''Schizanthus'' , also called butterfly flower, fringeflower, poor-man's-orchid, 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 plants in the

nightshade The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orna ...

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 ...

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. They are annual or

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

herbaceous plant 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 ...

s, with attractive flowers and they belong to the subfamily Schizanthoideae of the Solanaceae. The genus includes

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

native to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, many species are adventitious in other parts of the world such as

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the

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 ...

.New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
/ref>United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Plant Conservation Service.
Schizanthus pinnatus
' Ruiz & Pavón.

Description

Annual or biennial, glandulous-pubescent

s, with alternate, pinnatilobate or bipinnatisect

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

and attractive flowers, arranged at the end of stems. The flowers are

zygomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

and

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

. The calyx has 5 parts, with linear or spatulate segments. The corolla is bilabiate; the superior labia is tripartite, with the central lobe complete and notched and the two laterals bifid. The inferior labia is tripartite with the central lobe notched, almond-shaped and the laterals are complete. The

androecium 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 filam ...

is formed of 4(5) didynamous stamens, the two or three inferior stamens are reduced to staminodes. 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 ...

is a pluriseminate boll, dehiscent by two bifid valves. The basic chromosome number is x=10.Dimitri, M. 1987. Enciclopedia Argentina de Agricultura y Jardinería. Volume I. Descripción de plantas cultivadas. Publisher ACME S.A.C.I., Buenos Aires.

List of species and descriptions

List of species

The species currently recognized in ''Schizanthus'' are the following: * '' Schizanthus alpestris'' * '' Schizanthus candidus'' * '' Schizanthus grahamii'' * '' Schizanthus hookerii'' * '' Schizanthus integrifolius'' * '' Schizanthus lacteus'' * '' Schizanthus laetus'' * '' Schizanthus litoralis'' * '' Schizanthus parvulus'' * '' Schizanthus pinnatus'' * '' Schizanthus porrigens'' * ''

Schizanthus tricolor ''Schizanthus'' , also called butterfly flower, fringeflower, poor-man's-orchid, is a genus of plants in the nightshade family (biology), family, Solanaceae. They are annual or biennial plant, biennial herbaceous plants, with attractive flowers ...

''Schizanthus litoralis'' Phil.

This is an annual plant that grows up to 40 to 60 cm in height, glandulous and sticky, with divided, irregularly parted leaves of 4 to 8 cm in length, the superior leaves are smaller and often whole. The flowers are divided into a number of segments, they are very colourful, shades of violet with yellow patches and a dark line at the divisions between the upper labia. The flowers are comprised on a short, compact, terminal inflorescence. The fruit is a boll that is shorter than the calyx. This and other species of the genus are cultivated in the United States and in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. It originates in Chile where is grows in the littoral zone of the provinces of

Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than ...

and

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the List of highest mountains on Earth, highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the ...

. It is called the "butterfly of the coast" ("mariposita de la costa").C. Muñoz. 1965
El desierto florido
Notic. Mensual MNHN 10 (111): 1-8K. Reiche. 1964
Estudios críticos sobre la flora de Chile
vol.5, page 405 The seeds do not germinate easily in artificial conditions as they need scarification or manual abrasion to obtain good results.Jara P.A., Arancio, G., R. Moreno & M. R. Carmona. 2006
Factores abióticos que influencian la germinación de seis especies herbáceas de la zona árida de Chile
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 79: 309-319, 2006.

