species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
. Rare in cultivation, it is not fully frost-hardy.
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
. Forms described under the synonym ''Leucojum fontianum'' have four to five leaves per bulb, each 6–8 mm wide, produced with the flowers in spring. The flowering stems are about 10–12 cm tall, and bear up to four flowers, with six 1–1.5 cm-long
tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s, each with a sharply pointed tip. Forms described under the synonym ''Leucojum tingitanum'' are less robust, with narrower leaves.
Taxonomy
''Acis tingitana'' was first described in 1878 by
John Gilbert Baker
John Gilbert Baker (13 January 1834 – 16 August 1920) was an English botanist. His son was the botanist Edmund Gilbert Baker (1864–1949).
Biography
Baker was born in Guisborough in North Yorkshire, the son of John and Mary (née Gilbert ...
, as ''Leucojum tingitanum''. The specific epithet ''tingitanus'' refers to
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
, in Morocco. In 1934,
René Maire
René Charles Joseph Ernest Maire (29 May 1878, Lons-le-Saunier – 24 November 1949) was a French botanist and mycologist. His major work was the ''Flore de l'Afrique du Nord'' in 16 volumes published posthumously in 1953. He collected plants fro ...
described ''Leucojum fontianum''. Although in 1987
Brian Mathew
Brian Frederick Mathew MBE, VMH is a British botanist, born in the village of Limpsfield, Surrey, England. His particular area of expertise is bulbous plants, particularly ornamental bulbous plants, although he has contributed to other fiel ...
regarded the two species as distinct, in 1992, he synonymized them. In 2004, ''Leucojum tingitanum'' was transferred to the genus '' Acis'', along with other species of '' Leucojum'', on the basis of a molecular phylogenetic study.
Distribution and habitat
''Acis tingitana'' is native to north
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, particularly around Tangier. It occurs below about 1500 m. One collection came from wet ground around a stream.
Cultivation
Rare in cultivation, ''Acis tingitana'' is not fully frost-hardy, and requires protection.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15516519
tingitana
Mauretania Tingitana (Latin for "Tangier, Tangerine Mauretania") was a Roman province, coinciding roughly with the northern part of present-day Morocco. The territory stretched from the northern peninsula opposite Gibraltar, to Sala Colonia (or ...