''Loxostylis'' is a genus of

flowering plant 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 ...

s belonging to the family

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

. The genus contains a single species called ''Loxostylis alata''. In English, this species goes by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

tar wood. It has self supporting growth and is

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

lists the species as least concern due to it being a widespread species. But it’s being harmed in certain areas. Its native range is Southern Africa.

Name and etymology

''Loxostylis'' is derived from the Greek word ''loxos'' and the Latin ''stylis. Loxos'' means “crooked”, “oblique”, or “twisted” while ''stylis'' means “style”. While ''alatus'' is Latin for “winged”.

Occurrence

It is native to

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sou ...

and

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. ''Loxostylis alata'' is found along woodland edges, along rivers, and on the outcrops of quartz and sandstone.

Reproduction

It is

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

. In spring, male flowers are white and scented while the female flowers are green but the

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

turn red or pink.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9024582, from2=Q13036171 Anacardiaceae Anacardiaceae genera Dioecious plants Monotypic Sapindales genera Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of KwaZulu-Natal Endemic flora of South Africa