Camphorosmeae

Last updated

Camphorosmeae
Camphorosma monspeliense Ypey88 clean.JPG
Camphorosma monspeliaca , Illustration
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Amaranthaceae
Subfamily: Camphorosmoideae
A. J. Scott
Tribe: Camphorosmeae
Moq.
Genera

About 20 genera, see text

Camphorosmeae is a species-rich tribe of the Amaranthaceae, formerly Chenopodiaceae, with 20 genera and about 179 species. It is classified as a single tribe of subfamily Camphorosmoideae. [1]

Contents

Description

Camphorosmeae species are mostly dwarf shrubs or annuals (rarely perennial herbs) with spreading or ascending branches. The plants are more or less densely covered with appressed or spreading hairs. The alternate leaves are often succulent, only a few annual species have thin and flat leaves.

The inconspicuous flowers sit solitary or in axillary clusters of 2–3 (5) in the axil of a subtending bract. They differ from the related subfamily Salsoloideae by the absence of bracteoles. The flowers are mostly bisexual. The perianth consists of (3–) 5 membranous or scarious tepals, which are often fused for about 1/5 to 4/5 of their length. 4–5 stamens are basally fused in a hypogynous disc. They have mostly exserted anthers without appendages. The pollen grains differ from Salsoloideae by greater diameter, and higher number of smaller pores with fewer spinulae per operculum. The horizontal or more rarely vertical ovary is uniovulate, with a distinct style and 2 filiform stigmas with papillae on the entire surface.

The perianth persists end encloses the fruit. The tepals can enlarge or develop wings, spines or long hairs, or become fleshy or woody. The seed with thin testa contains an annular or folded embryo sometimes engirdling a rudimentary central perisperm.

Photosynthesis pathway

The species of Chenolea clade and the large Sclerolaena clade are C3 plants. In the Bassia/Camphorosma clade, all species are C4 plants except Sedobassia sedioides which is C3C4 intermediate. [1]

Distribution and evolution

The Camphorosmeae are distributed in mainly in Australia (c. 147 species) and in the temperate and subtropical regions of the northern hemisphere: Eurasia including North Africa (c. 27 species), and North America (2 species), in South Africa (3 species). A few species are naturalized worldwide.

They grow in different habitats as shores, salt marshes and deserts in mediterranean climate to forests, steppes and deserts in climates with summer rains, from the Sahara to the alpine zone in Central Asia. Very often they grow in dry, saline or disturbed (ruderal) sites.

The group evolved in the Early Miocene, probably deriving from halophytic plants growing at seashores in a warm-temperate climate. The species of the Chenolea clade are regarded as remnants of an early line of evolution. The subfamily spread from Eurasia to Australia, North America and at least two times to South Africa. The Australian lineage diversified strongly, the other lineages remained species-poor.

Systematics

Maireana sedifolia Maireana sedifolia 1.jpg
Maireana sedifolia
Bassia laniflora, illustration Illustration Bassia laniflora0 clean.JPG
Bassia laniflora , illustration

The taxon "Camphorosmeae" has been published in 1837 by Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher as a subtribe within the Chenopodieae. Alfred Moquin-Tandon classified it as a tribe in 1840, and A J Scott raised it to subfamily level as "Camphorosmoideae" in 1978.

Phylogenetic research by Kadereit & Freitag (2011) revealed that the traditional classification of the group did not reflect evolutionary relationships. Most of the genera, especially Kochia and Bassia , were found to be highly polyphyletic, so some of their species had to be transferred to separate genera: Eokochia , Spirobassia , Grubovia and Sedobassia . [1]

The Australian species of Camphorosmeae form a relatively young group still in the process of speciation and with some hybridization between species. In phylogenetic research by Cabrera et al. (2009), the genera were not clearly separated. Probably Neobassia , Threlkeldia and Osteocarpum should be included in Sclerolaena . Likewise, Enchylaena should be included in Maireana . The species-rich genera Sclerolaena and Maireana were found to be polyphyletic, so that further investigations are needed. [2]

Bassia/Camphorosma clade

C4 plants (except Sedobassia sedoides which is intermediate). [1] Widely distributed in Eurasia and southern Africa

Chenolea clade

C3 plants. [1] With 4 genera and 5 disjunct species.

Sclerolaena clade

C3 plants. [1]

Economic importance

Some species of Camphorosmeae are of limited economic interest. Bassia scoparia var. trichophylla is cultivated as an ornamental plant ("summer-cypress"). Bassia prostrata is increasingly important for the improvement of rangeland and phytoremediation. Bassia indica and Bassia scoparia are used as forage plants. Camphorosma monspeliaca is a traditional medicinal herb.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amaranthaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Amaranthaceae is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus Amaranthus. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, making it the most species-rich lineage within its parent order, Caryophyllales.

