''Pseudolithos'' 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
succulent 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 of the family
Apocynaceae
Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of ...
, indigenous to arid areas of
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐; ar, ุงูุตูู
ุงู, aแนฃ-แนขลซmฤl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
,
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ูฑููููู
ูู, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi ArabiaโYemen border, north and ...
and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, ุนูู
ูุงู ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, ุณููุทูุฉู ุนูู
ุงู ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
.
Description and naming
The plants were first described as a genus in 1965; the name ''"Pseudo-lithos"'' means ''"false-stone"'' and refers to their pebble-like appearance. It was originally proposed as ''Lithocaulon'' earlier in 1956, but this name was already in use for a genus of fossil
algae. All species in this genus are highly succulent, small in size, and exhibit
tessellation
A tessellation or tiling is the covering of a surface, often a plane, using one or more geometric shapes, called ''tiles'', with no overlaps and no gaps. In mathematics, tessellation can be generalized to higher dimensions and a variety o ...
on their stems' surface. Their small flowers appear on the spherical body's surface.
;Species
# ''
Pseudolithos caput-viperae''
Lavranos - Somalia
# ''
Pseudolithos cubiformis''
(P.R.O. Bally) P.R.O. Bally - N Somalia
# ''
Pseudolithos dodsonianus
''Pseudolithos'' is a genus of succulent flowering plants of the family Apocynaceae, indigenous to arid areas of Somalia, Yemen and Oman.
Description and naming
The plants were first described as a genus in 1965; the name ''"Pseudo-lithos"'' me ...
''
(Lavranos) Bruyns & Meve - Somalia & Oman
# ''
Pseudolithos gigas''
Dioli - Eastern Ethiopia
# ''
Pseudolithos harardheranus
''Pseudolithos'' is a genus of succulent flowering plants of the family Apocynaceae, indigenous to arid areas of Somalia, Yemen and Oman.
Description and naming
The plants were first described as a genus in 1965; the name ''"Pseudo-lithos"'' m ...
''
Dioli - Somalia
# ''
Pseudolithos horwoodii''
P.R.O. Bally & Lavranos - Somalia
# ''
Pseudolithos mccoyi''
Lavranos - Yemen & Oman
# ''
Pseudolithos migiurtinus''
(Chiov.) P.R.O. Bally - S + C Somalia
# ''
Pseudolithos sphaericus''
(P.R.O. Bally) P.R.O. Bally - N Somalia
Taxonomy
Phylogenetic studies have shown the genus to be monophyletic, and most closely related to the widespread ''
Caralluma
''Caralluma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, consisting of about 120 species.
In 1795 William Roxburgh published the name '' Stapelia adscendens'' for a plant found in India. He commented that the name for the plant ...
'' stapeliads of North Africa. Marginally more distantly related is a sister branch comprising the genera ''
Echidnopsis'' and ''
Rhytidocaulon''.
[P. Bruyns, C. Klak, P. Hanacek: ''Evolution of the stapeliads (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - repeated major radiation across Africa in an Old World group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.'' 2014. v. 77, no. 1, p. 251--263. ISSN 1055-7903.]
References
External links
Dave's Garden
photos
Apocynaceae genera
Asclepiadoideae
{{Apocynaceae-stub