Littorella

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Littorella
Littorella uniflora.jpeg
Littorella uniflora
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Tribe: Plantagineae
Genus: Littorella
(L.) Asch.
Species

Littorella uniflora
Littorella americana
Littorella australis

Contents

Littorella is a genus of two [1] to three [2] species of aquatic plants. Many plants live their entire lives submersed, and reproduce by stolons, but some are only underwater for part of the year, and flower when they are not underwater. [2]

Classification

Molecular data show Littorella to be sister to the rest of the genus Plantago . Thus, cladistics would allow it to be considered either as a separate genus or as part of Plantago. [2] [3] Some researchers, particularly Rahn in the 1990s, have considered Littorella to be located within Plantago, but this does not seem to be required given the molecular data and a closer look at morphology. [2]

Species

L. uniflora growing at the banks of a sandy pool LittorellaUniflora.jpg
L. uniflora growing at the banks of a sandy pool

Some authors have treated L. uniflora and L. americana to be one species, but molecular data show L. americana to be more closely related to L. australis than it is to L. uniflora, which argues for recognizing three species. Other considerations, such as the wider range and more frequent flowering of L. uniflora, also argue for separate species. It seems likely that the genus originated in Europe and first spread to North America, and from there to South America, with both events happening in the Pleistocene or later. [2]

Distribution

The European species is found in a wide range of habitats, from arctic to Mediterranean. The North and South American species are found in a more limited range of temperate climates. [2]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plantaginaceae</span> Family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales

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

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<i>Drosera uniflora</i> Species of carnivorous plant

Drosera uniflora is a species in the carnivorous plant genus Drosera that is native to southern Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. It is a tiny sundew with a solitary white flower as its name would suggest. Stalked glands on its leaves, which secrete sticky mucilage at the tips, are used to capture and hold insect prey, from which the plant derives the nutrients it cannot obtain in sufficient quantity from the soil. It was formally described in 1809 by botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow.

<i>Apollonias barbujana</i> Species of flowering plant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antirrhineae</span> Tribe of flowering plants

The Antirrhineae are one of the 12 tribes of the family Plantaginaceae. It contains the toadflax relatives, such as snapdragons.

<i>Plagianthus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae

Plagianthus is a genus of flowering plants confined to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. The familial placement of the genus was controversial for many years, but modern genetic studies show it definitely belongs in the Malvaceae subfamily Malvoideae. The name means "slanted flowers".

<i>Sibthorpia</i> Genus of Plantaginaceae plants

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References

  1. 1 2 "Littorella L." Flora of Chile. pp. 125–126.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ronald K. Hoggard; Paul J. Kores; Mia Molvray; Gloria D. Hoggard; David A. Broughton (2003). "Molecular systematics and biogeography of the amphibious genus Littorella (Plantaginaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 90 (3): 429–435. doi: 10.3732/ajb.90.3.429 . PMID   21659136.
  3. Albach D. C.; Meudt H. M.; Oxelman B. (2005). "Piecing together the "new" Plantaginaceae". American Journal of Botany. 92 (2): 297–315. doi:10.3732/ajb.92.2.297. PMID   21652407.