''Codon'' is a small

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 plants from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in the family

Codonaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the orde ...

in the order Boraginales. The genus ''Codon'' comprises two species. ''Codon'' was placed in the Hydrophyllaceae and

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

. Recent phylogenetic analysis place it as

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the

Wellstediaceae ''Wellstedia'' is a genus of flowering plants traditionally included in the family Boraginaceae ''s.l.'', but placed in its own family, Wellstediaceae within the Boraginales order, by the Boraginales Working Group. Species include: * ''Wellstedi ...

and

''s.str''. The species of the genus ''Codon'' are annual to perennial herbs. The whole plants are densely covered with strong mineralised, unicellular trichomes on cystolithic foot-cells. The plants are growing from strong taproots. The flowers are tetracyclic and polymerous. The whorls are 10- to 20-merous with a high variability even within one plant individual. Most common are 12-merous flowers. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are free. The

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are fused up to three quarter of their length. The bases of the filaments are fused with the base of the corolla. The fused parts of the filaments form septa. These septa form separate nectar chambers. The

gynoecium Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

is superior and consists of two

carpels Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

. The base of the

forms a lobed nectary disc. Each lobe is covered with nectarostomata and secretes nectar in the nectar chambers. The flowers are bell-shaped and white in ''C. royenii'' and saucer-shaped and yellow in ''C. schenckii''. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is an apical-loculicidal capsule.

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s are reticulately sculptured.

Species

*'' Codon royenii'' L. *'' Codon schenckii'' Schinz

Gallery

File:Codon schenckii Yellow Nectarcup1.jpg, ''Codon schenckii''Yellow Nectarcup File:Codon royenii White Nectarcup.jpg, ''Codon royenii''White Nectarcup

References

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae genera {{asterid-stub