Tapiphyllum
Encyclopedia
Tapiphyllum was a genus
of flowering plant
s in the Rubiaceae
family
but is no longer recognized. In 2005, a molecular phylogenetic study
showed that the type species
, Tapiphyllum cinerascens, is more closely related
to Vangueria
than to Tapiphyllum obtusifolium and Tapiphyllum velutinum. It is not clear whether the latter two species are really separate from Vangueria. All the species of Tapiphyllum have been sunk into synonymy
with Vangueria
.
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...
but is no longer recognized. In 2005, a 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...
showed that the 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...
, Tapiphyllum cinerascens, is more closely related
Phylogenetic tree
A phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree is a branching diagram or "tree" showing the inferred evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entities based upon similarities and differences in their physical and/or genetic characteristics...
to Vangueria
Vangueria
Vangueria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae.-Distribution:The genus contains over 50 species distributed in Africa south of the Sahara with one species occurring in Madagascar . The centre of diversity is in East Africa and they are rare in West Africa.-Gousiekte:Several...
than to Tapiphyllum obtusifolium and Tapiphyllum velutinum. It is not clear whether the latter two species are really separate from Vangueria. All the species of Tapiphyllum have been sunk into synonymy
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...
with Vangueria
Vangueria
Vangueria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae.-Distribution:The genus contains over 50 species distributed in Africa south of the Sahara with one species occurring in Madagascar . The centre of diversity is in East Africa and they are rare in West Africa.-Gousiekte:Several...
.