Cheilotheca
Encyclopedia
Cheilotheca is a small genus
of myco-heterotrophic
plants in the heath family (Ericaceae
). As currently circumscribed the group includes three species.
in 1876. The name is derived from the Greek word "cheilos", meaning a lip or an edge. The "theca
" is a Latin term, meaning covering or sheath. Together they essentially mean "lipped sheath".
subfamily Monotropoideae. The exact placement of Cheilotheca within the Monotropoideae is still unknown, but morphologically the genus most closely resembles Monotropa
and Monotropastrum
.
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 myco-heterotrophic
Myco-heterotrophy
Myco-heterotrophy is a symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of plants and fungi, in which the plant gets all or part of its food from parasitism upon fungi rather than from photosynthesis. A myco-heterotroph is the parasitic plant partner in this relationship...
plants in the heath family (Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
). As currently circumscribed the group includes three species.
Etymology
The genus was named by Joseph Dalton HookerJoseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
in 1876. The name is derived from the Greek word "cheilos", meaning a lip or an edge. The "theca
Theca
A theca refers to any case, covering, or sheath.In botany, the theca of an angiosperm consists a pair of microsporangia that are adjacent to each other and share a common area of dehiscence called the stomium. Any part of a microsporophyll that bears microsporangia is called an anther. Most...
" is a Latin term, meaning covering or sheath. Together they essentially mean "lipped sheath".
Taxonomy
Based on morphological analyses, Cheilotheca has been placed in the EricaceaeEricaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
subfamily Monotropoideae. The exact placement of Cheilotheca within the Monotropoideae is still unknown, but morphologically the genus most closely resembles Monotropa
Monotropa
Monotropa is a genus of two species of herbaceous perennial plants, formerly classified in the family Monotropaceae, but now included within the Ericaceae...
and Monotropastrum
Monotropastrum
Monotropastrum is a small genus of myco-heterotrophic plants in the heath family . As currently circumscribed the group includes two species.-Distribution:...
.
List of Species
- Cheilotheca khasiana Hook.f.
- Cheilotheca malayana Scort. ex Hook.f.
- Cheilotheca sleumerana H.Keng