Huernia

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Huernia
Huernia macrocarpa var penzigii.jpg
Huernia macrocarpa var. penzigii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Asclepiadoideae
Tribe: Ceropegieae
Genus: Huernia
R.Br.
Type species
Huernia campanulata
(Masson) R.Br. ex Haw. [1]

The genus Huernia (family Apocynaceae, subfamily Asclepiadoideae) [2] consists of perennial, stem succulents from Eastern and Southern Africa and Arabia, first described as a genus in 1810. [3] [4]

Contents

The flowers are five-lobed, usually somewhat more funnel- or bell-shaped than in the closely related genus Stapelia , and often striped vividly in contrasting colors or tones, some glossy, others matte and wrinkled depending on the species concerned. Frequently the flowers are colored a variation of red, yellow or brown. [5] To pollinate, the flowers attract flies by emitting a scent similar to that of carrion. The genus is considered close to the genera Stapelia and Hoodia . Phylogenetic studies have shown the genus to be monophyletic, and most closely related to the genus Tavaresia , and to a widespread branch of stapeliads comprising the genera Orbea , Piaranthus and Stapelia . [6]

The name of the plant is in honor of Justus van Heurne (1587–1653?) a Dutch missionary, botanist, and doctor, who is reputed to have been the first European to document and collect South African Cape plants. [3] [5] [7] His surname has variations (van Horne, Heurnius, van Heurnius), [7] however it was misspelled by the plant collector. [5]

Various species of Huernia are considered famine food by the inhabitants of Konso special woreda in southern Ethiopia. The local inhabitants, who call the native species of this genus baqibaqa indiscriminately, eat it with prepared balls of sorghum (kurkufa); they note that baqibaqa tastes relatively good and has no unpleasant side-effects when boiled and consumed. [8] As a result, local farmers encouraged it to grow on stone walls forming the terraces, where it does not compete with other crops. [8]

Species

The following species of Huernia are found in Africa (East Africa, South Africa and Ethiopia) and Arabia (Saudi Arabia, Yemen). [9]

formerly included

moved to Angolluma


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asclepiadoideae</span> Subfamily of plants

The Asclepiadoideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Apocynaceae. Formerly, they were treated as a separate family under the name Asclepiadaceae, e.g. by APG II, and known as the milkweed family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stapeliinae</span> Subtribe of flowering plants

Stapeliinae is a subtribe of flowering plants within the tribe Ceropegieae of the subfamily Asclepiadoideae of the family Apocynaceae. The subtribe comprises about 35 genera, including both the stem-succulent "stapeliads" and the horticulturally popular genera Brachystelma and Ceropegia. The largest number of genera are native to Africa, but a more limited number of genera are widespread in Arabia and Asia. Historically, a similarly circumscribed taxon was treated as a separate tribe, Stapelieae.

<i>Stapelia</i> Genus of plants

Stapelia is a genus of low-growing, spineless, stem succulent plants, predominantly from South Africa with a few from other parts of Africa. Several Asian and Latin American species were formerly included but they have all now been transferred to other genera. The flowers of certain species, most notably Stapelia gigantea, can reach 41 cm (16 inches) in diameter when fully open. Most Stapelia flowers are visibly hairy and generate the odor of rotten flesh when they bloom.

<i>Duvalia</i> Genus of plants

Duvalia is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae (dogbane).

<i>Tridentea</i> Genus of plants

Tridentea is a genus of succulent plant in the family Apocynaceae, endemic to southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Leach (botanist)</span> Rhodesian botanist (1909–1996)

Leslie Charles "Larry" Leach was a Rhodesian taxonomic botanist.

<i>Stapelianthus</i> Genus of plants

Stapelianthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1933. The entire genus is endemic to Madagascar and is concentrated in the far south of the island.

<i>Pseudolithos</i> Genus of plants

Pseudolithos is a genus of succulent flowering plants of the family Apocynaceae, indigenous to arid areas of Somalia, Yemen and Oman.

<i>Tromotriche</i> Genus of plants

Tromotriche is a genus of plant in family Apocynaceae. It is native to southern Africa.

<i>Tavaresia</i> Genus of plants

Tavaresia is a genus of plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1902. It is native to southern Africa.

  1. Tavaresia angolensisWelw. - Angola
  2. Tavaresia barklyi(Dyer) N.E.Br. - South Africa
  3. Tavaresia grandifloraBerger - South Africa
  4. Tavaresia meintjesiiR.A. Dyer - Limpopo
<i>Stapeliopsis</i> Genus of plants

Stapeliopsis is a genus of succulent plants in the family Apocynaceae, native to southern Africa.

<i>Echidnopsis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Echidnopsis is a genus of succulent, cactus-like plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1871. They are native to eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Piaranthus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Piaranthus is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae.

<i>Orbea</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Orbea is a genus of flowering plants of the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1812. It is native to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

<i>Rhytidocaulon</i> Genus of flowering plants

Rhytidocaulon is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae, first described in 1962. It is native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula

<i>Huernia zebrina</i> Species of plant

Huernia zebrina, the little owl, also called lifesaver cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to Namibia, Botswana, northern South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. A succulent, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

References

  1. ↑ lectotype designated by White et Sloane, Stapelieae ed. 2. 3: 819. 1937
  2. ↑ Chaney, Cathryn (22 April 2012). "Planting Guides for Lifesaver Cactuses". SFGate.com. Hearst. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Robert. 1810. On the Asclepiadeae 11
  4. ↑ "Name - Huernia R. Br". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  5. 1 2 3 "Asclepiadaceae: Huernia". succulent-plant.com. Retrieved 2019-08-13. Justus van Heurne
  6. ↑ P. Bruyns, C. Klak, P. Hanacek: Evolution of the stapeliads (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - repeated major radiation across Africa in an Old World group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 2014. v. 77, no. 1, p. 251--263. ISSN 1055-7903.
  7. 1 2 Gunn, Mary; Codd, L. E. W. (1981). Botanical Exploration Southern Africa, Introductory volume to the Flora of Southern Africa. CRC Press. p. 187. ISBN   9780869611296 – via Google Books.
  8. 1 2 Guinand, Yves; Lemessa, Dechassa (10 March 2000). "Wild-food Plants in Southern Ethiopia: Reflections on the role of 'famine-foods' at a time of drought - Ethiopia". ReliefWeb. UNDP Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  9. ↑ "Huernia R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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