Arachnothryx
Encyclopedia
Arachnothryx is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the Rubiaceae
family
. It contains about 105 species
. It is found from Mexico
to Peru
and in Trinidad
.
by Jules Émile Planchon
in 1849. This generic name is derived
from Ancient Greek
: arachne or arachnos, "a spider", and thrix or trichos, "hair".
As currently circumscribed
, Arachnothryx is paraphyletic over Gonzalagunia
, Javorkaea, and Cuatrecasasiodendron. Some authors have included all of these genera in a broadly defined Rondeletia
but molecular phylogenetic studies
have shown that they are more closely related to Guettarda
than to Rondeletia
.
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 plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
family
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...
. It contains about 105 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...
. It is found from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
.
Taxonomy
Arachnothryx was namedBotanical 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...
by Jules Émile Planchon
Jules Émile Planchon
Jules Émile Planchon was a French botanist born in Ganges, Hérault.-Biography:After receiving his Doctorate of Science at the University of Montpellier in 1844, he worked for a while at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and for a few years was a teacher in Nancy and Ghent...
in 1849. This generic name is derived
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
: arachne or arachnos, "a spider", and thrix or trichos, "hair".
As currently circumscribed
Circumscription (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can be simple or difficult....
, Arachnothryx is paraphyletic over Gonzalagunia
Gonzalagunia
Gonzalagunia is a genus of plant in family Rubiaceae. Species include:* Gonzalagunia bifida* Gonzalagunia dodsonii* Gonzalagunia mollis* Gonzalagunia pauciflora* Gonzalagunia rosea...
, Javorkaea, and Cuatrecasasiodendron. Some authors have included all of these genera in a broadly defined Rondeletia
Rondeletia
Rondeletia is a genus name. It can refer to:* Rondeletia, the redmouth whalefishs* Rondeletia , flowering plants in the madder family...
but molecular phylogenetic studies
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
have shown that they are more closely related to Guettarda
Guettarda
Guettarda is a plant genus in the family Rubiaceae. Most of these plants are known by the common name Velvetseed. Estimates of the number of species range from about 50 to 162. Most of the species are neotropical. Twenty are found in New Caledonia and one reaches Australia...
than to Rondeletia
Rondeletia
Rondeletia is a genus name. It can refer to:* Rondeletia, the redmouth whalefishs* Rondeletia , flowering plants in the madder family...
.
Species
The following species list is incomplete.
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External links
- World Checklist of Rubiaceae
- Arachnothryx At: Index Nominum Genericorum At: References At: NMNH Department of Botany At: Research and Collections At: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do?find_family=&find_genus=Arachnothryx+&find_species=&find_infrafamily=&find_infragenus=&find_infraspecies=&find_authorAbbrev=&find_includePublicationAuthors=on&find_includePublicationAuthors=off&find_includeBasionymAuthors=on&find_includeBasionymAuthors=off&find_publicationTitle=&find_isAPNIRecord=on&find_isAPNIRecord=false&find_isGCIRecord=on&find_isGCIRecord=false&find_isIKRecord=on&find_isIKRecord=false&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&find_sortByFamily=on&find_sortByFamily=off&query_type=by_query&back_page=plantsearchArachnothryx] At Plant Names At: IPNI
- Arachnothryx In: Volume 5 (1849) Of: Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. At: Titles At: Botanicus
- CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C At: Botany & Plant Science At: Life Science At: CRC Press
- Arachnothryx At: List of Genera At: Rubiaceae At: List of families At: Families and Genera in GRIN At: Queries At: GRIN taxonomy for plants
- Arachnothryx At: Choose a Plant At: Meet the Plants At: National Tropical Botanical Garden