '' Berkheya spinosa'' * '' Berkheya spinosissima'' * '' Berkheya subulata'' * '' Berkheya tysonii'' * '' Berkheya umbellata'' * '' Berkheya viscosa'' * '' Berkheya zeyheri''

Phylogeny

Comparison of DNA has indicated that ''Berkheya'' in its current composition is

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

because some of its species are more related to '' Cullumia'', '' Cuspidia'', '' Didelta'' and '' Heterorhachis'' than all species currently recognised as ''Berkeya'' among each other.

Gallery

File:Berkheya armata (2).jpg, '' Berkheya armata'' File:Berkheya cirsiifolia.jpg, ''

'' File:Berkheya purpurea 03.jpg, '' Berkheya purpurea'' File:Berkheya radula01.jpg, '' Berkheya radula''

References

Arctotideae Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart {{Asteraceae-stub