''Semiaquilegia'' 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 of the family

Ranunculaceae Ranunculaceae (, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family (biology), family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 spec ...

, native to eastern Asia. The genus was first proposed by the botanist

Tomitaro Makino was a pioneer Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work. He has been called "Father of Japanese Botany", having been one of the first Japanese botanists to work extensively on classifying Japanese plants using the system developed by Carl ...

in 1902. Most authorities generally hold that there is only one species in the genus, ''

Semiaquilegia adoxoides ''Semiaquilegia adoxoides'' is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae. The species is native to Japan, Korea, and China, Now often considered the sole member of the genus ''Semiaquilegia'', it bears similarities to memb ...

'', though other species have been proposed as members. The

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

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 ...

accepts four species of ''Semiaquilegia''.

Description

The genus ''Semiaquilegia'' are

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 ...

herbaceous plants Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

of the

family. The plants possess tuberous roots. The arrangement of the leaves is basal (protruding from the stem's base) and

cauline 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 ...

(attached to aerial stem). Some small leaves will grow on the flower stem during the early summer. ''Semiaquilegia'' plants flower, with flowers that are actinomorphic (possess radial symmetrical). These flowers possess five petaloid

sepal 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'' ...

s and five

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s. The petals are in a basally gibbous arrangement. There are 8 to 14

stamen 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 filament ...

s. Characteristic of the genus, inner stamen can resemble flattened

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co ...

s. The

anther 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 filament ...

s are yellow. While ''Semiaquilegia'' flowers can resemble those of ''

Aquilegia ''Aquilegia'', commonly known as columbines, is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). The genus includes between 80 and 400 taxa (described species and subspecies) with natural Species distribution, rang ...

'', ''Semiaquilegia'' flowers lack

nectar spur A nectar spur is a hollow extension of a part of a flower. The spur may arise from various parts of the flower: the sepals, petals, or hypanthium, and often contain tissues that secrete nectar Nectar, (nectaries). Nectar spurs are present in many ...

s or possess extremely short spurs. Fruit appear in groups of three to five follicles that diverge. The seeds of the genus are colored brown to black-brown and heavily wrinkled.

Taxonomy

The Japanese botanist

proposed the establishment of ''Semiaquilegia'' as a genus in 1902. Makino assessed the characteristics of the genus as approximating the appearance of plants in the genus ''

'', but with several distinctions. Among the features of ''Semiaquilegia'' that Makino identified were the absence of

s, the presence of fewer than 15 stamens, and possession of inner stamens that look like flattened staminodes. In 1920, British botanists

James Ramsay Drummond James Ramsay Drummond (1851–1921) was a civil servant in India, and amateur botanist. Born in Scotland, he graduated Bachelor of Arts, BA from New College, Oxford in 1872. He had a distinguished botanical ancestry; his great-uncle was the bo ...

and John Hutchinson published a paper, "A Revision of ''Isopyrum'' (Ranunculaceae) and Its Nearer Allies", in the

's '' Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information'' to address problems that had developed within the genus ''

Isopyrum ''Isopyrum'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae native to Eurasia and North America. ''Isopyrum'' plants possess white flowers with five sepals and five petals. The genus was first described in 1753 by the biologist Carl ...

''. In order to address the substantial morphological variance that had coexisted within ''Isopyrum'', Drummond and Hutchinson segregated out the genus '' Paraquilegia'' and expanded ''Semiaquilegia'' to include species formerly identified as ''Isopyrum'' (''S. Eastwoodiae'', ''S. simulatrix'', ''S. Henryi''). The American botanist and gardener Robert Nold referred to the 1920 expansion of ''Semiaquilegia'' to four species as "rather less fortunate". These new ''Semiaquilegia'' have been subsequently removed from the genus, with only ''S. adoxoides'' accepted as part of the genus by 2003. Three more species were published in the 2010s.

Etymology

The generic name ''Semiaquilegia'' is derived from the name for the genus ''Aquilegia'' (columbines), to which they are closely related, and literally translates as "half-columbines".

Species

Species are regularly described, synonymized, or reassigned to other genera, so presently only one is considered valid by most authorities: the type species ''

''. There are four species accepted by the

: *''

'' *''

Semiaquilegia danxiashanensis ''Semiaquilegia'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Asia. The genus was first proposed by the botanist Tomitaro Makino in 1902. Most authorities generally hold that there is only one species in the genu ...

'' *''

Semiaquilegia guangxiensis ''Semiaquilegia'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Asia. The genus was first proposed by the botanist Tomitaro Makino in 1902. Most authorities generally hold that there is only one species in the genu ...

'' *''

Semiaquilegia quelpaertensis ''Semiaquilegia'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Asia. The genus was first proposed by the botanist Tomitaro Makino in 1902. Most authorities generally hold that there is only one species in the genu ...

Distribution

''Semiaquilegia'' is native to

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. If the genus is understood as only encompassing ''Semiaquilegia adoxoides'', its range extends across China, Japan, and

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Cultivation

According to the

Alpine Garden Society The Alpine Garden Society headquarters are at Pershore, Worcestershire. It is an "International Society for the cultivation, conservation and exploration of alpine and rock garden plants, small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs ...

, ''Semiaquilegia'' are well-suited to pot cultivation at alpine houses. The plants require well-drained soil and can be short-lived. Propagation can be achieved by sowing seeds when they are fresh and in the spring. Division can also be used in propagation, if performed carefully.

References

{{Portal bar, Biology, Plants, Japan Ranunculaceae genera Taxa described in 1902