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Triceratella
''Triceratella'' is a genus of annual monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. The genus consists of a single species, ''Triceratella drummondii''. It is known to occur in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, but has only been collected twice. Because of its rarity, DNA sequences have never been used to determine its relatives, but it is believed to be closely related to the early diverging genus ''Cartonema ''Cartonema'' is a genus of perennial or annual monocotyledonous flowering plants in the dayflower family. It is restricted to Australia and nearby Trangan Island, which is part of Indonesia. It is the earliest diverging member of its family an ...'', with which it shares a number of characters unique for the dayflower family, such as a yellow flowers, glandular hairs, and a lack of glandular microhairs. It differs from ''Cartonema'', however, in having raphides, which all other members of the Commelinaceae have, although they occur in a unique position next t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raphide
Raphides (pronounced /ˈræfɪˌdiz/, singular raphide /ˈreɪfʌɪd/ or raphis) are needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate monohydrate (prismatic monoclinic crystals) or calcium carbonate as aragonite ( dipyramidal orthorhombic crystals), found in more than 200 families of plants. Both ends are needle-like, but raphides tend to be blunt at one end and sharp at the other. Calcium oxalate in plants Many plants accumulate calcium oxalate crystals in response to surplus calcium, which is found throughout the natural environment. The crystals are produced in a variety of shapes. The crystal morphology depends on the taxonomic group of the plant. In one study of over 100 species, it was found that calcium oxalate accounted for 6.3% of plant dry weight. Crystal morphology and the distribution of raphides (in roots or leaves or tubers etc.) is similar in some taxa but different in others leaving possible opportunities for plant key characteristics and systematic identification; m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
