''Phycella'' is a genus of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

, perennial bulbous flowering plants belonging to the family

Amaryllidaceae The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...

, subfamily

Amaryllidoideae Amaryllidoideae (Amaryllidaceae ''s.s.'', amaryllids) is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, order Asparagales. The most recent APG classification, APG III, takes a broad view of the Amaryllidaceae, which then ...

. The genus consists of five species distributed from central Chile to northwestern Argentina.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

in 1825. After further examining specimens of ''Amaryllis ignea'' (see illustration) that he had described the previous year as '' Amaryllis'', with some reservation, Lindley concluded they were a separate genus, naming two species, ''P. ignea'', and ''P. cyrtanthoides'' (previously ''A. cyrtanthoides''). Subsequently, it was considered these were the same plant, and ''P. ignea'' was reassigned to a synonym for ''P. cyrtanthoides''.

Phylogeny

''Phycella'' is located in the American (Hippeastroid) clade of the Amaryllidoideaetribe, where it is placed in tribe Hippeastreae, subtribe

Traubiinae '' Phycella cyrtanthoides'' Traubiinae is a subtribe of plants classified under the tribe Hippeastreae. It belongs to the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae). Description Bulbous perennial herbaceous plants ...

. In molecular phylogenetic analysis, ''Phycella'' forms a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the remainder of the Hippeastreae. In 1996 the Müller-Doblies' had situated it in subtribe Hippeastrinae based on morphological criteria, by submerging it in '' Hippeastrum''. A detailed study of in-depth relations within Hippeastreae revealed a more complicated situation wit regard to the Chilean-Argentinian taxa which had not been well represented in earlier studies. There was strong support for two major clades, representing two subtribes, with ''Phycella'' and three other genera (but not ''Hippeastrum'') forming the Traubiinae. This study also showed that one species of ''

Famatina Famatina is a town in the province of La Rioja, Argentina. It has 6,371 inhabitants as per the , and is the only municipality in the Famatina Department. Located in fertile valley between Sierra de Famatina and Sierra de Velasco Famatina's econ ...

'' (''F. maulensis'') segregated with ''Phycella'', and was therefore submerged in it as '' Phycella herbertiana''. By contrast the remaining three ''Famatina'' species segregated with ''

Rhodophiala ''Rhodophiala'' was a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae). It consisted of about 30 South American species distributed in southern Brazil, Argentina, and, specially ...

'' and were therefore grouped in Hippeastrinae together with ''Hippeastrum''. Consequently, ''Famatina'' has been extinguished as separate genus. The genus ''Placea'' was also submerged in ''Phycella'', resulting in about 13 species in total.

Subdivision

13–14 species are described: * '' Phycella amoena'' Nic.García

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''Placea amoena'' * '' Phycella arzae'' (Phil.) Nic.García syn. ''Placea arzae'' * '' Phycella australis'' Ravenna * '' Phycella brevituba'' Herb. * '' Phycella chilensis'' (L’Hér.) Grau ex Nic.García syn. ''Amaryllis chilensis'' L’Hér. * '' Phycella cyrtanthoides'' ( Sims) Lindl. * '' Phycella davidii'' (Ravenna) Nic.García syn. ''Placea davidii'' * '' Phycella fulgens'' (Hook.f.) Nic.García, syn. ''Habranthus fulgens'' Hook.f. * ''

Phycella germainii ''Phycella'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial bulbous flowering plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus consists of five species distributed from central Chile to northwestern Argentina. Taxonom ...

'' (Phil.) Nic.García syn. ''Placea germainii'' Phil. * '' Phycella herbertiana'' Lindl.

''Famatina maulensis'' Ravenna * '' Phycella lutea'' (Phil.) Nic.García ''Placea lutea'' Phil. * ''

Phycella maulensis ''Phycella'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial bulbous flowering plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus consists of five species distributed from central Chile to northwestern Argentina. Taxonom ...

'' (Ravenna) Nic.García & J.M.Watson syn. ''Famatina maulensis'' Ravenna * ''

Phycella ornata ''Phycella'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial bulbous flowering plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus consists of five species distributed from central Chile to northwestern Argentina. Taxonom ...

'' (Miers) Nic.García syn. ''Placea ornata'' Miers * ''

Phycella scarlatina ''Phycella'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial bulbous flowering plants belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus consists of five species distributed from central Chile to northwestern Argentina. Taxonom ...

'' Ravenna Pl. Life 37: 69 (1981)

References

Bibliography

* The International Plant Names Inde
''Phycella''
* * * * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q9059179 Amaryllidoideae Amaryllidaceae genera