Ambrosinia

''Ambrosina'' is a genus in the family Araceae that consists of only one species, ''Ambrosina bassii'', and the only genus in the tribe Ambrosineae. This species is the smallest aroid in the Mediterranean, growing only to 8 cm tall. It is usually found growing in woodlands on north faces of hillsides and in humus soil that is covering limestone. It is distributed in Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, southern mainland Italy, Tunisia, and Algeria.

Description

''Ambrosina bassii'' has oval leaves that are 3.5 to 6 cm long and resemble the leaves of many aroid seedlings. The inflorescence is 2.5 cm long bent over and has an unusual spathe. The spathe is shaped like an egg and is greenish brown with dots on it. Inside the egg shaped spathe is divided two chambers. In one chamber is contained a single female flower and in the other are 8 to 10 male flowers. The seeds have an elaiosome.Bown, Deni (2000). ''Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family''. Timber Press. . However, seeds are rarely formed, as this species exhibits a low reproductive rate.

Population genetics

Ambrosina is the only representative of its genus and is quite unique. It has been shown that it has high heterozygosity, as it has an average of two loci per allele. The data represents that genetic variation attributes to differences among populations from different geographical territories. Also, the local anthropogenic fragmentation has caused no time for genetic drift or interbreeding to erode genetic variation, this eventually resulted in generating differences between populations. The effective population size is low in natural populations.Quilichini, A., Torre, A., & Gibernau, M. (2005)
"Preliminary data on the biology and reproduction of ''Ambrosina bassii'' L.(Araceae) in Corsica."
Aroideana, 28, 37-42.

Phylogeny

It is closely related to the genera ''Arisarum'', ''Peltandra'', and ''Typhonodorum''. ''Ambrosina'' is the sister group to ''Arisarum'', from which it separated about 46.1 Million years ago.Mansion, G., Rosenbaum, G., Schoenenberger, N., Bacchetta, G., Rosselló, J. A., & Conti, E. (2008)
"Phylogenetic analysis informed by geological history supports multiple, sequential invasions of the Mediterranean Basin by the angiosperm family Araceae."
Systematic Biology, 57(2), 269-285.

The precise relationships are displayed in the following cladogram:

Taxonomy

Species

The genus is monotypic and only consists of ''Ambrosina bassii''.

Varieties

The following three varities have been described:
*''Ambrosina bassii'' var. ''angustifolia'' Guss.
*''Ambrosina bassii'' var. ''maculata'' (Ucria) Parl.
*''Ambrosina bassii'' var. ''reticulata'' (Tineo) Parl.
However, none of them are accepted.

Former species

Multiple species have been moved from the genus ''Ambrosina'' to ''Cryptocoryne'':
*''Ambrosina ciliaris'' Spreng. is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne ciliata'' var. ''ciliata''
*''Ambrosina ciliata'' Roxb. is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne ciliata'' (Roxb.) Schott
*''Ambrosina retrospiralis'' Roxb. is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne retrospiralis'' (Roxb.) Kunth
*''Ambrosina roxburghiana'' Voigt is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne retrospiralis'' (Roxb.) Kunth
*''Ambrosina spirialis'' (Retz.) Roxb. is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne spiralis'' (Retz.) Fisch. ex Wydler
*''Ambrosina unilocularis'' Roxb. is a synonym of ''Cryptocoryne retrospiralis'' (Roxb.) Kunth

Ecology

Visitation of inflorescences

The inflorescences are visited by springtails, Embiidae, earwigs, mites of the genera genera ''Penthaleus'' or ''Bdella'', and millipedes.

Seed dispersal

The seeds are attractive to ants, as the seed is coated in an edible elaiosome. Due to this edible coating, the ants disperse the seeds.

Parasite ecology

''Ambrosina'' foliage may be affected by leaf spots caused by the phytopatogenic fungus ''Entyloma dietelianum''.Willem N. Ellis. (2017). Ambrosina bassii – Plant Parasites of Europe. Retrieved February 4, 2023, from https://bladmineerders.nl/host-plants/plantae/spermatopsida/angiosperma/monocots/alismatales/araceae/aroideae/ambrosina/ambrosina-bassii/

Etymology

The generic name ''Ambrosina'' honours the brothers Bartolomeo Ambrosini (1588-1657) and Giacinto Ambrosini (1605-1671).Troia, A., Schicchi, R., & Geraci, A. (2018)
"Typification of the Linnaean name ''Ambrosinia bassii'' and other nomenclatural remarks in the genus ''Ambrosinia'' (Araceae)."
Taxon, 67(6), 1183-1186.

Conservation

Despite being listed as species of leaft concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is legally protected in France.Franck Le Driant. (n.d.). Ambrosinia de Bassi. Flore Alpes. Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.florealpes.com/fiche_ambrosinabassii.php

References

Aroideae
Monotypic Araceae genera
Flora of Algeria
Flora of Tunisia
Flora of Italy
Flora of Sicily
Flora of France
Flora of Corsica
Flora of Sardinia

{{Araceae-stub