Funastrum
Encyclopedia
Funastrum is a genus of flowering plant
in the dogbane
family, Apocynaceae
. The name is derived from the Latin
word funis, meaning "rope", and the Greek
word ἄστρον (astron), meaning "star." Members of the genus are commonly known as twinevines.
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...
in the dogbane
Apocynum
Apocynum, commonly known as Dogbane and Indian Hemp, is a genus of the plant family of the Apocynaceae with seven species. From the Greek: apo, away; cyno, dog, attributed to its toxicity...
family, Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae
The Apocynaceae or dogbane family is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and lianas.Many species are tall trees found in tropical rainforests, and most are from the tropics and subtropics, but some grow in tropical dry, xeric environments. There are also perennial herbs...
. The name is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word funis, meaning "rope", and the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word ἄστρον (astron), meaning "star." Members of the genus are commonly known as twinevines.
Selected species
- Funastrum clausum (Jacq.) Schltr. – White Twinevine
- Funastrum crispum (Benth.) Schltr. – Wavyleaf Twinevine
- Funastrum cynanchoides (Decne.) Schltr. – Fringed Twinevine
- Funastrum hirtellum (A.Gray) Schltr. – Hairy Milkweed
- Funastrum torreyi (A.Gray) Schltr. – Soft Twinevine
Formerly placed here
- Seutera angustifolia (Pers.) Fishbein & W.D.Stevens (as F. angustifolium (Pers.) Liede & Meve)