''Retiniphyllum'' 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 ...
of
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 ...
and contains 20
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
.
It is the only genus in the tribe Retiniphylleae. The representatives are shrubs or small trees that grow in white sand soils in tropical South America. They are mainly distributed in the Guayana Region (
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...
) but also occur in the Amazon Basin, the eastern Andes and central and eastern Brasil.
Description
The species exhibit a character that is not common in the family Rubiaceae, viz. the presence of two collateral and pendulous ovules per
locule
A locule (plural locules) or loculus (plural loculi) (meaning "little place" in Latin) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus).
In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usu ...
. The shrubs or trees have apical buds with abundant resin. Each flower is subtended by a bracteole and the corollas are contorted. Stamens are reflexed in anthesis and have basal and apical sterile appendages. Many species also exhibit secondary pollen presentation. The 5-locular ovary contains two ovules per locule. The drupaceous fruits contain pyrenes with one seed due to the abortion of one ovule.
Taxonomy
''Retiniphyllum'' was placed in the subfamily
Rubioideae
Rubioideae Juss., 1789 is a subfamily of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae and contains about 7600 species in 27 tribes.
Tribes
* Anthospermeae Cham. & Schltdl. ex DC.
* Argostemmateae Bremek. ex Verdc.
* Clarkelleae Deb
* Collet ...
in the earliest systems of classification due to the misinterpretation of the bi-ovulated locules.
William Jackson Hooker established the tribe Retiniphylleae in 1873 and included the genera ''Retiniphyllum'' and ''
Kutchubaea
''Kutchubaea'' is a genus of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete):
* '' Kutchubaea insignis''
* '' Kutchubaea neblinensis''
* '' Kutchubaea montana'', Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyerm ...
''. The classification of the group remained difficult for a long time, which resulted in the placement of the genus ''Retiniphyllum'' in different tribes and subfamilies of Rubiaceae. Molecular studies place the genus in an isolated clade of the
Ixoroideae
Ixoroideae is a subfamily of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae and contains about 4000 species in 27 tribes.
Tribes
* Airospermeae Kainul. & B.Bremer
* Alberteae Hook.f.
* Aleisanthieae Mouly, J.Florence & B.Bremer
* Augusteae Kainul ...
related to
paleotropical The Paleotropical Kingdom (Paleotropis) is a floristic kingdom comprising tropical areas of Africa, Asia and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), as proposed by Ronald Good and Armen Takhtajan. Part of its flora, inherited from the ancie ...
representatives.
The monophyly of the tribe Retiniphylleae has been confirmed and the tribe is placed as a clade within the subfamily Ixoroideae.
The genera ''
Botryarrhena'' and ''
Scyphiphora
''Scyphiphora'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is the only genus in the tribe Scyphiphoreae. The genus contains only one species, viz. ''Scyphiphora hydrophylacea'', which has a large distribution range from ...
'' were tentatively included in the tribe Retiniphylleae by Robbrecht (1988).
However, molecular data suggest that neither are related to ''Retiniphyllum''.
''
Botryarrhena'' is resolved within the ''
Alibertia'' group, sister to ''
Stachyarrhena'' in a clade with the genera ''
Alibertia'', ''
Borojoa'' and ''
Kutchubaea
''Kutchubaea'' is a genus of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete):
* '' Kutchubaea insignis''
* '' Kutchubaea neblinensis''
* '' Kutchubaea montana'', Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyerm ...
''. The monotypic genus ''
Scyphiphora
''Scyphiphora'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is the only genus in the tribe Scyphiphoreae. The genus contains only one species, viz. ''Scyphiphora hydrophylacea'', which has a large distribution range from ...
'' is sister to a clade that includes the tribe
Ixoreae and
Vanguerieae.
Species
* ''
Retiniphyllum cataractae''
Ducke
* ''
Retiniphyllum chloranthum''
Ducke
* ''
Retiniphyllum concolor''
(Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
ex Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Müll.Arg.
* ''
Retiniphyllum discolor''
(Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
ex Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Müll.Arg.
* ''
Retiniphyllum fuchsioides
''Retiniphyllum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Rubiaceae and contains 20 species. It is the only genus in the tribe Retiniphylleae. The representatives are shrubs or small trees that grow in white sand soils in t ...
''
K.Krause
Kurt Krause (April 20, 1883 in Potsdam – November 19, 1963 in Berlin) was a German botanist who wrote 33 articles and five books on the flora and vegetation of Turkey
about 9300 species of vascular plant were known to grow in Turkey. By comp ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum glabrum''
Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyermark (January 27, 1909 – October 15, 1988) was a Venezuelan American botanist. His focus was on New World vegetation, and he specialized in the family Rubiaceae.
Life and work
Julian Alfred Steyermark was born in St. Louis, ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum guianense''
Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyermark (January 27, 1909 – October 15, 1988) was a Venezuelan American botanist. His focus was on New World vegetation, and he specialized in the family Rubiaceae.
Life and work
Julian Alfred Steyermark was born in St. Louis, ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum kuhlmannii''
Standl.
* ''
Retiniphyllum laxiflorum''
(Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) N.E.Br.
* ''
Retiniphyllum longiflorum''
Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyermark (January 27, 1909 – October 15, 1988) was a Venezuelan American botanist. His focus was on New World vegetation, and he specialized in the family Rubiaceae.
Life and work
Julian Alfred Steyermark was born in St. Louis, ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum maguirei''
Standl.
* ''
Retiniphyllum parvifolium''
Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyermark (January 27, 1909 – October 15, 1988) was a Venezuelan American botanist. His focus was on New World vegetation, and he specialized in the family Rubiaceae.
Life and work
Julian Alfred Steyermark was born in St. Louis, ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum pauciflorum''
Kunth
Carl Sigismund Kunth (18 June 1788 – 22 March 1850), also Karl Sigismund Kunth or anglicized as Charles Sigismund Kunth, was a German botanist. He is known for being one of the first to study and categorise plants from the American continent ...
ex K.Krause
Kurt Krause (April 20, 1883 in Potsdam – November 19, 1963 in Berlin) was a German botanist who wrote 33 articles and five books on the flora and vegetation of Turkey
about 9300 species of vascular plant were known to grow in Turkey. By comp ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum pilosum''
(Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
ex Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Müll.Arg.
* ''
Retiniphyllum scabrum''
Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum schomburgkii''
(Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Müll.Arg.
* ''
Retiniphyllum secundiflorum''
Humb.
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ph ...
& Bonpl.
* ''
Retiniphyllum speciosum''
(Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
ex Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
) Müll.Arg.
* ''
Retiniphyllum tepuiense''
Steyerm.
Julian Alfred Steyermark (January 27, 1909 – October 15, 1988) was a Venezuelan American botanist. His focus was on New World vegetation, and he specialized in the family Rubiaceae.
Life and work
Julian Alfred Steyermark was born in St. Louis, ...
* ''
Retiniphyllum truncatum''
Müll.Arg.
References
External links
''Retiniphyllum'' in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q628706
Rubiaceae genera
Retiniphylleae
Taxa named by Aimé Bonpland
Taxa named by Alexander von Humboldt