Diapensiaceae
Encyclopedia
Diapensiaceae is a small family of flowering plant
s, comprising 12 species
in five genera. Three of the genera, Berneuxia, Galax
, and Pyxidanthera, contain only a single species. The Asian species of Shortia
were formerly separated as the genus Schizocodon, and some authors still recognize S. soldanelloides under that name. Another genus, Diplarche, was included in the family by some authors but is now regarded as a member of Ericaceae
.
Genera
In other plant classifications such as the Cronquist system
, the family was treated in its own order
Diapensiales, but more recent studies such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
place it in the order Ericales
.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s, comprising 12 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in five genera. Three of the genera, Berneuxia, Galax
Galax
Galax is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, Galax urceolata...
, and Pyxidanthera, contain only a single species. The Asian species of Shortia
Shortia
Shortia is a small genus of subshrubs or perennial herbs in the family Diapensiaceae. There are five species, four in Asia and one in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. They are found in mountainous areas, generally from 1000–2000 meters elevation. All have restricted ranges...
were formerly separated as the genus Schizocodon, and some authors still recognize S. soldanelloides under that name. Another genus, Diplarche, was included in the family by some authors but is now regarded as a member of Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
.
Genera
- Berneuxia Decne.
- DiapensiaDiapensiaDiapensia lapponica is a plant in the family Diapensiaceae, the only circumpolar species in the genus Diapensia, the others being mainly in the Himalayas. It is a circumboreal arctic-alpine species which grows on exposed rocky ridges that are kept free from snow by high winds .It is a small...
L. - GalaxGalaxGalax is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, Galax urceolata...
Sims - Pyxidanthera Michx.André MichauxAndré Michaux was a French botanist and explorer.-Biography:Michaux was born in Satory, now part of Versailles, Yvelines. After the death of his wife within a year of their marriage he took up the study of botany and was a student of Bernard de Jussieu...
- ShortiaShortiaShortia is a small genus of subshrubs or perennial herbs in the family Diapensiaceae. There are five species, four in Asia and one in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. They are found in mountainous areas, generally from 1000–2000 meters elevation. All have restricted ranges...
Torr. & A.GrayAsa Gray-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
In other plant classifications such as the Cronquist system
Cronquist system
The Cronquist system is a taxonomic classification system of flowering plants. It was developed by Arthur Cronquist in his texts An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants and The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants .Cronquist's system places flowering plants into two...
, the family was treated in its own order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Diapensiales, but more recent studies such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
place it in the order Ericales
Ericales
The Ericales are a large and diverse order of dicotyledons, including for example tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, and azalea. The order includes trees and bushes, lianas and herbaceous plants. Together with ordinary autophytic plants, the Ericales include chlorophyll-deficient...
.