''Canephora'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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 ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...
, indigenous to
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
Description
The name ''Canephora'', "basket bearer", refers to both the flattened peduncle topped by a "hollowed apex bearing flowers" and to the ritual office for unmarried young women in ancient Greece, as bearer of a sacred basket full of offerings during processions at festivals.
''Canephora'' is unique in Rubiaceae in having peduncles transformed into flattened, green axes called
phylloclade
Phylloclades and cladodes are flattened, photosynthetic shoots, which are usually considered to be modified branches. The two terms are used either differently or interchangeably by different authors. '' Phyllocladus'', a genus of conifer, is nam ...
s.
''
Canephora madagascariensis'' has bright white, campanulate flowers and apparently edible, red fruits, locally known as "hazongalala".
Species
Currently, five species are recognized, but several new species await description.
*''
Canephora angustifolia''
Wernham
*''
Canephora goudotii''
Wernham
*''
Canephora humblotii''
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
*''
Canephora madagascariensis''
J.F.Gmel.
*''
Canephora maroana''
A.DC.
References
External links
''Canephora'' in the World Checklist of Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae genera
Octotropideae
Endemic flora of Madagascar
{{Ixoroideae-stub