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''Massonia'' 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
bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
ous
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 ...
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 ...
Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...
, subfamily
Scilloideae Scilloideae (named after the genus ''Scilla'', "squill") is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family ''Asparagaceae''. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus ''Hyacinthus''. Scilloideae or ...
(also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand 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
bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
s 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 A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
, 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 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 ...
. 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
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 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 ''Massonia depressa'', the hedgehog lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, that is native to South Africa. Growing to tall by broad, it is a bulbous perennial with two opposite leaves lying flat on the ground. A spi ...
'' has been shown to be pollinated by rodents, including two species of gerbil (''
Gerbillurus paeba The hairy-footed gerbil (''Gerbillurus paeba'') is a species of rodent found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, temperate shrubland, hot deserts, sandy shores, and urban areas ...
'' and ''
Desmodillus auricularis The Cape short-eared gerbil (''Desmodillus auricularis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is the only species in the genus ''Desmodillus''. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitat ...
''). Very few species of plant are rodent-pollinated.


Systematics

The genus name was attributed to
Carl Peter Thunberg Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus. After studying under Linnaeus at Uppsala Un ...
by
Maarten Houttuyn Maarten Houttuyn or Houttuijn (1720 – 2 May 1798) Latinised as Martinus Houttuyn, was a Dutch naturalist. Houttuyn was born in Hoorn, studied medicine in Leiden and moved to Amsterdam in 1753. He published many books on natural history, e.g. ...
in 1780. It honours the Scottish botanist and gardener Francis 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 In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
. 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. ''Lach ...
''.


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 the following species: *''
Massonia amoena ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with ho ...
'' *''
Massonia angustifolia ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with ho ...
'' *''
Massonia bakeriana ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with ho ...
'' *''
Massonia bifolia ''Massonia bifolia'' is a species of geophyte in the genus ''Massonia''. It is endemic to Namibia. Distribution ''Massonia bifolia'' is found from southern Namibia down to the Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, ...
'' *''
Massonia calvata ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with ho ...
'' *''
Massonia dentata ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with ho ...
'' *''
Massonia depressa ''Massonia depressa'', the hedgehog lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, that is native to South Africa. Growing to tall by broad, it is a bulbous perennial with two opposite leaves lying flat on the ground. A spi ...
'' *''
Massonia dregei ''Massonia'' is a genus (biology), genus of bulbous perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and i ...
'' *''
Massonia echinata ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *''
Massonia etesionamibensis ''Massonia etesionamibensis'' (syn. ''Whiteheadia etesionamibensis'') is a species of plant that is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitat is rocky areas. The genus is named for Scottish botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or ph ...
'' *''
Massonia gypsicola ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *''
Massonia hirsuta ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *'' Massonia inaequalis'' *''
Massonia jasminiflora ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *''
Massonia latebrosa ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *'' Massonia longipes'' *'' Massonia luteovirens'' *'' Massonia mimetica'' *'' Massonia obermeyerae'' *'' Massonia pseudoechinata'' *''
Massonia pustulata ''Massonia pustulata'', the blistered massonia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloidiae, native to the Western Cape of South Africa. Growing to tall and broad, it is a small bulbous perennial with two ...
'' *''
Massonia pygmaea ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *'' Massonia roggeveldensis'' *''
Massonia saniensis ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *''
Massonia sempervirens ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *'' Massonia sessiliflora'' *'' Massonia setulosa'' *'' Massonia tenella'' *''
Massonia thunbergiana ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot ...
'' *''
Massonia triflora ''Massonia triflora'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the western Cape Provinces of South Africa. As its synonym ''Massonia citrina'' it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as ...
'' *''
Massonia wittebergensis ''Massonia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae). It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot a ...
''


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 ...
or bulb frame 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