Hypericum aciferum
Hypericum aciferum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Hypericaceae |
Genus: | Hypericum |
Section: | Hypericum sect. Adenotrias |
Species: | H. aciferum
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Binomial name | |
Hypericum aciferum (Greuter) N.Robson
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Synonyms | |
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Hypericum aciferum is a
The species was described by
Etymology
The
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.
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
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.
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
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
Uses
Hypericum aciferum has extremely low suitability for use as a
References
- ^ Coombes 2012, p. 172.
- ^ "Hypericum aciferum". Cretan Flora. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Greuter 1965, p. 215.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Robson 1996, p. 153.
- ^ Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 148.
- ^ a b c "Hypericum aciferum (Greuter) N.Robson". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ a b c Greuter 1965, p. 216.
- ^ Tutin et al. 1969, p. 264.
- ^ Robson 2016, p. 189.
- ^ Robson 2016, p. 191.
- ^ Meseguer, Aldasoro & Sanmartín 2013, p. 386.
- ^ a b Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 147.
- ^ a b c Kypriotakis 1995, p. 316.
- ^ a b Gotsiou, P.; Kokkinaki, A.; Fournaraki, C.; et al. (30 March 2021). "Hypericum aciferum". IUCN Red List. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- ^ Thanos, Kaltsis & Koutsovoulou 2013, p. 153.
- ^ "Hypericum aciferum". List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe. 1983. pp. 113, 198
- ^ "Hypericum aciferum". Checklists for the CORINE Biotopes Programme. 1994. pp. 112, appendix 2.
- ^ "Hypericum aciferum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1997. p. 297.
- ^ a b Thanos et al. 2013, p. 28.
- ^ Thanos et al. 2013, p. 33.
- ^ Krigas et al. 2021, p. 2556.
- ^ Thanos, Costas (2007). "Hypericum aciferum: Description". CretaPlant. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
Bibliography
- Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names: a quick reference guide to 4000 garden plants. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.
- Greuter, Werner (1965). "Beitrage zur Flora der Sudagais 1-7" [Contributions to the Flora of the South Aegean]. Candollea (in German). 20 – via E-Periodica.
- Krigas, Nikos; Tsoktouridis, Georgios; Anestis, Ioannis; Khabbach, Abdelmajid (2021). "Exploring the Potential of Neglected Local Endemic Plants of Three Mediterranean Regions in the Ornamental Sector: Value Chain Feasibility and Readiness Timescale for Their Sustainable Exploitation". Sustainability. 13 – via MDPI.
- Kypriotakis, Zacharias (1995). Red Data Book of Greece (PDF). Greece: Hellenic Botanic Society.
- Meseguer, Andrea; Aldasoro, Juan; Sanmartín, Isabel (2013). "Bayesian inference of phylogeny, morphology and range evolution reveals a complex evolutionary history in St. John's wort (Hypericum)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 67 (2): 379–403. PMID 23435266– via Elsevier.
- Robson, Norman (1996). "Studies in the genus Hypericum L. (Guttiferae) 6. Sections 20. Myriandra to 28. Elodes". Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. Botany. 26 (2) – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- Robson, Norman (2016). "And then came molecular phylogenetics—Reactions to a monographic study of Hypericum (Hypericaceae)" (PDF). Phytotaxa. 255 (3) – via ResearchGate.
- Thanos, Costas; Fournaraki, Christini; Georghiou, Kyriacos; Dimopoulos, Panayotis (2013). "PMRs in western Crete" (PDF). Plant Micro-Reserves: From Theory to Practice. Utopia Publishing. ISBN 978-618-80647-2-0.
- Thanos, Costas; Kaltsis, Apostolis; Koutsovoulou, Katerina (2013). "PMRs as Field Laboratories for Scientific Research" (PDF). Plant Micro-Reserves: From Theory to Practice. Utopia Publishing. ISBN 978-618-80647-2-0.
- Tutin, T.G.; Heywood, V.H.; Moore, D.M.; et al. (1969). Flora Europaea. Vol. 2. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521 06662 X.