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 two
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
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s in the family
Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...
, '' Gillenia stipulata'' and '' Gillenia trifoliata''. Common names for plants in this genus include: Bowman's root, Indian-physic, American ipecac. This genus is
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 dry open woods with
acid
In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
ic soils in eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
. Both plants are
subshrub
A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...
s with exposed semi-woody branches and
serrated
Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied p ...
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
; the larger lower leaves are divided into palmately arranged leaflets. Plants bloom in May, June, or July; blooms are composed of five slender white
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 which are loosely arranged and typically appear slightly twisted and limp as if they were wilted. The flowers mature into small capsules. ''G. stipulata'' and ''G. trifoliata'' are often planted as
ornamentals
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
and used in
herbal medicine
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...
.
Classification and name
Traditionally this genus is considered to be related to
Spiraea
''Spiraea'' , sometimes spelled spirea in common names, and commonly known as meadowsweets or steeplebushes, is a genus of about 80 to 100 species
, but it became apparent that it comes from the lineage which leads to tribe
Maleae
The Maleae (incorrectly Pyreae) are the apple tribe in the rose family, Rosaceae. The group includes a number of plants bearing commercially important fruits, such as apples and pears, while others are cultivated as ornamentals. Older taxonomie ...
haploid
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
chromosome number
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectivel ...
of 9, while Maleae have a haploid chromosome number of 17 (which was probably produced from a ''Gillenia''-like ancestor by doubling the genome and then losing a chromosome). Flower structure and fossil evidence also point to ''Gillenia'' sharing distinctive features with the Maleae. Another similarity between ''Gillenia'' and Maleae is susceptibility to ''
Phragmidium
''Phragmidium '' is a genus of rust fungus that typically infects plant species in the family Rosaceae. It is characterised by having stalked teliospores borne on telia each having a row of four or more cells. All species have a caeoma which i ...
'' fungus. Differences between ''Gillenia'' and Maleae include the chromosome number and the latter being solely woody
pome
In botany, a pome is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the subtribe Malinae of the family Rosaceae. Well-known pomes include the apple, pear, and quince.
Etymology
The word ''pome'' entered English in the late 14th century, and re ...
bearing plants, while ''Gillenia'' is herbaceous and has a dry follicular fruit.
The name ''Porteranthus'' ( Britton ex
Small
Small may refer to:
Science and technology
* SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language
* Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back
* ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication
* <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text ...
), named for
Thomas Conrad Porter
Thomas Conrad Porter (1822–1901) was an American botanist and theologian known as an expert on the flora of Pennsylvania.
Biography
Porter was born in Alexandria, Pennsylvania on January 22, 1822. He attended Harrisburg Academy before e ...
, has sometimes been used for this genus. The name ''Gillenia'' was thought to be already occupied by ''Gillena'', a very similar name used by
Michel Adanson
Michel Adanson (7 April 17273 August 1806) was an 18th-century French botanist and naturalist who traveled to Senegal to study flora and fauna. He proposed a "natural system" of taxonomy distinct from the binomial system forwarded by Linnaeus.
...
as a synonym for ''
Clethra
''Clethra'' is a genus of flowering shrubs or small trees described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. (under the
International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants
The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...
"names that are so similar that they are likely to be confused" should be treated as
homonyms
In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones ( equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition ...
ICN 2011 Melbourne Code /ref> Art. 53.3-5). However, a proposal to formally conserve ''Gillenia'' was mooted after it was determined that ''Gillena'' was not validly published and a vote at the
International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotat ...
decided that it and ''Gillenia'' were not likely to be confused. Thus, ''Gillenia'' is the correct name (and ''Porteranthus'' was validly published but is superfluous and illegitimate Art. 52.1).
Species
The two similar species can be distinguished by their
stipule
In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...
s. In ''G. stipulata'', the stipules at the base of the leaves, which are round and deeply toothed, persist throughout the life of the plant. In ''G. trifoliata'' the long slender stipules are quickly
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
, this species also tends to have longer leaves and petals.
*'' Gillenia trifoliata'' or ''Porteranthus trifoliatus''—mountain Indian physic, Bowman’s root
*'' Gillenia stipulata'' or ''Porteranthus stipulatus''—Indian physic, American ipecac
Images
Image:Gillenia trifoliata0.jpg, ''Gillenia trifoliata'' flowers
Image:Gillenia fruit.jpg, Mature fruit, an aggregate of follicles