Kewa acida

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Kewa acida
MELLISS(1875) p315 - PLATE 27 - Pharnaceum acidum.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Kewaceae
Genus: Kewa
Species:
K. acida
Binomial name
Kewa acida
(Hook.) Christenh. [1]

Kewa acida is one of the eight species currently recognized in the genus Kewa , the sole genus in the family Kewaceae. It is a bushy grey-leaved annual or short-lived perennial plant, with white flowers, endemic to St Helena, where it has been called the "salad plant". It is regarded as Critically Endangered. The succulent leaves are high in Vitamin C and were used by sailors in the past as a scurvy preventative.

Contents

Description

Kewa acida is an annual or short-lived perennial, growing up to 30 cm (1 ft) tall by about 1 m (3 ft) wide. It has a spreading, bush-like habit, with stems that may be woody at the base. The succulent leaves are narrow, usually 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) long by 3 mm (0.1 in) wide, but occasionally longer, and are smooth, with a bluish-grey waxy coat. The inflorescence is a false umbel with two to seven flowers, each on a stem (pedicel) up to 2 cm (0.8 in) long. The white flowers are about 25 mm (1.0 in) across. The flower has five tepals arranged in a single whorl. Characteristic of the genus Kewa, the outer two appear to be sepals, being green; one appears to be half sepal and half petal; and the inner two appear to be petals, being white with a green stripe on the back. The stamens are arranged in two whorls: ten paired in one whorl alternating with five single in the other. The ovary is superior (visible inside the tepals). The fruit is yellowish-brown, dehiscent, containing small black seeds. [1]

Taxonomy

Kewa acida was first described by Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1868, as Pharnaceum acidum. In 1908, Konrad Müller transferred it to the genus Hypertelis , as H. acida. Müller placed Hypertelis in the family Aizoaceae, but it was subsequently placed in Molluginaceae. [1] Molecular phylogenetic studies in the 21st century showed that most of the species placed in Hypertelis did not belong there, and in 2014 a new genus, Kewa , was established for eight species, including K. acida. [2]

Distribution, habitat and conservation

Kewa acida is endemic to the mid-Atlantic island of St Helena. It is found in hot, dry coastal regions, up to 550 m (1,800 ft) in elevation. It tends to be annual and hence smaller in drier areas, but can become perennial and shrubby where there is more moisture. [1]

Occurring only on a single island in an area of about 33 km2 (13 sq mi), the species is considered to be Critically Endangered, i.e. at a high risk of extinction. It is threatened by introduced animals, such as mice and rabbits, which eat the highly palatable leaves, and also by competition from introduced plants. Efforts have been made to exclude grazing animals. Seeds are stored at the Millennium Seed Bank, Kew. [1]

Uses

On St Helena, Kewa acida has been called the "salad plant". Its leaves have a salty acid taste and are high in vitamin C, so were used by sailors to prevent scurvy. [1]

Cultivation

Kewa acida is in cultivation at Kew Gardens, originating from seeds collected in 2009. It is grown in a porous, low-nutrient potting compost, and kept at a minimum temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) at night, higher in the daytime. It can be propagated by seeds or by cuttings. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tropaeolum</i> Genus of plants in the family Tropaeolaceae

Tropaeolum, commonly known as nasturtium, is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae. The nasturtiums received their common name because they produce an oil similar to that of watercress.

Sepal Any of the separate parts of the calyx of a flower (excluding the bracts), usually green

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms. Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term sepalum was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from the Greek σκέπη, a covering.

Ranunculaceae Family of eudicot flowering plants

Ranunculaceae is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide.

Caryophyllaceae Family of flowering plants

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, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species.

Hydrangeaceae Family of flowering plants

Hydrangeaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Cornales, with a wide distribution in Asia and North America, and locally in southeastern Europe. it comprises nine genera with 223 known species.

Iridaceae Family of flowering plants comprising irises, gladioli, and crocuses

Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide. It includes a number of other well known cultivated plants, such as freesias, gladioli and crocuses.

Lythraceae Family of flowering plants

Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants, including 32 genera with about 620 species of herbs, shrubs and trees. The larger genera include Cuphea, Lagerstroemia (56), Nesaea (50), Rotala (45), and Lythrum (35). It also includes the pomegranate and the water caltrop. Lythraceae has a worldwide distribution, with most species in the tropics, but ranging into temperate climate regions as well.

Juncaceae family of flowering plants commonly known as rushes

Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and sedges. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range of moisture conditions. The best-known and largest genus is Juncus. Most of the Juncus species grow exclusively in wetland habitats. A few rushes, such as Juncus bufonius are annuals, but most are perennials.

