''Mimophytum'' 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 ...

Boraginaceae. The species occur in Northeastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and adjacent areas of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. They are similar to the closely related genus ''

Omphalodes ''Omphalodes'' (navelwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, widely distributed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. In spring they produce blue or white flowers similar to forget-me-nots. Both the Greek ''Omphalodes'' ...

'' but a distinct group.

Morphology

''Mimophytum'' species are (sub-)perennial herbs, either with a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

or erect. The leaves have petioles and are heart-shaped or rhombic. They produce blue flowers similar to

forget-me-nots ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the northern hemisphere they are colloquially known as forget-me-nots ...

. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s consist of four winged nutlets. The nutlet wing can be turned upwards, creating a navel-like shape, similar to the fruits of ''

''. In two species, '' M. alienum'' and '' M. alienoides'', there are two differently shaped fruits: two navel-like nutlets and two nutlets with flat wings. In three species, '' M. omphalodoides'', '' M. benitomartinezii'', and '' M. richardsonii'', the wings of the navel-shaped nutlets are beset with small barbed

glochid Glochids or glochidia (singular "glochidium") are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the areoles of cacti in the sub-family ''Opuntioideae''. Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and lodge in the skin, causin ...

ia.

Systematics

The barbed glochidia on the nutlet wing was a character that led

Greenman The Green Man is a legendary being primarily interpreted as a symbol of rebirth, representing the cycle of new growth that occurs every spring. The Green Man is most commonly depicted in a sculpture, or other representation of a face which is ...

to describe his new species, ''Mimophytum omphalodoides'', in new genus. However, Greenman already recognized the similarity of many characters of his new species to ''Omphalodes''. The species without these glochidiate nutlet wings were considered as belonging to ''Omphalodes'', but the similarity was always recognized. New phylogenetic work showed that the native Mexican and Texan "''Omphalodes''" species are 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, ...

, distinct from the true ''Omphalodes'' from Europe. A later phylogenetic placement of the type species of ''Mimophytum'' within the North American clade of ''Omphalodes'' confirmed the suggested close relationship, leading to the taxonomic transfer of most of the native North American ''Omphalodes'' names to ''Mimophytum''. A single remaining ''Omphalodes'' species from Mexico, '' O. erecta'' was excluded from this process so far, because it is morphologically too deviant to infer an unequivocal classification to ''Mimophytum'' from morphology alone.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9033241 Boraginaceae genera