''Hypertelis'' 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 ...

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 Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Molluginaceae The Molluginaceae are a family of flowering plants recognized by several taxonomists. It was previously included in the larger family Aizoaceae. The APG III system of 2009 made no change in the status of the family as compared to the APG II syst ...

. Most of its former species have been transferred to the new genus '' Kewa'', and the remaining species, ''Hypertelis spergulacea'', may also need a different placement. ''Hypertelis spergulacea'' is a woody-based plant, up to high, with whorled greyish green leaves. It is found on the border between

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...

province of South Africa.

Description

''Hypertelis spergulacea'' grows to about high, woody at the base with softer ascending stems. The lower leaves are crowded together and fleshy; further up the stem the leaves are arranged in well spaced whorls of five to ten. The individual leaves are narrowly linear, hairless (glabrous) and greyish green in colour. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is somewhat

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

late, with individual flowers borne on long thin stems (pedicels). The flowers have 20–30

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s, most united at the base into 3–5 groups. The seeds are black and shiny.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Hypertelis'' was first described by

Eduard Fenzl Eduard Fenzl (1808, in Krummnußbaum – 1879, in Vienna) was an Austrian botanist. Life and contributions An obituary notes " was Professor of Botany and Director of the Imperial Botanical Cabinet, a member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences, ...

in 1836 in the first part of a monograph on what he regarded as two parts of the family

Portulacaceae The Portulacaceae are a family of flowering plants, comprising 115 species in a single genus '' Portulaca''. Formerly some 20 genera with about 500 species, were placed there, but it is now restricted to encompass only one genus, the other genera ...

(Mollugineae and Steudelieae); he attributed the genus name to

Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer (1 January 1791 – 7 August 1858) was a German botanist and botanical historian. Born in Hanover, he lectured in Göttingen and in 1826 became a professor of botany at the University of Königsberg, as well as Dir ...

. He described the species ''Hypertelis spergulacea'' in 1839 in a second part of his monograph, again attributing the name to Meyer. Fenzl did not give a type for the genus; ''H. spergulacea'' was designated as the "

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

" by E. P. Philips in 1951. ''H. spergulacea'' has been called ''Mollugo linearis'' by some authors, but the true ''M. linearis'' Ser. is not a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

. The genus had grown to nine species by 2011, when

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies found that ''H. spergulacea'' appeared to be nested within the genus ''

Mollugo ''Mollugo'' is a genus in the flowering plant family Molluginaceae. It comprises a few dozen species of herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants in ...

'', and the other eight species of the genus were included in a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

well removed from Molluginaceae, close to the families

Aizoaceae The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is d ...

Phytolaccaceae Phytolaccaceae is a family of flowering plants. Though almost universally recognized by taxonomists, its circumscription has varied. It is also known as the Pokeweed family. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), a ...

and

Nyctaginaceae Nyctaginaceae, the four o'clock family, is a family of around 33 genera and 290 species of flowering plants, widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, with a few representatives in temperate regions. The family has a unique fruit t ...

. Accordingly, in 2014, a new genus, '' Kewa'', and family, ''

Kewaceae ''Kewa'' is a genus of flowering plants, consisting of eight species of succulent sub-woody plants, native to eastern and southern Africa, including Saint Helena and Madagascar. These are small shrubs or herbs that form cushions and have edible, ...

'', were proposed to accommodate these eight species. ''H. spergulacea'' was left in the genus, although it was noted that further reorganization of ''Mollugo'' might change its placement. Among other features, ''Hypotelis spergulacea'' can be distinguished from ''Kewa'' by its

s. It has more (20–30 rather than 3–15) and they are arranged in bundles. Its leaves are arranged in whorls, relatively far apart, rather than being alternate or more-or-less opposite along the stems, as in ''Kewa''.

Former species

Species transferred to '' Kewa'' in 2014 were: *''Hypertelis acida'' (Hook.f.) Müller = ''

Kewa acida ''Kewa acida'' is one of the eight species currently recognized in the genus '' Kewa'', the sole genus in the family Kewaceae. It is a bushy grey-leaved annual or short-lived perennial plant, with white flowers, endemic to St Helena, where it ha ...

'' *''Hypertelis angrae-pequenae'' Friedrich = ''

Kewa angrae-pequenae Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis arenicola'' Sond. = ''

Kewa arenicola Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis bowkeriana'' Sond. = ''

Kewa bowkeriana Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis caespitosa'' Friedrich = ''

Kewa caespitosa Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis salsoloides'' (Burch.) Adamson = ''

Kewa salsoloides Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis suffruticosa'' (Baker) Adamson = ''

Kewa suffruticosa Kewa may refer to: * ''Kewa'' (plant), a genus of plants belonging to the family Kewaceae, formerly placed in ''Hypertelis'', Molluginaceae * Kéwa, a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali * Kewa language of Papua New ...

'' *''Hypertelis trachysperma'' Adamson = '' Kewa trachysperma''

Distribution and habitat

''Hypertelis spergulacea'' has been recorded from the border between

and the

province of South Africa. It grows at elevations of .

References

External links

* – photographs {{Taxonbar, from=Q3010797 Monotypic Caryophyllales genera Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of Namibia Molluginaceae