Holosteum
Encyclopedia
Holosteum is a genus
of plants in the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae
) with 3 or 4 species native from southern Europe through central and south western Asia and in Africa. They are herbs with an annual life span, some growing as winter annuals. They have slender root
s and thin stem
s that are upright or ascending. The genus name was given by Linnaeus, and named because of the sprawling nature of the plants: Greek holos, meaning whole or all, and osteon, meaning bone, because of the frailty of the plant.
Flowers are bisexual but sometimes also unisexual and pistillate. Flowers are hypogynous, have 5 sepals that are distinct and green in color and lanceolate to ovate in shape and 2.5-4.5 mm long. Typically with no stipule
s. The flowers have 5 petals that are white to soft pink in color and are clawed. Plants typically are found as small inconspicuous early spring blooming plants with short life spans.
Common names for the plants in this genus include jagged chickweeds and (in Chinese) ying gu cao.
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 plants in the Pink family (Caryophyllaceae
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
) with 3 or 4 species native from southern Europe through central and south western Asia and in Africa. They are herbs with an annual life span, some growing as winter annuals. They have slender root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s and thin stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s that are upright or ascending. The genus name was given by Linnaeus, and named because of the sprawling nature of the plants: Greek holos, meaning whole or all, and osteon, meaning bone, because of the frailty of the plant.
Flowers are bisexual but sometimes also unisexual and pistillate. Flowers are hypogynous, have 5 sepals that are distinct and green in color and lanceolate to ovate in shape and 2.5-4.5 mm long. Typically with no stipule
Stipule
In botany, stipule is a term coined by Linnaeus which refers to outgrowths borne on either side of the base of a leafstalk...
s. The flowers have 5 petals that are white to soft pink in color and are clawed. Plants typically are found as small inconspicuous early spring blooming plants with short life spans.
Common names for the plants in this genus include jagged chickweeds and (in Chinese) ying gu cao.