''Cryptanthus'' 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 ...

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 ...

Bromeliaceae, subfamily

Bromelioideae Bromelioideae is a subfamily of the bromeliads (Bromeliaceae). This subfamily is the most diverse, represented by the greatest number of genera with about 40. Most of the plants in this group are epiphytes, though some have evolved in, or will ada ...

. The genus name is from the Greek ''cryptos'' (hidden) and ''anthos'' (flower). The genus formerly had two recognized subgenera: the type subgenus and subgenus ''Hoplocryptanthus'' Mez which has been raised to the separate genus '' Hoplocryptanthus''. All

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 this genus are

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 else ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The common name for any ''Cryptanthus'' is "Earth star".

Species

Former species

A major revision of ''Cryptanthus'' in 2017 based on both morphological and molecular characters elevated a former subgenus to the genus '' Hoplocryptanthus'' and created two new genera, '' Forzzaea'' and '' Rokautskyia'', transferring many former ''Cryptanthus'' species to these three genera.

Transferred to ''Forzzaea''

*''Cryptanthus leopoldo-horstii'' Rauh → '' Forzzaea leopoldo-horstii'' (Rauh) Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *''Cryptanthus micrus'' Louzada, Wand. & Versieux → '' Forzzaea micra'' (Louzada, Wand. & Versieux) Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *''Cryptanthus warasii'' E.Pereira → '' Forzzaea warasii'' (E.Pereira) Leme, S.Heller & Zizka

Transferred to ''Haplocryptanthus''

*''Cryptanthus caracensis'' Leme & E.Gross → '' Hoplocryptanthus caracensis'' *''Cryptanthus ferrarius'' Leme & C.C.Paula → '' Hoplocryptanthus ferrarius'' *''Cryptanthus glaziovii'' Mez → '' Hoplocryptanthus glaziovii'' *''Cryptanthus lavrasensis'' Leme → '' Hoplocryptanthus lavrasensis'' *''Cryptanthus regius'' Leme → '' Hoplocryptanthus regius'' *''Cryptanthus schwackeanus'' Mez → '' Hoplocryptanthus schwackeanus'' *''Cryptanthus tiradentesensis'' Leme → '' Hoplocryptanthus tiradentesensis''

Transferred to ''Rokautskyia''

*''Cryptanthus caulescens'' I.Ramírez → '' Rokautskyia caulescens'' *''Cryptanthus exaltatus'' H.Luther → '' Rokautskyia exaltata'' *''Cryptanthus fernseeoides'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia fernseeoides'' *''Cryptanthus latifolius'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia latifolia'' *''Cryptanthus leuzingerae'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia leuzingerae'' *''Cryptanthus microglazioui'' I.Ramírez → '' Rokautskyia microglazioui'' (I.Ramírez) Leme, S.Heller & Zizka *''Cryptanthus odoratissimus'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia odoratissima'' *''Cryptanthus pseudoglaziovii'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia pseudoglaziovii'' *''Cryptanthus pseudoscaposus'' L.B.Sm. → '' Rokautskyia pseudoscaposa'' *''Cryptanthus roberto-kautskyi'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia roberto-kautskyi'' *''Cryptanthus sanctaluciae'' Leme & L.Kollmann → '' Rokautskyia sanctaluciae'' *''Cryptanthus scaposus'' E.Pereira → '' Rokautskyia scaposa'' *''Cryptanthus whitmanii'' Leme → '' Rokautskyia whitmanii''

References

External links

BSI Genera Gallery
photos * http://fcbs.org/pictures/Cryptanthus.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q138350 Endemic flora of Brazil Bromeliaceae genera