Myrothamnus
Encyclopedia
Myrothamnus is the botanical name
of a genus
of flowering plants, consisting of two species of small xerophytic shrub
s, in the southern parts of tropical Africa
and in Madagascar
.
Myrothamnaceae was included in order Hamamelidales
in the Cronquist system
. Molecular systematic studies have suggested that Myrothamnus is not closely related to Hamamelidaceae
nor any other family included in that order, but rather is closely related to Gunnera
. In the APG II system
(2003,) the genus is assigned to family Gunneraceae
or to the optionally recognized segregate family Myrothamnaceae
. In APG III (2009,) the narrower circumscription is preferred, and these two families are considered distinct.
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
of a 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...
of flowering plants, consisting of two species of small xerophytic shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, in the southern parts of tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and in Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
.
Myrothamnaceae was included in order Hamamelidales
Hamamelidales
Hamamelidales is the botanical name of an order of flowering plants. The Cronquist system included the order in subclass Hamamelidae with the circumscription:* order Hamamelidales*: family Hamamelidaceae*: family Cercidiphyllaceae...
in 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...
. Molecular systematic studies have suggested that Myrothamnus is not closely related to Hamamelidaceae
Hamamelidaceae
The Hamamelidaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales, including 27 genera and about 80-90 species, all shrubs and small trees...
nor any other family included in that order, but rather is closely related to Gunnera
Gunnera
Gunnera is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants, some of them gigantic. The genus is the only member of the family Gunneraceae.The 40-50 species vary enormously in leaf size...
. In the APG II system
APG II system
The APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
(2003,) the genus is assigned to family Gunneraceae
Gunneraceae
Gunneraceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists.The APG II system, of 2003, also recognizes this family and assigns it to the order Gunnerales in the clade core eudicots. The family then consists of one or two genera, Gunnera...
or to the optionally recognized segregate family Myrothamnaceae
Myrothamnaceae
Myrothamnaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, having been included in order Hamamelidales in the Cronquist system. The APG II system includes Myrothamnaceae in Gunneraceae but allows for the optional segregation of...
. In APG III (2009,) the narrower circumscription is preferred, and these two families are considered distinct.