Gymnosiphon

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Gymnosiphon
Gymnosiphon longistylus Douala-Edea Reserve Cameroon IMG 2163.JPG
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Dioscoreales
Family: Burmanniaceae
Genus: Gymnosiphon
Blume
Synonyms[1]
  • Ptychomeria Benth.
  • Benitzia H.Karst.
  • Desmogymnosiphon Guinea

Gymnosiphon (yellowseed)[2] is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants from the yam order. Like most of the other members of the family in which the plant is placed (Burmanniaceae), Gymnosiphon is entirely myco-heterotrophic genus that does not contain chlorophyll and respectively does not perform photosynthesis.[3]

Gymnosiphon is distributed across the moist, tropical regions of Asia, America and Africa.[1] The plant has very small size and thin stems. Leaves are rudimentary and with appearance like scales or bracts. Its flowers are white in color, pale and solitary or sometimes collected in tiny inflorescences of few depending on the species. They are also actinomorphic with three larger outer tepals and three more inner and smaller ones.[4]

Phylogenetically Gymnosiphon is placed in the clade of Burmanniaceae sensu stricto.

Species[1]
  • - New Guinea
  • - SC Africa
  • - Taiwan, SE Asia, New Guinea, Micronesia
  • - C Africa
  • - Panama, NW S America
  • - Costa Rica, Panama, N South America
  • - Guyana, NW Brazil
  • - Gabon
  • Gymnosiphon cymosus - N South America
  • - Tanzania, Madagascar
  • - S Mexico, Trinidad, C + S America
  • - N South America
  • - Guyana, Suriname
  • - C + W Africa
  • - Madagascar
  • - Sulawesi
  • - Costa Rica, N South America
  • - Java
  • - West Indies
  • - Palau in Micronesia
  • - NE Papua New Guinea
  • - from Veracruz to Panama
  • - New Guinea, Sulawesi, Palau
  • - New Guinea
  • - Guyana
  • - Guinea, Liberia
  • - Pernambuco, West Indies
  • Gymnosiphon suaveolens - Mexico, C + S America
  • - Jamaica, C America, NW S America
  • Gymnosiphon usambaricus - Kenya, Tanzania

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Gymnosiphon". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  3. ^ Govaerts, R., Wilkin, P. & Saunders, R.M.K. (2007). World Checklist of Dioscoreales. Yams and their allies: 1-65. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  4. ^ "Gymnosiphon in Flora of China". Efloras.org. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
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