Meineckia
Encyclopedia
Meineckia is a genus
of flowering plant
s in the family
Phyllanthaceae
. It is one of eight genera in the tribe
Poranthereae
. It comprises about 30 species
. They are native
to the Americas
, South Asia
, Africa
, and Madagascar
. The genus is particularly well represented in Madagascar. Species of Meineckia may be monoecious
or dioecious
. They are tree
s or shrub
s, or rarely, they are subherbaceous
.
of Meineckia has undergone several changes since Henri Ernest Baillon
erected the genus in 1858. Some of its species have been put in other genera and sometimes other genera have been merged with it. The name Peltandra
had been used for some species in Meineckia, but this is now a nomen rejectum. The name Peltandra is now conserved as the name of a genus in Araceae
.
Meineckia was last revised in 2008 by Vorontsova and Hoffmann. They recognized 30 species and divided the genus into two subgenera.
Meineckia subgenus Petaliferae has only two species: its type species
, Meineckia cerebroides, and Meineckia gracilipes. They are dioecious shrubs from Madagascar. Their petals are very small.
Meineckia subgenus Meineckia has 28 species. Its type
species, Meineckia phyllanthoides, is the same as that of the genus. They are monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs, or sometimes, subherbaceous. Their flowers have no petals. This subgenus is the only completely apetalous taxon
in the tribe Poranthereae.
Vorontsova and Hoffmann did not recognize Zimmermannia and Zimmermanniopsis as separate genera, but placed their species in Meineckia subgenus Meineckia.
have included one or more species of Meineckia. These synonyms
are not necessarily valid or in current use.
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...
Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae. The Phyllanthaceae are most numerous in the tropics, with many in the south temperate zone, and a few ranging as far north as the middle of the north temperate...
. It is one of eight genera in the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Poranthereae
Poranthereae
Poranthereae is a tribe in the flowering plant family Phyllanthaceae. It is one of ten tribes in the family, and one of four tribes in the subfamily Phyllanthoideae. Poranthereae comprises about 111 species, distributed into eight genera...
. It comprises about 30 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...
. They 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 the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The genus is particularly well represented in Madagascar. Species of Meineckia may be monoecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
or dioecious
Dioecious
Dioecy is the property of a group of biological organisms that have males and females, but not members that have organs of both sexes at the same time. I.e., those whose individual members can usually produce only one type of gamete; each individual organism is thus distinctly female or male...
. They are tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, or rarely, they are subherbaceous
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
.
Species
|
Circumscription
The circumscriptionCircumscription (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....
of Meineckia has undergone several changes since Henri Ernest Baillon
Henri Ernest Baillon
Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on November 30, 1827 and died in Paris on July 19, 1895.Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on botany...
erected the genus in 1858. Some of its species have been put in other genera and sometimes other genera have been merged with it. The name Peltandra
Peltandra
Peltandra is a genus of plants in the Araceae family.-Selected species:* Peltandra sagittifolia – Spoon flower* Peltandra virginica – Arum arrow* †Peltandra primaeva – Eocene, Golden Valley Formation, North Dakota, USA...
had been used for some species in Meineckia, but this is now a nomen rejectum. The name Peltandra is now conserved as the name of a genus in Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
.
Meineckia was last revised in 2008 by Vorontsova and Hoffmann. They recognized 30 species and divided the genus into two subgenera.
Meineckia subgenus Petaliferae has only two species: its type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, Meineckia cerebroides, and Meineckia gracilipes. They are dioecious shrubs from Madagascar. Their petals are very small.
Meineckia subgenus Meineckia has 28 species. Its type
Biological type
In biology, a type is one particular specimen of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached...
species, Meineckia phyllanthoides, is the same as that of the genus. They are monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs, or sometimes, subherbaceous. Their flowers have no petals. This subgenus is the only completely apetalous taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
in the tribe Poranthereae.
Vorontsova and Hoffmann did not recognize Zimmermannia and Zimmermanniopsis as separate genera, but placed their species in Meineckia subgenus Meineckia.
Synonymy
The following generic namesBinomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
have included one or more species of Meineckia. These synonyms
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
are not necessarily valid or in current use.
- Cluytiandra Müller ArgoviensisJohannes Müller ArgoviensisJohannes Müller Argoviensis was the name used by the Swiss botanist Johann Müller . He was the monographer of Resedaceae, Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae in A. P. de Candolle's Prodromus and Martius's Flora Brasiliensis. He was also an authority on lichens.-References:...
- Neopeltandra GambleJames Sykes GambleJames Sykes Gamble FRS was an English botanist who specialized in the flora of the Indian sub-continent.He was born in London, the son of Harpur Gamble, M.D...
- Peltandra WightRobert WightRobert Wight was a Scottish surgeon and botanist who spent 30 years in India. He studied botany in Edinburgh under John Hope. He was the director of the Botanic Garden in Madras. He made use of local artists to make illustrations of the plants around him...
- Zimmermannia PaxFerdinand Albin PaxFerdinand Albin Pax was a German botanist and entomologist. He specialised in Lepidoptera, Diptera, as well as in spermatophytes, describing several species....
- Zimmermanniopsis Radcliffe-Smith
External links
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do;jsessionid=CBFFF8AA193D6024D34A7CC06E07295C?find_family=&find_genus=Peltandra&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=plantsearchPeltandra] At: IPNI
- Peltandra At:Index Nominum Genericorum At: References At: NMNH Department of Botany At: Research and Collections At: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- Meineckia At: ING