Comptonia (plant)

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Comptonia
Comptonia-peregrina-foliage.jpg
Comptonia peregrina leaves
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Myricaceae
Genus: Comptonia
L'Hér. [1]
Species [1] [2]
Comptonia columbiana, 49.5 mya, Klondike Mountain Formation Comptonia columbiana SRIC SR 05-09-01 img1.jpg
Comptonia columbiana , 49.5 mya, Klondike Mountain Formation

Comptonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Myricaceae, native to parts of eastern North America. It has one extant (living) species, sweet fern, Comptonia peregrina , [1] and a number of extinct species. [2]

Taxonomy

The living species was first described, as Liquidambar peregrina, by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, in the second volume of Species Plantarum . Further on in the same volume, he described Myrica aspleniifolia as a different species (with the epithet spelt asplenifolia). In 1763, he changed his mind concerning Myrica aspleniifolia, and it became Liquidambar aspleniifolia, and so in the same genus as Liquidambar peregrina. [3]

In 1789, Charles Louis L'Héritier placed Linnaeus's original Myrica aspleniifolia in his new genus Comptonia. [4] The genus is named in honor of Rev. Henry Compton (1632-1713), bishop of Oxford.

In 1894, John M. Coulter transferred Linnaeus's Liquidambar peregrina to Comptonia, and treated Linnaeus's Myrica aspleniifolia as a synonym. [3] Comptonia peregrina is now the only extant (living) species in the genus. [1]

Comptonia is categorized as an Actinorhizal plant - an angiosperm characterized by their ability to form a symbiosis with the nitrogen fixing actinomycetota Frankia. This association leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Comptonia L'Hér.", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2019-07-18
  2. 1 2 Xiao-Qing, Liang; Wilde, Volker; Ferguson, David K.; Kvaček, Zlatko; Ablaev, Albert G.; Wang, Yu-Fei & Li, Cheng-Sen (2010), "Comptonia naumannii (Myricaceae) from the early Miocene of Weichang, China, and the palaeobiogeographical implication of the genus", Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 163 (1–2): 52–63, Bibcode:2010RPaPa.163...52L, doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2010.09.004
  3. 1 2 Coulter, John M. (1894). "Myricaceae". Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. Vol. 5. pp. 127–128. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  4. "Comptonia aspleniifolia (L.) L'Hér". The International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  5. ""Angiosperm Phylogeny Website"", Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 14, July 2017, retrieved 2025-04-08