''Leuenbergeria '' 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 ...
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 ...
in the family
Cactaceae
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
, mostly native around the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.
[ Unlike most cacti, it has persistent ]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 ...
and develops bark on its stems early in its growth. The genus was created in 2012 by Joël Lodé. Before the creation of ''Leuenbergeria'' as a genus, the species within it were included in a broadly circumscribed
In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius.
Not every polyg ...
genus, ''Pereskia
''Pereskia'' is a small genus of about four species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French bota ...
''. ''Leuenbergeria'' is the only genus in the subfamily Leuenbergerioideae.
Description
Species of ''Leuenbergeria'' grow as trees or shrubs, up to in the case of '' L. lychnidiflora''. They differ from most cacti in having leaves even when mature – as also do species of ''Pereskia
''Pereskia'' is a small genus of about four species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French bota ...
'' and ''Rhodocactus
''Rhodocactus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, native to central South America. Unlike most species of cacti, ''Rhodocactus'' has persistent leaves and a fully tree-like habit. The genus was sunk into a broadly c ...
'', with which ''Leuenbergeria'' species were once united in a single genus. ''Leuenbergeria'' differs from those other genera in that the stems of ''Leuenbergeria'' species form bark at an early stage in their growth and do not have stoma
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...
ta, preventing them from acting as organs of photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...
. Like other cacti, they have areole
In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - W ...
s bearing spines. In most species, the areoles also bear leaves. Their flowers are mostly pink, orange or red, although some species have yellow flowers.[
]
Taxonomy
Joël Lodé created the genus ''Leuenbergeria'' in 2012.[ The name honours the Swiss botanist Beat Ernst Leuenberger.][ The genus '']Pereskia
''Pereskia'' is a small genus of about four species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French bota ...
'' was previously broadly defined so that it included ''Leuenbergeria''. 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 suggested that there were three clades within ''Pereskia
''Pereskia'' is a small genus of about four species of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and non-succulent stems. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th-century French bota ...
'' when circumscribed
In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius.
Not every polyg ...
in this way.[ ''Leuenbergeria'' was created for the "Northern clade". By 2016, all three clades were recognized as separate genera.][ A consensus ]cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...
from a 2005 study is shown below with the more recent generic assignments added.[ It shows that the three genera are basal to the rest of the cacti.
''Leuenbergeria'' has been placed as the only genus in the subfamily Leuenbergerioideae.][
Within the genus, a 2005 molecular phylogenetic study suggested the species were related as shown in the following cladogram. The position of the ]ovary
The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...
appears to have some phylogenetic significance.[ The sister species ''L. aureiflora'' and ''L. guamacho'' are the only two with yellow flowers.][
]
Species
, Plants of the World Online
Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
accepted eight species:[
]
Distribution
''Leuenbergeria'' has a discontinuous distribution. Most species are native to southwest Mexico and around the Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, in both the West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
and northern South America. ''L. aureiflora'' is the exception, being found in eastern 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 ...
.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q25915225
Cacti
Cactaceae genera