Belongs within: Fabidae.Contains: Cunoniaceae, Elaeocarpaceae. The Oxalidales are a clade of flowering plants supported by molecular analyses. Many members of the clade are tropical trees and shrubs, but the clade also includes the prominent herbaceous genus Oxalis, the sorrels, a number of species of which are invasive weeds in many parts of the world. The… Continue reading Oxalidales
Category: Articles
Urticaceae
Belongs within: Rosales.Contains: Lecantheae, Urticeae, Boehmeria. The Urticaceae, nettles and related species, are a group of herbs and shrubs (more rarely lianas or trees) found in tropical and subtropical regions. They are characterised by the production of cystoliths (calcium carbonate crystals) in the leaves. In most species, the filaments of the stamens (or staminodes) are… Continue reading Urticaceae
Haliaeetus
Belongs within: Accipitridae. Haliaeetus, the sea eagles, is a genus of large eagles found in the Old World and North America that feed predominantly on fish; species commonly have white heads, white tails and/or yellow beaks and feet. Eagles of the sea Published 28 November 2023 The bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus may have a claim… Continue reading Haliaeetus
Chenopodiaceae
Belongs within: Caryophyllales.Contains: Suaeda, Camphorosmeae, Atriplex, Chenopodium, Dysphania, Einadia, Rhagodia, Halosarcia, Tecticornia. The Chenopodiaceae are a cosmopolitan family of herbs and shrubs with small, greenish flowers (Allan 1961). Members include the genus Salsola, saltworts, a group of herbs or subshrubs (rarely shrubs or small trees), native to the western Palaearctic but widely introduced elsewhere, with… Continue reading Chenopodiaceae
Solanales
Belongs within: Lamiidae.Contains: Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae. The Solanales is a large clade of flowering plants, with most of its members being divided between the Convolvulaceae, the morning glories and related taxa, and the Solanaceae, including nightshades, tobacco, etc. Other members of the Solanales include the Montiniaceae, a small group of shrubs and small trees with small,… Continue reading Solanales
Asterostomatidae
Belongs within: Irregularia. The Asterostomatidae are a possibly polyphyletic group of heart urchins characterised by the loss of petals and/or fascioles (Fischer 1966). Moving to the top when shifting to the depths Published 25 November 2023 In 1966, the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology volumes dealing with the stem-less echinoderms (sea urchins, sea stars, etc.) reached… Continue reading Asterostomatidae
Vachellia
Vachell’s stolen valour? Published 21 November 2023 In the recent annals of botanical nomenclature, perhaps no genus has been the subject of more controversy, has raised more vitriol and ire, than the subject of this post. This is a genus whose question of identity escaped the marble halls of academia, sparked fiery condemnations in the… Continue reading Vachellia
Carduoideae
Belongs within: Asteraceae.Contains: Cardueae. The Carduoideae are a clade of composite-flowered plants supported by molecular data, members of which commonly have spiny leaves and discoid flower heads. Members include the Dicomeae, a group of African herbs, shrubs and small trees with homogamous or heterogamous flower heads that may have bilabiate peripheral florets (Panero & Funk… Continue reading Carduoideae
Araliaceae
Belongs within: Apiales.Contains: Pseudopanax, Polyscias, Osmoxylon, Hydrocotyle, Trachymene, Panax, Schefflera, Aralia. The Araliaceae are a family of plants found worldwide, with diversity particularly high in the tropics. The majority of Araliaceae are shrubs and trees, though the family also includes herbs and climbers. Recent phylogenetic studies have lead to the inclusion in the Araliaceae of… Continue reading Araliaceae
Santalales
Belongs within: Gunneridae.Contains: Olacaceae, Aquilapollenites, Santalaceae, Amyema, Lysiana, Dendrophthoe, Decaisnina. The Santalales are a clade of flowering plants supported by molecular analyses whose members produce small flowers with a valvate perianth and stamens with anther sacs and filaments (Nickrent et al. 2005). A large proportion of its members, including such forms as the sandalwoods and… Continue reading Santalales