''Massonia'' 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 ...

of bulbous

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 wid ...

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 ...

Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as

Namaqualand Namaqualand (khoekhoe: "Nama-kwa" meaning Nama Khoe people's land) is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of . It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into ...

with hot and dry summers, being dormant in summer and growing during winter. The genus ''Whiteheadia'' has been merged into ''Massonia''. It is classed as a cryptophyte.

Description

''Massonia'' grows from underground bulbs whose outer tunic is pale brown and papery or leathery. Two relatively broad leaves appear at the same time as the flowers, spreading out on either side, sometimes lying flat on the ground. The flowers are borne in a raceme, which may be short and held at ground level. There may be a "tuft" of green bracts at the top of the

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

. Individual flowers are pale in colour, white, or with green, yellow or pink tones. They are bell-shaped or somewhat tubular, with the

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s joined at the base forming a short or long tube. The stamens are more-or-less erect, with their filaments joined to the end of the tube formed by the tepals and also to each other, forming a small cup. The seeds are dull black. The species '' Massonia depressa'' has been shown to be pollinated by rodents, including two species of

gerbil The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (''Meriones unguiculatus'') is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Their body size is typically , with a tail, and body weight , with adult males larger than females. The animal is us ...

('' Gerbillurus paeba'' and '' Desmodillus auricularis''). Very few species of plant are rodent-pollinated.

Systematics

The genus name was attributed to Carl Peter Thunberg by Maarten Houttuyn in 1780. It honours the Scottish botanist and gardener

Francis Masson Francis Masson (August 1741 – 23 December 1805) was a Scottish botanist and gardener, and Kew Gardens’ first plant hunter. Life Masson was born in Aberdeen. In the 1760s, he went to work at Kew Gardens as an under-gardener. Masson ...

. A molecular phylogenetic study showed ''Massonia'' to be monophyletic, but also that the two species of the genus ''Whiteheadia'' were placed separately at the base of the ''Massonia'' clade, rendering ''Whiteheadia'' paraphyletic. Accordingly, Manning et al. transferred ''W. bifolia'' and ''W. etesionamibensis'' to ''Massonia''. ''Massonia'' is the type genus of the subtribe Massoniinae which is placed in the tribe

Hyacintheae Hyacintheae is a flowering plant tribe in the subfamily Scilloideae. References * Manning, J.C., Goldblatt, P., & Fay, M.F. (2004) A revised generic synopsis of Hyacintheaceae in sub-Saharan Africa, based on molecular evidence, including new ...

(or the tribe Massonieae in the subfamily Hyacinthoideae for those who accept the family Hyacinthaceae). It is most closely related to the genus ''

Lachenalia ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

''.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: *'' Massonia amoena'' *'' Massonia angustifolia'' *'' Massonia bakeriana'' *'' Massonia bifolia'' *'' Massonia calvata'' *'' Massonia dentata'' *'' Massonia depressa'' *'' Massonia dregei'' *'' Massonia echinata'' *'' Massonia etesionamibensis'' *'' Massonia gypsicola'' *'' Massonia hirsuta'' *'' Massonia inaequalis'' *'' Massonia jasminiflora'' *'' Massonia latebrosa'' *'' Massonia longipes'' *'' Massonia luteovirens'' *'' Massonia mimetica'' *'' Massonia obermeyerae'' *'' Massonia pseudoechinata'' *'' Massonia pustulata'' *'' Massonia pygmaea'' *'' Massonia roggeveldensis'' *'' Massonia saniensis'' *'' Massonia sempervirens'' *'' Massonia sessiliflora'' *'' Massonia setulosa'' *'' Massonia tenella'' *'' Massonia thunbergiana'' *'' Massonia triflora'' *'' Massonia wittebergensis''

Cultivation

''Massonia'' species have been described as "essentially plants for the collector". They require the protection of an

alpine house A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These s ...

bulb frame In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from adverse weather, primarily excessive cold or wet. The transparent top admits sunlight and prevents heat escape via c ...

in regions subject to frosts. Well-drained soil and a sunny situation are considered essential. They can be propagated by seed, flowering after at least two to four years., p. 786

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q147748 Asparagaceae genera