''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae excl ...

s in the family

Caryophyllaceae Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactacea ...

. The genus was named by

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biolo ...

in 1792.

Molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

analysis showed that the genus is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

and needs to be redefined. It falls into three distinct

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 ter ...

s. One of these, a group of species related to ''P. corymbosa'', has acquired the photosynthetic pathway.

Selected species

It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): * '' Polycarpaea akkensis'' Maire. * '' Polycarpaea aristata'' Chr.Sm. * '' Polycarpaea balfourii'' Briq. * '' Polycarpaea caespitosa'' Balf.f. * '' Polycarpaea carnosa'' Chr.Sm. * '' Polycarpaea clavifolia'' M.Gilbert. * '' Polycarpaea corymbosa'' (L.) Lam. * ''

Polycarpaea divaricata ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' Aiton. * ''

Polycarpaea filifolia ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' Webb ex Christ. * '' Polycarpaea gaudichaudii'' Gagnepain. * ''

Polycarpaea gayi ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' Webb. * '' Polycarpaea guardafuiensis'' M.Gilbert. * ''

Polycarpaea hassalensis ''Polycarpaea hassalensis'' is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community charact ...

'' D.F.Chamb. * ''

Polycarpaea hayoides ''Polycarpaea hayoides'' is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on ...

'' D.F.Chamb. * ''

Polycarpaea kuriensis ''Polycarpaea kuriensis'' is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community character ...

'' Wagner * ''

Polycarpaea latifolia ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' Poiret. * ''

Polycarpaea nivea ''Polycarpaea nivea'' is a species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The species was described by William Aiton in 1828 as ''Achyranthes nivea'', and it was placed in the genus ''Polycarpaea'' by Philip Barker Webb in 1849. The s ...

'' Aiton. * ''

Polycarpaea paulayana ''Polycarpaea paulayana'' is a species of plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characteri ...

'' Wagner * ''

Polycarpaea pulvinata ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' M.Gilbert. * ''

Polycarpaea repens ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' (Forsskal) Ascherson & Schweinf. * ''

Polycarpaea robbairea ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' (Kunze) Greuter & Burdet. * ''

Polycarpaea smithii ''Polycarpaea'' is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. The genus was named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1792. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed that the genus is polyphyletic and needs to be redefined. It falls into three dis ...

'' Link. * '' Polycarpaea somalensis'' Engl. * '' Polycarpaea spicata'' Wight ex Arn. * '' Polycarpaea tenuis'' Webb ex Christ. * '' Polycarpaea ventiversa'' M.Gilbert.

References

Caryophyllaceae genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Caryophyllaceae-stub