Selkirkia (plant)

Selkirkia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Boraginales
Family:	Boraginaceae
Subfamily:	Boraginoideae
Genus:	Selkirkia; Hemsl., 1884
Type species
	Selkirkia berteroi ; (Colla) Hemsl.

Last updated February 21, 2019

Selkirkia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae.^[1] Three species occur on the South American mainland and one, Selkirkia berteroi (sometimes written berteri), the first of the genus to be reported, is an endemic on Robinson Crusoe Island off the coast of Chile. It was previously considered a monotypic genus.^[2]

A genus is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, as well as viruses, in biology. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus.

The flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants, with 416 families, approximately 13,164 known genera and c. 369,000 known species. Like gymnosperms, angiosperms are seed-producing plants. However, they are distinguished from gymnosperms by characteristics including flowers, endosperm within the seeds, and the production of fruits that contain the seeds. Etymologically, angiosperm means a plant that produces seeds within an enclosure; in other words, a fruiting plant. The term comes from the Greek words angeion and sperma ("seed").

Family is one of the eight major hierarcical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy; it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as being the "walnut family".

Morphology

Selkirkia species are perennial, either a shrub (S. berteroi) or decumbent, ascending or erect herbs to subshrubs. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, and mostly occurring along the stem, not in rosettes. The corolla is white (S. berteroi) or blue to violet. The fruits consist of four nutlets, which are beset with barbed glochids, and superficially similar to the fruits of hound's tongues. The fruits of S. berteroi are somewhat winged and seemingly attached to the style but in fact, like the other three species, on a pyramidal gynobase.

Glochids or glochidia are hair-like spines or short prickles, generally barbed, found on the areoles of cacti in the sub-family Opuntioideae. Cactus glochids easily detach from the plant and lodge in the skin, causing irritation upon contact. The tufts of glochids in the areoles nearly cover the stem surfaces of some cactus species, each tuft containing hundreds of glochids; this may be in addition to, or instead of, the larger, more conspicuous cactus spines, which do not readily detach and are not generally barbed.

There are many species in the plant genus Cynoglossum. They are coarse-appearing, small-flowered plants of the family Boraginaceae. Cynoglossum officinale, the common hound's-tongue, is a native of Asia, Africa, and Europe. It has been introduced into North America, and it is considered to be a troublesome weed because its burs stick to the wool of sheep and to other animals. Ingestion of this plant can also lead to photosensitivity in grazing animals.

Distribution and conservation

The four species occur in forested areas of South America and Robinson Crusoe Island.^[3]Selkirkia berteroi is an endemic shrub on Robinson Crusoe Island, and due to the narrow distribution to be considered critically endangered according to IUCN criteria. Selkirkia trianae is a species in the undergrowth of dense, primary cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. Although there are not many data, land conversion into pastures might pose a threat to the species. The remaining two species, Selkirkia limense and Selkirkia pauciflora occur in the forests of the Mediterranean climates of Chile. They are likely endangered (not officially assessed though) due to deforestation and land conversion for agriculture.

Robinson Crusoe Island, formerly known as Más a Tierra, is the second largest of the Juan Fernández Islands, situated 670 km west of San Antonio, Chile, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is the more populous of the inhabited islands in the archipelago, with most of that in the town of San Juan Bautista at Cumberland Bay on the island's north coast.

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a sovereign state largely situated in the northwest of South America, with territories in Central America. Colombia shares a border to the northwest with Panama, to the east with Venezuela and Brazil and to the south with Ecuador and Peru. It shares its maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Colombia is a unitary, constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments, with the capital in Bogota.

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) west of the mainland. The capital city is Quito and the largest city as well.

Systematics

Boraginaceae systematics relied strongly on fruit morphology, so all four species were initially thought to belong to Cynoglossum , where the four nutlets typically are beset with barbed glochidia. However, fruit morphology turned out to be unreliable for classification.^[4] When Selkirkia pauciflora (under its illegitimate name Cynoglossum paniculatum) was found to be closely related to Myosotidium hortensia and Omphalodes , Serrano et al. placed the species into a new genus, Mapuchea.^[5] However, after inclusion of the two other native South American "Cynoglossum" species and Selkirkia berteroi, it turned out that these four species are closely related to each other and sister to Myosotidium hortensia.^[3] Due to the similar growth habit (more or less shrubby) and the glochidiate nutlets, the four species are now considered as more widely circumscribed genus Selkirkia.

