Podostemaceae
Encyclopedia
The Podostemaceae is a family
in the order
Malpighiales
. It comprises about 50 genera
and 250 species
of more or less thalloid
aquatic herbs.
Riverweeds adhere to hard surfaces (generally rock) in rapids and waterfalls of river
s. They are found mostly in tropical and subtropical areas world-wide. Many species are found in a very small geographic area (perhaps even just a single river or waterfall). Riverweeds are submerged when water levels are high, but during the dry season they live a terrestrial existence, flowering at this time. Their root anatomy is specialized for the purpose of clinging to rocks, and in fact details of the root structure are one of the ways of classifying riverweeds.
The Podostemaceae are related to the families Clusiaceae
, Hypericaceae
(the St. John's wort family, which is sometimes treated as a subfamily of Clusiaceae), and Bonnetiaceae
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
in the 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...
Malpighiales
Malpighiales
Malpighiales is one of the largest orders of flowering plants, containing about 16000 species, approximately 7.8% of the eudicots. The order is very diverse and hard to recognize except with molecular phylogenetic evidence. It is not part of any of the classification systems that are based only on...
. It comprises about 50 genera
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...
and 250 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...
of more or less thalloid
Thallus (tissue)
Thallus, from Latinized Greek θαλλός , meaning a green shoot or twig, is the undifferentiated vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungus, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms were previously known as the thallophytes, a polyphyletic...
aquatic herbs.
Riverweeds adhere to hard surfaces (generally rock) in rapids and waterfalls of river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s. They are found mostly in tropical and subtropical areas world-wide. Many species are found in a very small geographic area (perhaps even just a single river or waterfall). Riverweeds are submerged when water levels are high, but during the dry season they live a terrestrial existence, flowering at this time. Their root anatomy is specialized for the purpose of clinging to rocks, and in fact details of the root structure are one of the ways of classifying riverweeds.
The Podostemaceae are related to the families Clusiaceae
Clusiaceae
The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. is a family of plants formerly including about 37 genera and 1610 species of trees and shrubs, often with milky sap and fruits or capsules for seeds. It is primarily tropical...
, Hypericaceae
Hypericaceae
Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales. Molecular data supports its monophyly. Some systematists treat it as a subfamily of the Clusiaceae. When it is accepted as a distinct family, it contains the following genera:* Cratoxylum Blume...
(the St. John's wort family, which is sometimes treated as a subfamily of Clusiaceae), and Bonnetiaceae
Bonnetiaceae
Bonnetiaceae is a family of flowering plants, consisting of 3 genera and 35 species. The genus wholly belongs to the Neotropics, except the genus Ploiarium, which is also found in Malesia....
.
Genera
- Angolaea
- Apinagia
- Butumia
- Castelnavia
- Ceratolacis
- Cladopus
- Dalzellia
- Devillea
- Dicraeanthus
- Dicraeia
- Diplobryum
- Djinga
- Endocaulos
- Farmeria
- Griffithella
- Heterotristicha
- Hydrobryum
- Indotristicha
- Jenmaniella
- LedermanniellaLedermanniellaLedermanniella is a genus of plant in family Podostemaceae.Species include:* Ledermanniella keayi* Ledermanniella letouzeyi, C.Cusset* Ledermanniella onanae, Cheek* Ledermanniella thalloidea, C.Cusset...
- Leiothylax
- Letestuella
- Lonchostephus
- Lophogyne
- Macarenia
- MacropodiellaMacropodiellaMacropodiella is a genus of plant in family Podostemaceae.Species include:* Macropodiella pellucida, C.Cusset...
- Malaccotristicha
- Marathrum
- Mniopsis
- Monostylis
- Mourera
- Oserya
- Paleodicraeia
- Podostemum
- Pohliella
- Polypleurella
- Polypleurum
- Rhyncholacis
- SaxicolellaSaxicolellaSaxicolella is a genus of plant in family Podostemaceae.Species include:* Saxicolella marginalis, M. Cheek...
- Sphaerothylax
- Stonesia
- Thelethylax
- Torrenticola
- Tristicha
- Tulasneantha
- Weddellina
- Wettsteiniola
- Willisia
- Winklerella
- Zehnderia
Moved to other genera
- HydrostachysHydrostachysHydrostachys is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants native to Madagascar and southern and central Africa. It is the only genus in the family Hydrostachyaceae. All species of Hydrostachys are aquatic, growing on rocks in fast-moving water...
from Madagascar. This genus seems to have relatively little in common with any other, and no affinity to the Podostemaceae except being aquatic; moved to its own family in the CornalesCornalesCornales is an order of flowering plants, basal among the asterids, containing about 600 species. Plants within Cornales usually have four-parted flowers, drupaceous fruits, and inferior gynoecia topped with disc-shaped nectaries...
.