''Schizanthus pinnatus'' Ruiz & Pavón

This is an annual plant of 20 to 50 cm in height, glandulous-pubescent, with pinnatisect leaves 2.5 to 3 cm in length, divided into 6 to 8 pairs in oblong-linear segments, entire or separated. The flowers are white, pink or violet, 2 to 3 cm in diameter, arranged in paniculate inflorescences, sometimes dichotomous. The fruit is a globular boll of approximately 5 mm length. It is native to Chile but the plants are also cultivated as ornamentals. It is commonly known as the "small butterfly" ("mariposita") or "small, white butterfly" ("mariposita blanca"). Some names that are considered synonymous to ''Schizanthus pinnatus'' are ''Schizanthus gayanus'' Phil.; ''S. gracilis'' Clos; ''S. heterophyllus'' Phil.; ''S. humilis'' Phil.; ''S. laciniosus'' Phil.; ''S. latifolius'' Phil.; ''S. lilacinus'' Kunze; ''S. tenuifolius'' Phil. y ''S. tenuis'' Phil.Karl Reiche, Reiche K.
Volume 5-241-409
/ref>

''Schizanthus grahamii'' Gill.

This plant grows to a height of 30 to 50 cm, glandulous-pubescent, with pinnatisect leaves up to 8 cm long. The flowers can be violet, pink, orange or white, with the tube approximately 1 cm long and the superior labia greater than 2 cm in length, being longer than the inferior one. The fruit is a 1 cm long ellipsoid boll. Native to Chile they are also cultivated as ornamentals. The plants flowers in summer.

''Schizanthus × wisetonensis'' Low

This plant is an Hybrid (biology)#Interspecific hybrid, interspecific hybrid between ''Schizanthus pinnatus'' and ''S. grahamii'', it grows to between 30 and 40 cm tall and has characteristics intermediate between both progenitors. In Spanish speaking countries it is known as the "butterfly plant" ("planta de la mariposa") and in English speaking countries as "poor man's orchid". The flowers are very attractive, they are white, blue, pink or rose coloured depending on the variety. The foliage is light green and looks like the fronds of a fern. It is grown as an ornamental in all the temperate regions of the world. It flowers in spring. Plants prefer mild, semi-shaded places as they do not tolerate excessive heat. Plants replicate through seeds that mature in the autumn.

Germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, fer ...

takes approximately 10–14 days at 16-18 °C.Planta de la mariposa, ''Schizanthus wisetonensis''
/ref>

Floral biology

Plants in the genus ''Schizanthus'' are

entomophilous Entomophily or insect pollination is a form of pollination whereby pollen of plants, especially but not only of flowering plants, is distributed by insects. Flowers pollinated by insects typically advertise themselves with bright colours, some ...

, that is, they require that their pollen is transported from plant to plant by insects. The majority of ''Schizanthus'' species are pollinated by

hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order (biology), order of insects, comprising the sawfly, sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are Par ...

(bees, bumblebees and wasps of the genera ''Alloscirtetica'', ''

Bombus A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

'', and ''

Megachile The genus ''Megachile'' is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting bees; it also includes the called resin bees and mortar bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or pe ...

'', among others). However, the species with white flowers (''S. candidus, S. integrifolius'' and ''S. lacteus'') are pollinated by

moths Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

, and ''Schizanthus grahamii'' is pollinated by

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

s (such as, for example, ''Oreotrochilus leucopleurus'').Perez, F., Arroyo, M., Medel, R. & M. Herskovitz. 2006.
Ancestral reconstruction of flower morphology and pollination systems in ''Schizanthus'' (Solanaceae)
American Journal of Botany 93(7): 1029–1038. Although the great majority of Solanaceae exhibit

poricidal Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

pollen dehiscence, the bee-pollinated species in this genus use

explosive dehiscence Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

which is triggered when an insect lands on a flower; this ensures that the insect is covered in pollen. This mechanism favours cross pollination (

allogamy Allogamy or cross-fertilization is the fertilization of an ovum from one individual with the spermatozoa of another. By contrast, autogamy is the term used for self-fertilization. In humans, the fertilization event is an instance of allogamy. Self- ...

or xenogamy) in these plants.Cocucci, A. A. 1989. "El mecanismo floral de ''Schizanthus''." ''Kurtziana'' 20:113–132.

