''Cycnium'' is a genus of

flowering plants Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family (biology), family of mostly parasitic plants of the order (biology), order Lamiales, with about 90 genus, genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., ''Pedicularis'', ''Rhinanthus'', ...

. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial

hemiparasitic A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they die. Leaves usually occur opposite or near-opposite, but occasionally alternate or in

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagram ...

of three. Leaves may

pinnatisect The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

or bipinnatisect, with incised or entire margins, and may be

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or shortly petiolate. Flowers may be terminally spicate or

racemose A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the shoo ...

, solitary-

axillary Axillary means "related to the axilla (armpit)" or "related to the leaf axils". "Axillary" may refer to: Biology * Axillary artery * Axillary border * Axillary fascia * Axillary feathers * Axillary hairs * Axillary lines * Axillary lymph nodes ...

, or supra-axillary. Flowers are edicellate to sessile or subsessile.

Bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also loo ...

are leaf-like. In species in which they are present, bracteoles are inserted on the

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

or are adnate to the base of the calyx tube. The tube-ridged calyx has 4-5 lobes which are equal or subequal. The corolla is 5-lobed and salver-form. The tube is curved, bent, or straight, covered with stipitate glands and with a unilaterally bearded throat. The limb is bilabiate and

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spir ...

, with the lower lip 3-lobed.

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 ...

each have one

theca In biology, a theca (: thecae) is a sheath or a covering. Botany In botany, the theca is related to plant's flower anatomy. The theca of an angiosperm consists of a pair of microsporangia that are adjacent to each other and share a common ar ...

. The

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

is bilocular, variable, compressed or not.

Ovules In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the fe ...

are numerous. Fruit is either a capsule or a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples of berries in the cul ...

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepted the following species: *'' Cycnium adonense'' E.Mey. ex Benth. *''

Cycnium ajugifolium ''Cycnium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial hemiparasitic herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they d ...

'' Engl. *''

Cycnium angolense ''Cycnium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial hemiparasitic herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they d ...

'' (Engl.) O.J.Hansen *''

Cycnium breviflorum ''Cycnium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial hemiparasitic herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they d ...

'' Ghaz. *''

Cycnium cameronianum ''Cycnium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial hemiparasitic herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they d ...

'' (Oliv.) Engl. *'' Cycnium chevalieri'' Diels *'' Cycnium erectum'' Rendle *'' Cycnium filicalyx'' (E.A.Bruce) O.J.Hansen *'' Cycnium herzfeldianum'' (Vatke) Engl. *'' Cycnium jamesii'' (Skan) O.J.Hansen *'' Cycnium petunioides'' Hutch. *'' Cycnium racemosum'' Benth. *'' Cycnium recurvum'' (Oliv.) Engl. *'' Cycnium tenuisectum'' (Standl.) O.J.Hansen *''

Cycnium tubulosum ''Cycnium tubulosum'', also known as the vlei ink-flower and the tissue paper flower, is a slender Hemiparasite, hemiparasitic perennial plant of the Orobanchaceae, broomrape family. Its range includes much of southern and eastern Africa, from S ...

'' (L.f.) Engl. *'' Cycnium veronicifolium'' (Vatke) Engl. *''

Cycnium volkensii ''Cycnium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orobanchaceae. Its native range is tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar. Plants in this genus are annual or perennial hemiparasitic herbs or small shrubs that turn black when they d ...

'' Engl.

References

Cycnium Flora of Africa Orobanchaceae genera {{Orobanchaceae-stub