Sarcocornia is a formerly recognized genus of flowering plants in the amaranth family, Amaranthaceae. Species are known commonly as samphires, glassworts, or saltworts. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that when separated from Salicornia, the genus is paraphyletic, since Salicornia is embedded within it, and Sarcocornia has now been merged into a more broadly circumscribed Salicornia. When separated from Salicornia, the genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and is most diverse in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salicornioideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Salicornioideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae. Important characters are succulent, often articulated stems, strongly reduced leaves, and flowers aggregated in thick, dense spike-shaped thyrses. These halophytic plants are distributed worldwide. Many are edible

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salsoloideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Salsoloideae are a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae, formerly in family Chenopodiaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chenopodioideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Chenopodioideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Amaranthaceae in the APG III system, which is largely based on molecular phylogeny, but were included – together with other subfamilies – in the family Chenopodiaceae, or goosefoot family, in the Cronquist system.

<i>Salsola</i> Genus of plants

Salsola is a genus of the subfamily Salsoloideae in the family Amaranthaceae. The genus sensu stricto is distributed in central and southwestern Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. A common name of various members of this genus and related genera is saltwort, for their salt tolerance. The genus name Salsola is from the Latin salsus, meaning "salty".

<i>Kochia</i> Genus of plants

Kochia is a synonym of the genus Bassia, which belongs to the subfamily Camphorosmoideae of family Amaranthaceae.

<i>Tecticornia</i> Genus of plants

Tecticornia is a genus of succulent, salt tolerant plants largely endemic to Australia. Taxa in the genus are commonly referred to as samphires. In 2007, the genus Halosarcia, along with three other Australian genera was incorporated into the genus.

<i>Neokochia americana</i> Species of flowering plant

Neokochia americana is a species of flowering plant in the amaranth family, subfamily Camphorosmoideae, known by the common name green molly.

<i>Bassia scoparia</i> Species of flowering plant

Bassia scoparia is a large annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae native to Eurasia. It has been introduced to many parts of North America, where it is found in grassland, prairie, and desert shrub ecosystems. Its common names include ragweed, summer cypress, mock-cypress, kochia, belvedere, World's Fair plant, burningbush, Mexican firebrush, and Mexican fireweed, the provenance of the latter three names being the herb's red autumn foliage.

Neokochia californica is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Camphorosmoideae of the amaranth family known by the common name rusty molly. It is native to the valleys and deserts of southeastern California and adjacent parts of Nevada, where it grows in dry, alkaline soils such as alkali flats and desert washes. This is a perennial herb or small shrub growing one or more sprawling, branching stems to a maximum height near 60 centimeters. The stems are lined with narrow, elongated, somewhat flattened fleshy leaves up to about a centimeter long. The leaves and stem are coated in grayish or brownish hairs. The inflorescence is made up of one or more tiny hairy flowers sprouting from the axils of the leaves.

<i>Bassia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Bassia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae. They are distributed in the western Mediterranean to eastern Asia. Some occur outside their native ranges as introduced species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycnemoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Polycnemoideae are a small subfamily of plants in the family Amaranthaceae, representing a basal evolutionary lineage. The few relictual species are distributed in Eurasia and North Africa, North America, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suaedoideae</span> Subfamily of flowering plants

The Suaedoideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Amaranthaceae.

<i>Halocnemum</i> Genus of flowering plants

Halocnemum is a genus of halophytic shrubs in the family Amaranthaceae. The plants are fleshy and apparently articulated with characteristic globular or short-cylindrical lateral branches, and reduced leaves and flowers. There are three or two species, occurring from Southern Europe and North Africa to Asia.

<i>Sclerolaena birchii</i> Species of shrub

Sclerolaena birchii, commonly known as galvanised burr, is a perennial shrub native to inland Australia.

<i>Camphorosma</i> Genus of Amaranthaceae plants

Camphorosma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Amaranthaceae, found in northern Africa, southern and eastern Europe, Crimea, Russia, Anatolia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central Asia, the Altai, western Siberia, Xinjiang in China, and Mongolia. Annuals or subshrubs, they can be distinguished from closely related taxa such as Bassia by their flattened perianths which have four lobes, inflorescences with multicellular glandular hairs, a distinct C4 leaf anatomy type (called the Camphorosma type), and a chromosome count of 2n = 12.

<i>Eriochiton</i> Genus of plants

Eriochiton is a genus of small shrubs in the family Chenopodiaceae, which are included in Amaranthaceae according to the APG classification. It contains a single species, Eriochiton sclerolaenoides, a subshrub endemic to Australia.

<i>Grubovia</i> Genus of plants

Grubovia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Amaranthaceae.

<i>Sclerolaena tricuspis</i> Species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae

Sclerolaena tricuspis, the giant redburr or three-spined Bassia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae, native to eastern Australia. A shrub reaching 1 m (3 ft), it has slender terete leaves.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kadereit, Gudrun; Freitag, Helmut (2011). "Molecular phylogeny of Camphorosmeae (Camphorosmoideae, Chenopodiaceae): Implications for biogeography, evolution of C4-photosynthesis and taxonomy". Taxon. 60 (1): 51–78. doi:10.1002/tax.601006. ISSN   0040-0262.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cabrera, J.F.; Jacobs, S.W.L.; Kadereit, G. (2009). "Phylogeny of the Australian Camphorosmeae (Chenopodiaceae) and the Taxonomic Significance of the Fruiting Perianth". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 170 (4): 505–521. doi:10.1086/597267. ISSN   1058-5893. S2CID   84882162.