Alkaloids

Alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s are nitrogenous organic substances that are produced by plants as a

secondary metabolite Secondary metabolites, also called specialised metabolites, toxins, secondary products, or natural products, are organic compounds produced by any lifeform, e.g. bacteria, fungi, animals, or plants, which are not directly involved in the norm ...

and which have an intense physiological action on animals even at low doses. ''Schizanthus'' contain a great diversity of alkaloids, among them:Peña, R C. & O. Muñoz. 2000
"Phylogenetic relationships in the genus ''Schizanthus'' (Solanaceae)
" ''Biochem. Syst. and Ecol.'' 30: 45-53. *

Pyrrolidine Pyrrolidine, also known as tetrahydropyrrole, is an organic compound with the molecular formula (CH2)4NH. It is a cyclic secondary amine, also classified as a saturated heterocycle. It is a colourless liquid that is miscible with water and most ...

s: such as for example, 1-methyl-2-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)ethyl-6-deoxi3-O- Z)-2-methyl-2-butenoylalpha-galactopyranoside found in ''Schizanthus integrifolius''. Alpha-Tropanol

Tropane Tropane is a nitrogenous Bicyclic molecule, bicyclic organic compound. It is mainly known for the other alkaloids derived from it, which include atropine and cocaine, among others. Tropane alkaloids occur in plants of the families Erythroxylaceae ...

s. Various types of tropanes have been isolated from different species of the genus. Derivatives of hydroxytropane and angeloyloxytropane have been detected in ''Schizanthus alpestris'', ''Schizanthus grahamii'', ''Schizanthus. hookerii'', ''Schizanthus litoralis'' and ''Schizanthus pinnatus''.Eich, E. 2007. Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae: Secondary metabolites Biosynthesis, chemotaxonomy, Biological and economic Significance. Springer (proposes schizangramine as a name for grahamine, which was taken by another substance) * Schizantines. Esters of hydroxytropane have been detected in ''Schizanthus grahamii'' and derivatives of mesaconic acid and itaconic acid have been found in ''Schizanthus litoralis''. The C, D and E schizantines have been found in ''Schizanthus grahamii'' as well has dimers of an ester of truxillic acid. ''Schizanthus pinnatus'' accumulates B and D schizantines, while Z schizantine has been detected in ''Schizanthus porrigens''. Other types of alkaloids isolated from different species of the genera are 3-alpha-tigloyloxytropane, hygroline and pseudohygroline. The wide variety of alkaloids found in these species have allowed their use in phylogenetic studies of the genus. The evolution of these secondary metabolites, apparently, occurred in parallel with morphological evolution. This is reflected in the simplest alkaloids, pyrrolidine derivatives, present in the genus's most primitive

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, ...

(''Schizanthus integrifolius'' and other white flowered species), up to the dimeric and trimeric derivatives of tropanes, such as those found in ''Schizanthus grahamii'' (grahamine) or the tropanol diesters, the dimers of mesaconic and itaconic acids, present in ''Schizanthus hookerii'' and ''Schizanthus litoralis''.

Taxonomy

''Schizanthus'' comprises 12 species of annuals and biennials, which make up the monospecific subfamily, Schizanthoideae. This subfamily is the most basal grouping in Solanaceae, and is therefore sister to all higher taxa of the family.Martins, T.R. and T.J. Barkman, 2005. Reconstruction of Solanaceae Phylogeny Using the Nuclear Gene SAMT. Systematic Biology 30(2): 435-447

Phylogeny

''Schizanthus'' is a somewhat atypical genus among the solanaceas due to its strongly zygomorphic flowers and basic chromosome number. In fact, it is located in its own subfamily: Schizanthoideae. Morphological and molecular data suggest that ''Schizanthus'' diverged early from the rest of the solanaceas, probably in the late