Tepal

A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower. The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated, as in Magnolia, or because, although it is possible to distinguish an outer whorl of sepals from an inner whorl of petals, the sepals and petals have similar appearance to one another. The term was first proposed by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1827 and was constructed by analogy with the terms "petal" and "sepal".

Hypericaceae Family of flowering plants (St. Johns wort family)

Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales, comprising six to nine genera and up to 700 species, and commonly known as the St. John’s wort family. Members are found throughout the world apart from extremely cold or dry habitats. Hypericum and Triadenum occur in temperate regions but other genera are mostly tropical.

Molluginaceae Family of flowering plants

Molluginaceae are a family of flowering plants recognized by several taxonomists. It was previously included in the larger family Aizoaceae. The APG III system of 2009 made no change in the status of the family as compared to the APG II system of 2003 and the APG system of 1998, apart from a reassignment of several genera, such as the placement of Corrigiola and Telephium into Caryophyllaceae, Corbichonia in Lophiocarpaceae, Microtea into Microteaceae and Limeum in Limeaceae, because the family was found to be widely polyphyletic in Caryophyllales. In addition Macarthuria was found not to be related to Limeum as previously thought and thus it was placed in Macarthuriaceae, and similarly species formerly placed in Hypertelis, apart from type species Hypertelis spergulacea, a true Molluginaceae, were found to belong elsewhere and were described as Kewa in the family Kewaceae, named for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Molluginaceae is still assigned to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots, although the generic circumscription is difficult because Mollugo is not monophyletic.

Lepidobotryaceae Family of flowering plants

Lepidobotryaceae is a flowering plant family in the order Celastrales. It contains only two genera, each with a single species: Lepidobotrys staudtii and Ruptiliocarpon caracolito.

Maarten J. M. Christenhusz Dutch botanist

Dr Maarten Joost Maria Christenhusz is a Dutch botanist, natural historian and photographer.

<i>Paris polyphylla</i> Species of flowering plant

Paris polyphylla is an Asian species of flowering plant native to China, Taiwan, the Indian Subcontinent, and Indochina. It produces spider-like flowers that throw out long, thread-like, yellowish green petals throughout most of the warm summer months and into the autumn. In the fall, the flowers are followed by small, scarlet berries. It is a perennial, which slowly spreads, is fully hardy in Britain, and survives in leafy, moist soil in either complete or partial shade.

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

Limeum is a genus of flowering plants.

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

Kewa is a genus of flowering plants, consisting of eight species of succulent sub-woody plants, native to eastern and southern Africa, including Saint Helena and Madagascar. These are small shrubs or herbs that form cushions and have edible, acid-tasting leaves. Kewa is the only genus in the family Kewaceae.

Hypertelis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Molluginaceae. Most of its former species have been transferred to the new genus Kewa, and the remaining species, Hypertelis spergulacea, may also need a different placement. Hypertelis spergulacea is a woody-based plant, up to 30 cm (1 ft) high, with whorled greyish green leaves. It is found on the border between Namibia and the Northern Cape province of South Africa.

Vlokia ater was the first species described for the genus Vlokia in the Aizoaceae plant family. The genus name honors the discoverer, South African botanist, Jan H. J. Vlok (1957-). The species name derives from the Latin adjective "ater" for "black" and refers to the black coloring which older leaf leaves assume.

<i>Haworthiopsis</i> Genus of succulent plants in the family Asphodelaceae/Xanthorrhoeaceae

Haworthiopsis is a genus of succulent plants in the subfamily Asphodeloideae. The genus was previously included in Haworthia. Species in the genus are typically short perennial plants, with leaves often arranged in a rosette and frequently having raised white markings. The two-lipped flowers are borne on a tall stalk and are small – less than 17 mm (0.7 in) long – and pale in colour. Many species are cultivated as house plants or by succulent enthusiasts.

Macarthuriaceae Family of flowering plants

Macarthuriaceae is a family of plants in the order Caryophyllales and consists of a single genus, Macarthuria.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Christenhusz, Maarten J. M.; Clubbe, Colin; Hilgenhof, Rebecca & Fay, Michael F. (2016), "852. Kewa acida", Curtis's Botanical Magazine, 33 (4): 327–337, doi:10.1111/curt.12167
  2. Christenhusz, M. J. M.; Brockington, S. F.; Christin, P.-A. & Sage, R. F. (2014), "On the disintegration of Molluginaceae: a new genus (Kewa, Kewaceae) segregated from Hypertelis, and placement of Macarthuria in Macarthuriaceae", Phytotaxa, 181: 238–242, doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.181.4.4 , retrieved 2017-02-19