| Cytinus visseri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Cytinaceae |
| Genus: | Cytinus |
| Species: | C. visseri |
| Binomial name | |
| Cytinus visseri Burgoyne | |
Cytinus visseri, commonly known as the Northern vampire cup, is a holoparasitic flowering plant in the family Cytinaceae. This flower favorably interacts with another plant, Helichrysum reflexum , that is a woody shrub in South Africa.
This flower was first discovered by Johann Visser but he was unable to name it himself due to his untimely passing. [1] But after recognition of his discovery, the species was officially named after him by Prix Burgoyne.
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Cytinus visseri is native to South Africa. [1] This flower is seen in the areas of rocky outcrops in Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga province, Limpopo province, and Eswatini. [1] [2] [3]
Cytinus visseri is an erect, perennial, and a dioecious species. It lacks a true root system but forms endophytic cells to attach to the host and burst out of the host's primordium, bearing red flowers at its tip. They can grow up to 30-120mm high with a seed size of 0.2 – 0.4 mm long. [1] [3] The members of Cytinus are not host-specific parasites and are seen to favorably interact with members from the family Asteraceae. However the flower may interact with other woody shrub taxa. C. visseri often interacts with H. reflexum, a plant that belongs to Asteraceae. [2] [3] When H. reflexum is infected, it is rarely seen that more than one C. visseri infects the same host plant. They are commonly located under the dense canopy of the host where it synchronizes with the host's flowering period.
The method of pollination is by using scent cues to lure mammalian ground-dwellers. Due to location, scent cues are more effective in manipulating behaviors in mammalian ground-dwellers. Mammals that assist in pollination are the elephant shrews ( Elephantulus brachyrhynchus ), the striped field mouse ( Rhabdomys pumilio ), and the Pygmy mouse ( Mus minutoides ). [2] [3] The scent is chemically derived into two substances: 1-hexen-3-one and 3-hexaone. The first substance is used primarily to attract the pollinators. The latter is a strong repellant but when both substances are released, the net effect attracts the mammals. [2]
The method of seed dispersal is through mammalian locomotion and fecal disposal. Lizards have also been observed to assist this flower in seed dispersal. [1] [3]
The family Asteraceae, with the original name Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.
Dactylanthus taylorii, commonly known in English as wood rose and in Māori as te pua o te rēinga, is a fully parasitic flowering plant, the only one endemic to New Zealand. The host tree responds to the presence of Dactylanthus by forming a burl-like structure that resembles a fluted wooden rose. When the flowers emerge on the forest floor, they are pollinated by a ground-foraging species of native bat.
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Leucospermum is a genus of evergreen upright, sometimes creeping shrubs that is assigned to the Proteaceae, with currently forty-eight known species.
Centranthus ruber, the red valerian, spur valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox's brush, devil's beard or Jupiter's beard, is a popular garden plant grown for its ornamental flowers.
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Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. It contains only one species, Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates.
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Hydnoroideae is a subfamily of parasitic flowering plants in the order Piperales. Traditionally, and as recently as the APG III system it given family rank under the name Hydnoraceae. It is now submerged in the Aristolochiaceae. It contains two genera, Hydnora and Prosopanche:
A flower, also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. Flowers consist of a combination of vegetative organs – sepals that enclose and protect the developing flower, petals that attract pollinators, and reproductive organs that produce gametophytes, which in flowering plants produce gametes. The male gametophytes, which produce sperm, are enclosed within pollen grains produced in the anthers. The female gametophytes are contained within the ovules produced in the carpels.
Banksia grossa is a species of shrub in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to Southwest Australia. It is one of fourteen species of banksia of the series Abietinae, all of which bear predominantly cylindrical or oval inflorescences. Collected in 1965, it was first formally described in 1981 by Alex George. Its thick leaves and large seeds distinguish it from other members of the Abietinae, and are the basis of its species name.
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Vaccinium ovatum is a North American species of flowering shrub known by the common names evergreen huckleberry, winter huckleberry, cynamoka berry and California huckleberry. Vaccinium ovatum is classified in phylum: Magnoliaphyta, order: Ericales, family: Ericaceae, genus: Vaccinium, and species: ovatum.
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Insect ecology is the interaction of insects, individually or as a community, with the surrounding environment or ecosystem.
Cytinus is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. Species in this genus do not produce chlorophyll, but rely fully on its host plant. Cytinus usually parasitizes Cistus and Halimium, two genera of plants in the family Cistaceae. It has also been found on Ptilostemon chamaepeuce.
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