Anthocercis
Encyclopedia
Anthocercis, commonly known as Tailflower, is a genus
of shrubs which are endemic in southern temperate Australia with the center of distribution in the South West Botanical Province of Western Australia
. All species of Anthocercis contain tropane alkaloid
s, and have occasionally caused poisoning in children or suspected of poisoning stock. Anthocercis is known as the only Solanaceous plant known to produce resin
compounds on glandular trichomes.
, which is placed within the Solanaceae
family, was first formally described by botanist Jacques Labillardière
in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
, Vol. 2: 19 (1806). The type species of the genus
is Anthocercis littorea Labill.
Anthocercis lies in the subfamily Nicotianoideae. The genus is considered to be part of the tribe "Anthocercideae," but the monophyly
of this grouping has been called into question. The species within Anthocercis, however, form a monophyletic group, and lie sister to all other genera of the "Anthocercidoid clade." .
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of shrubs which are endemic in southern temperate Australia with the center of distribution in the South West Botanical Province of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. All species of Anthocercis contain tropane alkaloid
Tropane alkaloid
Tropane alkaloids are a class of alkaloids and secondary metabolites that contain a tropane ring in their chemical structure...
s, and have occasionally caused poisoning in children or suspected of poisoning stock. Anthocercis is known as the only Solanaceous plant known to produce resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
compounds on glandular trichomes.
Taxonomy
The genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, which is placed within the Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
family, was first formally described by botanist Jacques Labillardière
Jacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen
Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen is a two volume work describing the flora of Australia. The author was the French botanist Jacques Labillardière, who visited the region in 1792 with the d'Entrecasteaux expedition...
, Vol. 2: 19 (1806). The type species of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
is Anthocercis littorea Labill.
Jacques Labillardière
Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
Anthocercis lies in the subfamily Nicotianoideae. The genus is considered to be part of the tribe "Anthocercideae," but the monophyly
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
of this grouping has been called into question. The species within Anthocercis, however, form a monophyletic group, and lie sister to all other genera of the "Anthocercidoid clade." .
Etymology
Anthocercis; from the Greek anthos (a flower) and kerkis (a ray), in reference to the narrow corolla-lobes.Species
- Anthocercis angustifolia F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
- Anthocercis anisantha Endl.
- Anthocercis aromatica C.A.Gardner
- Anthocercis fasciculata F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
- Anthocercis genistoides MiersJohn Miers (botanist)John Miers, FRS FLS, knight grand cross of the Order of the Rose, was a British botanist and engineer, best known for his work on the flora of Chile and Argentina....
- Anthocercis gracilis Benth.George BenthamGeorge Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
(Slender Tailflower ) - Anthocercis ilicifolia Hook.William Jackson HookerSir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
(Red Striped Yellow Tailflower) - Anthocercis intricata F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
- Anthocercis littorea Labill.Jacques LabillardièreJacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière was a French naturalist noted for his descriptions of the flora of Australia. Labillardière was a member of a voyage in search of the La Pérouse expedition...
(Yellow Tailflower) - Anthocercis microphylla F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
(Small-leaved Anthocercis) - Anthocercis odgersii F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
(Woolly Anthocercis) - Anthocercis racemosa F.Muell.Ferdinand von MuellerBaron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
- Anthocercis sylvicola T.Macfarlane & Wardell-Johnson
- Anthocercis tenuipes Gand. (Putative hybrid between Duboisia myoporoidesDuboisia myoporoidesDuboisia myoporoides, or Corkwood, is a shrub or tree native to high-rainfall areas on the margins of rainforest in eastern Australia. It has a thick and corky bark....
R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
& Cyphanthera scabrella (Benth.George BenthamGeorge Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
) MiersJohn Miers (botanist)John Miers, FRS FLS, knight grand cross of the Order of the Rose, was a British botanist and engineer, best known for his work on the flora of Chile and Argentina....
) - Anthocercis viscosaAnthocercis viscosaAnthocercis viscosa, also known as Sticky Tailflower, is a species of shrub in the Solanaceae family, native to the south coast of Western Australia...
R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
(Sticky Tailflower)