Bdallophytum

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Bdallophytum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Rafflesiaceae
Genus: Bdallophytum
Eichler, 1872
Species

See text.

Synonyms

Bdallophyton

Bdallophytum is a genus of parasitic flowering plants with five described species. It parasitizes on the roots of plants of the genus Bursera, such as Bursera simaruba. The genus is endemic to the Neotropics[1].

It is sometimes considered to belong to the family Cytinaceae, together with the only other genus Cytinus. Some Bdallophytum species were at one time considered to belong to this latter genus[2].

Bdallophytum is dioecious[3].

Contents

[edit] Name

The genus name is probably derived from Ancient Greek bdell- "leech" and phyton "plant". It was later misspelled as Bdallophyton by Eichler, and this synonym is now also in common use[4].

[edit] Species

  • Bdallophytum americanum
  • Bdallophytum andrieuxii
  • Bdallophytum bambusarum
  • Bdallophytum ceratantherum
  • Bdallophytum oxylepis

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Parasiticplants.siu.edu: Cytinaceae
  2. ^ Diversity of Life: Cytinus
  3. ^ Nickrent et al. 2004
  4. ^ USDA GRIN: Genus Bdallophytum Eichler

[edit] References

  • Nickrent, Daniel L.; Blarer, Albert; Qiu, Yin-Long; Vidal-Russell, Romina & Anderson, Frank E. (2004): Phylogenetic inference in Rafflesiales: the influence of rate heterogeneity and horizontal gene transfer. BMC Evolutionary Biology 4: 40. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-4-40

[edit] Further reading

  • García-Franco, José; López-Portillo, Jorge & Ángeles, Guillermo (2006): The holoparasitic endophyte Bdallophyton americanum affects root water conductivity of the tree Bursera simaruba. Trees - Structure and Function 21(2): 215-220. doi:10.1007/s00468-006-0113-z

[edit] External links