Omphalodes (navelwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, wiidely distributed in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. In spring they produce blue or white flowers similar to forget-me-nots.

Related Research Articles

The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean. Situated 670 km off the coast of Chile, they are composed of three main volcanic islands: Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara. The group is considered part of Insular Chile.

Cornaceae is a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. It contains approximately 85 species in two genera, Alangium and Cornus. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, although a few species are perennial herbs. Members of the family usually have opposite or alternate simple leaves, four- or five-parted flowers clustered in inflorescences or pseudanthia, and drupaceous fruits. In northern temperate areas, Cornaceae are well known from the dogwoods Cornus.

Boraginaceae, the borage- or forget-me-notfamily, includes a variety of shrubs, trees, and herbs, totaling about 2,000 species in 146 genera found worldwide.

Cordia is a genus of flowering plants in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It contains about 300 species of shrubs and trees, that are found worldwide, mostly in warmer regions. Many of the species are commonly called manjack, while bocote may refer to several Central American species in Spanish. The generic name honours German botanist and pharmacist Valerius Cordus (1515-1544). Like most other Boraginaceae, the majority have trichomes (hairs) on the leaves.

Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus Geranium. The family includes both the genus Geranium and the garden plants called geraniums, which modern botany classifies as genus Pelargonium, along with other related genera.

Euonymus is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family, Celastraceae. Common names vary widely among different species and between different English-speaking countries, but include spindle, burning-bush, strawberry-bush, wahoo, wintercreeper, or simply euonymus. It comprises about 130 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, small trees and lianas. They are mostly native to East Asia, extending to the Himalayas, and they are also distributed in Europe, Australasia, North America, and Madagascar. 50 species are endemic to China.

The Anisophylleaceae are a small family with four genera and 71 species, in the order Cucurbitales, according to the APG II. However, it is more isolated from the other suprafamilal clades in this order, while it shows some similarities in flower morphology with the genus Ceratopetalum. Several wood features of this family are more primitive than those of the other families in the order Cucurbitales.

Cryptantha affinis is a flowering annual plant occurring in open areas of the coniferous forest. It is a member of the Boraginaceae family. It occurs at elevation ranges between 700 – 2900 m. Cryptantha species occur with other genera such as Clarkia, Hesperolinon, Lasthenia, Lupinus, Mimulus and Phacelia.

Connaraceae is a pan-tropical plant family of 19 genera and more than 180 species of largely evergreen trees, woody shrubs and climbers.

<i>Myosotidium</i> monotypic genus of plants

Myosotidium is a genus of plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae. This genus is represented by the single species Myosotidium hortensia, the giant forget-me-not or Chatham Islands forget-me-not, which is endemic to the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. The biogeography is yet unresolved, but its ancestors are likely from the American continent, as Myosotidium hortensia was found to be sister to the South American plant genus Selkirkia and both genera being sister to the North American genus Mimophytum. Myosotidium hortensia is a fleshy herb with large orbicular somewhat fleshy leaves and appearingly parallel leaf venation. The inflorescence bears numerous blue flowers in the late spring. The relatively large blackish seeds are winged. It is much planted as a garden ornamental flower in New Zealand and elsewhere. In addition to the blue-flowered species, 'Alba', a white flowered cultivar is also popular in cultivation. In its natural habitat, M. hortensia occurs near beaches under the direct influence of sea-water spray and sea-winds.

Beilschmiedia is a genus of trees and shrubs in family Lauraceae. Most of its species grow in tropical climates, but a few of them are native to temperate regions, and they are widespread in tropical Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. The best-known species to gardeners in temperate areas are B. berteroana and B. miersii because of their frost tolerance. Seeds of B. bancroftii were used as a source of food by Australian Aborigines. Timbers of some species are very valuable.

Hoplestigma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hoplestigmataceae. Many botanists do not recognize this family and place Hoplestigma in Boraginaceae sensu lato or in Cordiaceae.

Boraginoideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Boraginaceae, as that family is defined in the APG III system of classification for flowering plants. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has not actually specified subfamilies within Boraginaceae. Some taxonomists place the genera Codon and Wellstedia in Boraginoideae. Others place one or both of these in separate, monogeneric subfamilies. Codon was long regarded as an odd member of Hydrophylloideae, but in 1998, a molecular phylogenetic study showed that it is closer to Boraginoideae.

Persoonia pauciflora, commonly known as the North Rothbury persoonia, is a plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to a small area of New South Wales. It is a small, spreading shrub with bright green, thread-like leaves and a relatively small number of yellow flowers in summer. A recently described species, it is similar to P. isophylla but has fewer and shorter flowers than that species. A very restricted distribution has led to its classification as "critically endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Codon is a small genus of plants from South Africa in the family Codonaceae in the order Boraginales. The genus Codon comprises two species.

Pseudomertensia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. They are perennial herbs with blue or bluish purple flowers. Their natural range is from Iran to the Himalayas. None have been found in China or Russia. P. echioides, and the type species for the genus, P. elongata, are occasionally cultivated as ornamentals.

Cordia lutea, known as yellow cordia or in Spanish muyuyo, is a shrubby plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae), native to the Galápagos Islands, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia. Common in the arid lowlands of the Galápagos, its relatively large yellow flowers make it easy to identify.

Mimophytum is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The species occur in Northeastern Mexico and adjacent areas of Texas, United States. They are similar to the closely related genus Omphalodes but a distinct group.

References

↑ Joachim W. Kadereit; Volker Bittrich (9 April 2016). Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Aquifoliales, Boraginales, Bruniales, Dipsacales, Escalloniales, Garryales, Paracryphiales, Solanales (except Convolvulaceae), Icacinaceae, Metteniusaceae, Vahliaceae. Springer. pp. 86–7. ISBN 978-3-319-28534-4.
↑ Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. New York Botanical Garden. 1973. p. 142.
1 2 Holstein, N.; Chacón, J.; Hilger, H. H.; Weigend, M. (2016). "No longer shipwrecked - Selkirkia (Boraginaceae) back on the mainland with generic rearrangements in South American "Omphalodes" based on molecular data". Phytotaxa. 270 (4): 231–251. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.270.4.1.
↑ Weigend, M.; Luebert, F.; Selvi, F.; Brokamp, G.; Hilger, H. H. (2013). "Multiple origins for Hound's tongues (Cynoglossum L.) and Navel seeds (Omphalodes Mill.) - The phylogeny of the borage family (Boraginaceae s.str.)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 68: 604–618. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.04.009.
↑ Serrano, M.; Carbajal, R.; Pereira Coutinho, A.; Ortiz, S. (2016). "Two new genera in the Omphalodes group (Cynoglosseae, Boraginaceae)". Nova Acta Científica Compostelana (Bioloxía). 234: 1–14.

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[KadereitBittrich2016-1] Joachim W. Kadereit; Volker Bittrich (9 April 2016). Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Aquifoliales, Boraginales, Bruniales, Dipsacales, Escalloniales, Garryales, Paracryphiales, Solanales (except Convolvulaceae), Icacinaceae, Metteniusaceae, Vahliaceae. Springer. pp. 86–7. ISBN 978-3-319-28534-4.

[2] Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. New York Botanical Garden. 1973. p. 142.

[Holsteinetal2016-3] 1 2 Holstein, N.; Chacón, J.; Hilger, H. H.; Weigend, M. (2016). "No longer shipwrecked - Selkirkia (Boraginaceae) back on the mainland with generic rearrangements in South American "Omphalodes" based on molecular data". Phytotaxa. 270 (4): 231–251. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.270.4.1.

[Weigendetal2013-4] Weigend, M.; Luebert, F.; Selvi, F.; Brokamp, G.; Hilger, H. H. (2013). "Multiple origins for Hound's tongues (Cynoglossum L.) and Navel seeds (Omphalodes Mill.) - The phylogeny of the borage family (Boraginaceae s.str.)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 68: 604–618. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.04.009.

[Serranoetal2016-5] Serrano, M.; Carbajal, R.; Pereira Coutinho, A.; Ortiz, S. (2016). "Two new genera in the Omphalodes group (Cynoglosseae, Boraginaceae)". Nova Acta Científica Compostelana (Bioloxía). 234: 1–14.