''Aphanopetalum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of twining

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s or

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

s in the family Aphanopetalaceae which are endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The genus is placed alone in family Aphanopetalaceae, which is in turn now placed in order

Saxifragales The Saxifragales (saxifrages) are an order of flowering plants (Angiosperms). They are an extremely diverse group of plants which include trees, shrubs, perennial herbs, succulent and aquatic plants. The degree of diversity in terms of vege ...

. Until recently this family was placed in

Oxalidales Oxalidales is an order of flowering plants, included within the rosid subgroup of eudicots. Compound leaves are common in Oxalidales and the majority of the species in this order have five or six sepals and petals. The following families are typic ...

, and before that the genus was included in family

Cunoniaceae Cunoniaceae is a family of 27 Genus, genera and about 335 species of woody plants in the order Oxalidales, mostly found in the tropical and wet temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest diversity of genera are in Australia and Ta ...

, also within

. The type species is '' Aphanopetalum resinosum''. There are two species: *'' Aphanopetalum clematideum'' (Harv.) Domin,

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to limestone cliffs of south western Australia *'' Aphanopetalum resinosum'' Endl. - gum vine, endemic to southern Queensland and New South Wales The Aphanopetalaceae are scrambling shrubs with lenticellate stems, having opposite and serrate leaves with minute "stipules". The flowers and inflorescences are axillary. The flowers are essentially without petals, and have four large, white sepals that enlarge when in fruit (which is single-seeded).

References

External links

* Saxifragales genera Saxifragales of Australia Saxifragales {{Australia-eudicot-stub