Medusandraceae
Encyclopedia
Medusandra is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the family
Peridiscaceae
. It has two species
, Medusandra richardsiana and Medusandra mpomiana. M. richardsiana is the most common and well known. Both species are native
to Cameroon
and adjacent countries.
Medusandra was named by John Brenan
in 1952. Brenan put Medusandra in its own family, Medusandraceae, and added Soyauxia
to that family in 1953. Most authors, however, maintained Medusandraceae as a monogeneric family and put Soyauxia elsewhere. A detailed description of Medusandra was published by John Hutchinson
in 1973.
When the APG II system
was published by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
in 2003, Medusandra and Soyauxia were listed in an appendix as "taxa of uncertain position". The first molecular phylogenetic study
to include Medusandra appeared in 2009. It showed that Medusandra is sister to a clade
consisting of Soyauxia, Peridiscus, and by implication, Whittonia. These three genera are in Peridiscaceae, and the authors, Kenneth Wurdack and Charles Davis, recommended that Medusandra be added to Peridiscaceae. When the APG III system
was published in October of 2009, Peridiscaceae was expanded
to include Medusandra and Soyauxia.
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 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...
Peridiscaceae
Peridiscaceae
Peridiscaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Saxifragales. It comprises four genera: Medusandra, Soyauxia, Peridiscus, and Whittonia. It has a disjunct distribution, with Peridiscus occurring in Venezuela and northern Brazil, Whittonia in Guyana, Medusandra in Cameroon, and Soyauxia...
. It has two 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...
, Medusandra richardsiana and Medusandra mpomiana. M. richardsiana is the most common and well known. Both species are native
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and adjacent countries.
Medusandra was named by John Brenan
John Patrick Micklethwait Brenan
John Patrick Micklethwait Brenan was a British botanist. He was born June 19, 1917 in Chislehurst and died September 26, 1985 at Kew. He is buried at St. Anne's Church, Kew....
in 1952. Brenan put Medusandra in its own family, Medusandraceae, and added Soyauxia
Soyauxia
Soyauxia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Peridiscaceae. They are small trees or erect shrubs from wet forests of tropical West Africa. Eight specific names have been published in Soyauxia. Additional species have been discovered, but their names and descriptions will not be published...
to that family in 1953. Most authors, however, maintained Medusandraceae as a monogeneric family and put Soyauxia elsewhere. A detailed description of Medusandra was published by John Hutchinson
John Hutchinson
John Hutchinson may refer to:*John Hutchinson , leader in the 17th century Puritan revolt in Britain*John Hutchinson , English writer...
in 1973.
When the APG II system
APG II system
The APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
was published by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
in 2003, Medusandra and Soyauxia were listed in an appendix as "taxa of uncertain position". The first molecular phylogenetic study
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...
to include Medusandra appeared in 2009. It showed that Medusandra is sister to a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
consisting of Soyauxia, Peridiscus, and by implication, Whittonia. These three genera are in Peridiscaceae, and the authors, Kenneth Wurdack and Charles Davis, recommended that Medusandra be added to Peridiscaceae. When the APG III system
APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
was published in October of 2009, Peridiscaceae was expanded
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....
to include Medusandra and Soyauxia.
External links
- Peridiscaceae At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website At: Missouri Botanical Garden Website
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=2BD5E232A255C24AE2C4D747E60B1F56?find_family=&find_genus=Medusandra&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=plantsearchMedusandra] At: IPNI
- Medusandraceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: 2 June 2006. http://delta-intkey.com
- APG III