Hypericum aciferum

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Hypericum aciferum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Hypericaceae
Genus: Hypericum
Section: Hypericum sect. Adenotrias
Species:
H. aciferum
Binomial name
Hypericum aciferum
(Greuter) N.Robson
Synonyms
  • Elodes acifera Greuter

Hypericum aciferum is a

St John's wort family Hypericaceae. It is a small shrub endemic to the Greek island of Crete. H. aciferum grows in a mat on the ground and has twisting branches, needle-like leaves, and long golden petals. Its flowers are also heterostylous, a trait which within the Hypericum genus is unique to three species in section Adenotrias
, and means that the species can exhibit one of two flower types on different plants.

The species was described by

pharmaceutical
purposes.

Etymology

The

specific epithet aciferum comes from Latin and possibly refers to the needle-like leaves of the plant.[2]

Description

Hypericum aciferum is a shrublet that grows around 5–6 centimeters tall. The species grows low to the ground, with many twisting branches that press against the soil; these form a mat that can be up to 60 cm wide. The whole plant lacks hairs and dark glands.[3][4]

The stems are mostly cylindrical when the plant is mature.[4] The leaves are arranged on opposite sides of the stem and are narrow but have a more thick, rounded end. They are 0.5–1.2 cm long and 0.06–0.14 cm wide. The midrib is raised on the underside of the leaf, like the keel of a ship, but is slightly furrowed on the top side.[3] The shape of the leaves is like a needle, and they have the texture of leather.[4]

The flowers are arranged in small, simple clusters that consist of a single branch.

anthers. The seed capsule is septicidal, meaning it splits open along three seams.[3]

Plants of Hypericum aciferum can have one of two types of flowers, a phenomenon known as heterostyly. In Type 1 flowers, the styles are much longer than the stamens; in Type 2 flowers, the stamens are much longer than the styles. Insect pollination is usually only between different types of flowers, encouraging genetic diversity within the species. A small-scale study of the species suggested a ratio of Type 1 to Type 2 flowers of 1:1.5.[5]

Similar species

Hypericum aciferum is most similar in appearance to the other two species in section Adenotrias: H. russeggeri and H. aegypticum. It can be told apart primarily by its reduced size. In comparison to H. russeggeri, it also has narrower leaves, fewer flowers, petals with less curling, and fewer stamens in each bundle.[4]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Werner Greuter in the journal Candollea in 1965.[6] Greuter originally wanted to include it in the small genus Triadenia, with which it shared characteristics and a distribution. However, he noted that Triadenia was likely an illegitimate genus, because its type species T. microphylla was actually a synonym of Hypericum aegypticum. As such, he decided to place it into the related genus Elodes under the name Elodes acifera. He further placed it under an informal set of species within the genus called the "Adenotrias group", and formalized that set into the taxon Elodes sect. Adenotrias. This placed Elodes acifera as most closely related to Elodes russeggeri (now Hypericum russeggeri and previously Triadenia russeggeri), the only other species in the new section.[7]

Norman Robson described the species again in 1967 in the journal Feddes Repertorium, moving it into the genus

Annales Musei Goulandris in 1973.[4]

At various points since Robson's assignment of the species to Hypericum, several sections of that large genus were split off again. The primary reason for this was what Robson called an "Elodes syndrome" of convergent flower adaptations.[9] While section Adenotrias also possessed the syndrome, it was retained in the genus, meaning that the name Hypericum aciferum remained constant;[10] this was affirmed by a study of molecular phylogenetics in 2013.[11]

Distribution, habitat, and ecology

Hypericum aciferum was originally described from a single location in southwestern Crete.

chasmophyte, often growing in the crevices of rocks.[12] It is very rare, but can be found in limestone or other chalky rocks at altitudes of 5–40 meters.[4][7] Despite being much less frequently found, it has a habitat that is highly similar to that of H. russeggeri and H. aegypticum.[4]

Hypericum aciferum can be found among several other species, including Allium bourgeaui, Centaurea argentea, Dianthus fruticosus, Origanum dictamnus, Ornithogalum creticum, and Staehelina fruticosa.[13] A part of the population is found inside a Pinus halepensis forest.[14] One method by which H. aciferum spreads is via myrmecochory; ants help to disperse its seeds by carrying them from one place to another.[15] The plant can be propagated easily from seeds stored in a seed bank.[13]

Conservation

Hypericum aciferum is located in Crete
Hypericum aciferum
class=notpageimage|
Location of the Hypericum aciferum PMR

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe listed Hypericum aciferum as being endemic to Greece and an endangered species in 1982.[16] In 1994 the European Environment Agency marked Hypericum aciferum as a "strictly protected flora species".[17] A more detailed assessment was included in the 1995 Red Data Book of Greece, which counted a total of 95 plants in the wild and a few cultivated plants in a municipal garden in Herraklion.[13] H. aciferum was also included in the 1997 IUCN Red List, where it was again marked as endangered.[18]

Beginning in 2015, most of the population of Hypericum aciferum is contained within a

gorge area.[12] The PMR contained around 130 plants of the species in 2013 and had a "favorable" situation for conservation, with a goal of eventually reaching 300 plants.[19] Because of the critically low number of plants, however, there is still a high risk of extinction for the species. The largest threats to Hypericum aciferum are human activity, fire, and erosion of its habitat. Livestock grazing and climate change also present slight stressors to the species.[20] The IUCN re-evaluated the species since the establishment of the micro-reserves. In 2021, Hypericum aciferum was assessed as vulnerable and its population was recorded as stable.[14]

Uses

Hypericum aciferum has extremely low suitability for use as a

pharmaceutical use as of 2007.[22]

References

  1. ^ Coombes 2012, p. 172.
  2. ^ "Hypericum aciferum". Cretan Flora. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Greuter 1965, p. 215.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Robson 1996, p. 153.
  5. ^ Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 148.
  6. ^ a b c "Hypericum aciferum (Greuter) N.Robson". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  7. ^ a b c Greuter 1965, p. 216.
  8. ^ Tutin et al. 1969, p. 264.
  9. ^ Robson 2016, p. 189.
  10. ^ Robson 2016, p. 191.
  11. ^ Meseguer, Aldasoro & Sanmartín 2013, p. 386.
  12. ^ a b Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 147.
  13. ^ a b c Kypriotakis 1995, p. 316.
  14. ^ a b Gotsiou, P.; Kokkinaki, A.; Fournaraki, C.; et al. (30 March 2021). "Hypericum aciferum". IUCN Red List. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  15. ^ Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 153.
  16. ^ "Hypericum aciferum". List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe. 1983. pp. 113, 198
  17. ^ "Hypericum aciferum". Checklists for the CORINE Biotopes Programme. 1994. pp. 112, appendix 2.
  18. ^ "Hypericum aciferum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1997. p. 297.
  19. ^ a b Thanos et al. 2013, p. 28.
  20. ^ Thanos et al. 2013, p. 33.
  21. ^ Krigas et al. 2021, p. 2556.
  22. ^ Thanos, Costas (2007). "Hypericum aciferum: Description". CretaPlant. Retrieved 3 April 2024.

Bibliography

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