| Lennoa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oaxaca Province, Mexico | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Lennoaceae |
| Genus: | Lennoa |
| Species: | L. madreporoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Lennoa madreporoides Lex. | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Lennoa is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lennoaceae. Its only known species is Lennoa madreporoides. [2] [3] The genus may also be placed in a broadly circumscribed family Boraginaceae. [4]
The native range of Lennoa madreporoides is Mexico to Venezuela. It is found in the countries of Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. [1] It is found on hillside elevations from 1,000–1,350 m (3,280–4,430 ft) above sea level. [5]
It has the common name of flor de tierra (or “flower of the earth”). [5] It is a root parasite, [5] usually found growing on roots of the Mexican sunflower ( Tithonia ). The oval mushroom-like stem is 5–15 cm (2–6 in) tall and is covered at maturity with small round, [5] or star-like flowers, which are lavender, [5] or violet with yellow throats. [6] They bloom in the fall (autumn). [5]
The genus name of Lennoa is in honour of Joaquín Leño, a Mexican independence fighter. [7] It has one known synonym CorallophyllumKunth. [4] The species has the Latin specific epithet of madreporoides which refers to the genus Madrepora (which in Latin means "mother of pores") and the Greco-Roman suffix -oides ("similar to"), due to its resemblance to this genus of corals.
Both the genus and the species were first described and published in P.de La Llave & J.M.de Lexarza, Nov. Veg. Descr. Vol.1 on page 7 in 1824. [4] [1]