''Campynema'' 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 ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Campynemataceae Campynemataceae (Campynemaceae) is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants. The family consists of two genera and four species of perennial herbaceous plants endemism, endemic to New Caledonia and Tasmania. Taxonomy Originally described ...

first described in 1805. It contains only one known species (

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

), ''Campynema lineare'',

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the island of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Its closest relative is '' Campynemanthe'', endemic to

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

, sole other genus of the family.

''Campynema lineare''

''C. lineare'', also known as the green mountain lily, is a small inconspicuous erect herb that grows to 15–30 cm in height. Its leaves consist of a single, curved basal leaf, with smaller leaves ascending up the flower stem. It is most distinguishable by its striking green flower, which blooms in summer. The flower is usually solitary, with 6 green

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s, sometimes with a burgundy tinge and developing brown edges with age, lacking apparent nectaries. The

anthers The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

are dorsifixed, styluli are free but thickened and contiguous below. The seeds are numerous and are flattened, sometimes almost discoid, with a spongy outer coat. It is a

geophyte A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...

, and its leaves are

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

in winter. ''C. lineare'' is approximately 57 million years old. It is considered to a key member of Tasmania's palaeoendemic flora. A study of the gene sequences of

RuBisCO Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, commonly known by the abbreviations RuBisCo, rubisco, RuBPCase, or RuBPco, is an enzyme () involved in the light-independent (or "dark") part of photosynthesis, including the carbon fixation by wh ...

in ''C. lineare'', found that the family

is the oldest of the order

Liliales Liliales is an order (biology), order of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group and Angiosperm Phylogeny Web List of systems of plant classification, system, within the lilioid monocots. This order of necessity includ ...

. ''C. lineare'' was once considered to be part of the family

Liliaceae The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fai ...

. File:Campynema purple.jpg, File:Campynema green.jpg, File:Campynema aged petals.jpg,

Distribution

''C. lineare'' can be found in boggy sites in the central, western and central mountains of Tasmania, mostly in the subalpine and alpine regions. It is most commonly found in

herbfield Herbfields are plant communities dominated by herbaceous plants, especially forbs and grasses. They are found where climatic conditions do not allow large woody plants to grow, such as in subantarctic and alpine tundra environments. Herbfield is ...

heathlands A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, cushion plant communities, and lake edges.

Threats and Conservation

''C. lineare'' is not considered under any specific threats due to being situated predominantly in protected areas, however some of the habitats in which it is found are predicted to decline due to climate change. The most likely declines in Australian alpine ecosystems have been shown to be in alpine herbfield and cushion plant communities. Due to its palaeoendemic status, the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service consider ''C. lineare'' to be of high conservation significance.

References

Bibliography

* ---- * {{Taxonbar, from=Q964804 Liliales Endemic flora of Tasmania Monotypic Liliales genera Taxa named by Jacques Labillardière