''Rytigynia'' 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 ...

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 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 ...

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), 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 Petiole ( ...

. It is found in tropical and southern Africa. The genera ''Rytigynia'' and ''

Fadogia ''Fadogia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genera '' Rytigynia'' and ''Fadogia'' form a strongly supported clade but neither of these genera is monophyletic. Distribution ''Fadogia'' is found in Tropical Africa. '' ...

'' form a strongly supported

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

but neither of these genera is

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

Distribution

''Rytigynia'' is found in

Tropical Africa The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...

. '' R. senegalensis'' and '' R. umbellulata'' are the two most widespread species and they are found from

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

. '' R. celastroides'' has the southernmost distribution and occurs as far south as

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 ...

. However, most species are more restricted in distribution area and they are often found in either West or East Africa. Half of the species is even endemic to one country. One-third of all ''Rytigynia'' species is found in

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, and many of them are endemics.

Bacterial leaf symbiosis

Endophytic bacteria are housed in the intercellular space of the leaf

mesophyll tissue A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

. The presence of these bacteria can only be microscopically ascertained. The bacteria are identified as ''

Burkholderia ''Burkholderia'' is a genus of Pseudomonadota whose pathogenic members include the ''Burkholderia cepacia'' complex, which attacks humans and plants; ''Burkholderia mallei'', responsible for glanders, a disease that occurs mostly in horses and r ...

'', which is a genus that is also found in the leaves of other Rubiaceae species. The hypothesis is that these endophytic bacteria provide chemical protection against insect herbivory.

Species

* '' Rytigynia acuminatissima'' ( K.Schum.) Robyns * '' Rytigynia adenodonta'' ( K.Schum.) Robyns * '' Rytigynia argentea'' (Wernham) Robyns * '' Rytigynia bagshawei'' ( S.Moore) Robyns * '' Rytigynia beniensis'' ( De Wild.) Robyns * '' Rytigynia binata'' ( K.Schum.) Robyns * '' Rytigynia bomiliensis'' ( De Wild.) Robyns * '' Rytigynia bridsoniae'' Verdc. * '' Rytigynia bugoyensis'' (K.Krause) Verdc. * '' Rytigynia canthioides'' (

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 ...

) Robyns * '' Rytigynia caudatissima'' Verdc. * ''

Rytigynia celastroides ''Rytigynia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Rubiaceae. It is found in tropical and southern Africa. The genera ''Rytigynia'' and ''Fadogia'' form a Resampling (statistics), strongly supported clade but neither of ...

Schweinf. Georg August Schweinfurth (29 December 1836 – 19 September 1925) was a Baltic Germans, Baltic German botanist and ethnologist who explored East Central Africa. Life and explorations He was born at Riga, Latvia, then part of the Russian Emp ...

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

) A.P.Davis & Govaerts * '' Rytigynia torrei'' Verdc. * '' Rytigynia uhligii'' ( K.Schum. & K.Krause) Verdc. * '' Rytigynia umbellulata'' ( Hiern) Robyns * '' Rytigynia verruculosa'' (K.Krause) Robyns * '' Rytigynia xanthotricha'' ( K.Schum.) Verdc.

References

External links

''Rytigynia'' in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae

''Rytigynia''
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Index Nominum Genericorum
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At

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7385460 Rubiaceae genera Vanguerieae Taxonomy articles created by Polbot