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

or in the early

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

, 50 million years ago.Olmster, R.G. & J. Palmer. 1992
A chloroplast DNA phylogeny of the Solanaceae: subfamilial relationships and character evolution
Annals Missouri Botanical Garden 79 (2):346-360. At that time the southern regions of South America were experiencing tropical to subtropical conditions. The molecular data also suggests that ''Schizanthus'' is divided into 3 main lineages or clades. Clade A includes ''Schizanthus alpestris'', positioned very close to an unresolved clade comprising ''S. candidus'', ''S. integrifolius'', and ''S. lacteus''. Clade B contains ''S. hookeri'' and ''S. grahamii''. Clade C contains ''S. laetus'' with two related sub-clades, one of which includes ''S. litoralis'' and ''S. porrigens'', and the other ''S. tricolor'', ''S. pinnatus'', and ''S. parvulus''. Despite the early origin of the genus, the molecular data suggests that the 3 main 'Schizanthus'' clades diverged recently, 5 million years ago, when the desert and semi-desert regions that the genus currently occupies were already arid. The great diversity of flower types within ''Schizanthus'' has been the product of the species’ adaptation to the different types of pollinator that exist in the Mediterranean, high alpine and desert ecosystems that were present in Chile and adjacent areas of Argentina.

Cultivation

Bauernorchidee - Schizanthus wisetonensis 01

''Schizanthus'' species are cultivated in the

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

trade and widely available as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

for

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s. The flowers of ''Schizanthus'' are available in a wide range of colors and sizes, and are delicately spotted and blotched like the smaller butterflies. The blooms on a well-grown plant are produced in such profusion as to completely cover it. For the garden the dwarfed varieties should be chosen as the tall sorts grow rather slender and crooked. The leaves are attractive with soft green, deeply cut and fern like that are often covered with fine hair. This flower was used by

Celia Sánchez Celia Sánchez Manduley (May 9, 1920 January 11, 1980) was a Cuban revolutionary, politician, researcher and archivist. She was a key member of the Cuban Revolution and a close colleague of Fidel Castro. Biography Early life Sánchez wa ...

in the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in cou ...

to hide telegrams. A number of species are cultivated as ornamentals throughout the world, but perhaps the most used is ''Schizanthus × wisetonensis''. Some cultivars of this species are "Angel Wings", "Disco", "Hit Parade", "Treasure Trove™ Lilac", "Treasure Trove™ Pure White", "Treasure Trove™ Pure Scarlet Shades" (the latter have been patented in the United States).

Conservation status

Population analysis

Research has been carried out on natural populations of ''Schizanthus pinnatus'' for the period 1960 to 2005. These studies have found that the natural population is decreasing year on year at a greater rate than the average for the dicot species studied.Zipcodezoo: Conservation status of ''Schizanthus pinnatus''
/ref>

Conservation measures

Three of the species in the genus (''Schizanthus grahamii'', ''Schizanthus hookeri '' y ''Schizanthus pinnatus'') are found in the Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary, a protected area in the

Santiago Metropolitan Region Santiago Metropolitan Region ( es, link=no, Región Metropolitana de Santiago) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago. Mos ...

in Chile. The vascular flora in this nature reserve is composed of 500

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

which represents 34 % of the Metropolitan Region’s native flora, 27 % of that of the

Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region ( es, Región de Valparaíso, links=no, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's second-highest population of 1,790,219 , and fourth-smallest area of , ...

, and around 16-17 % of the Mediterranean flora of

Zona Central, Chile Central Chile (''Zona central'') is one of the five natural regions into which CORFO divided continental Chile in 1950. It is home to a majority of the Chilean population and includes the three largest metropolitan areas—Santiago, Valparaís ...

.Arroyo, M.T.K., Marticorena, C., Matthei, O., Muñoz, M. & Pliscoff, P. 2002
Analysis of the contribution and efficiency of the Santuario de la Naturaleza Yerba Loca, 33° S in protecting the regional vascular plant flora (Metropolitan and Fifth regions of Chile)
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 75: 767-792

Notes

External links

Information and images for ''Schizanthus'' on the web page of the Fundación Philippi
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1425929 Solanaceae Solanaceae genera Flora of South America Garden plants of South America