''Canephora'' 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 ...

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 Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules ...

, indigenous to

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

Description

The name ''Canephora'', "basket bearer", refers to both the flattened peduncle topped by a "hollowed apex bearing flowers" and to the ritual office for unmarried young women in ancient Greece, as bearer of a sacred basket full of offerings during processions at festivals. ''Canephora'' is unique in Rubiaceae in having peduncles transformed into flattened, green axes called

phylloclade Phylloclades and cladodes are flattened, photosynthetic shoots, which are usually considered to be modified branches. The two terms are used either differently or interchangeably by different authors. '' Phyllocladus'', a genus of conifer, is na ...

s. ''

Canephora madagascariensis ''Canephora'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae, indigenous to Madagascar. Description The name ''Canephora'', "basket bearer", refers to both the flattened peduncle topped by a "hollowed apex bearing flowers" and to the ...

'' has bright white, campanulate flowers and apparently edible, red fruits, locally known as "hazongalala".

Species

Currently, five species are recognized, but several new species await description. *'' Canephora angustifolia'' Wernham *'' Canephora goudotii'' Wernham *'' Canephora humblotii''

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

*''

J.F.Gmel. , fields = , workplaces = University of GöttingenUniversity of Tübingen , alma_mater = University of Tübingen , doctoral_advisor = Philipp Friedrich GmelinFerdinand Christoph Oetinger , academic_advisors = , doctora ...

*'' Canephora maroana'' A.DC.

References

External links

''Canephora'' in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae genera Octotropideae Endemic flora of Madagascar {{Ixoroideae-stub