| Tetraena | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tetraena fontanesii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Zygophyllales |
| Family: | Zygophyllaceae |
| Subfamily: | Zygophylloideae |
| Genus: | Tetraena Maxim. [1] |
Tetraena is a genus of flowering plants in the family Zygophyllaceae. [1]
Species of Tetraena are shrubby or herbaceous, the tallest being around 1.5 m (4.9 ft). The leaves are opposite, or sometimes borne on short shoots and then appearing to be alternate. They may or may not have stalks (petioles). The flower usually has five petals and five sepals, rarely four, and ten stamens. The flower is usually tube-like in appearance with white to pale orange petals. The ovary has three to five chambers (locules). The ripe fruit is variable in shape, splitting into parts before releasing the seeds. [2]
The genus Tetraena was erected by Karl Maximovich in 1889 for the species Tetraena mongolica . Until 2003, this was the only species recognized in the genus. Molecular phylogenetic studies suggested that the genus Zygophyllum was not monophyletic, since Tetraena and some other genera were nested within it. To create monophyletic genera, Björn-Axel Beier and Mats Thulin transferred about 40 species of Zygophyllum to Tetraena, creating a much expanded genus [2] , though IPNI still treats it as a synonym of Zygophyllum [1] .
As of January 2018 [update] , Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: [1]
Tetraena is native from the Canary Islands in the west and South Africa in the south to China in the east. [2]
The Actinidiaceae are a small family of flowering plants. The family has three genera and about 360 species and is a member of the order Ericales.
The Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrop family or the orpine family, are a diverse family of dicotyledon flowering plants characterized by succulent leaves and a unique form of photosynthesis, known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). Flowers generally have five floral parts. Crassulaceae are usually herbaceous but there are some subshrubs, and relatively few treelike or aquatic plants. Crassulaceae are a medium size monophyletic family in the core eudicots, among the order Saxifragales, whose diversity has made infrafamilial classification very difficult. The family includes approximately 1,400 species and 34–35 genera, depending on the circumscription of the genus Sedum, and distributed over three subfamilies. Members of the Crassulaceae are found worldwide, but mostly in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce, although a few are aquatic.
Zygophyllaceae is a family of flowering plants that contains the bean-caper and caltrop. The family includes around 285 species in 22 genera.
Boswellia is a genus of trees in the order Sapindales, known for its fragrant resin. The biblical incense frankincense is an extract from the resin of the tree Boswellia sacra, and is now produced also from B. frereana.
The Styracaceae are a small family of flowering plants in the order Ericales, containing 12 genera and about 160 species of trees and shrubs. The family occurs in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The plant tribe Phaseoleae is one of the subdivisions of the legume subfamily Faboideae, in the unranked NPAAA clade. This group includes many of the beans cultivated for human and animal food, most importantly from the genera Glycine, Phaseolus, and Vigna.
Fagonia is a genus of wild, flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae, having about 35 species. Species occurring in the US are commonly referred to as fagonbushes. The distribution of the genus includes parts of Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Mid-East, India, and parts of the Americas. Fagonia species have been used ethnobotanically by traditional practitioners under Ayurvedic and other healing regimes for many maladies. Species occur in deserts, dry washes, ditches and on rocky outcrops, including at altitude.
The genus of the myrrhs, Commiphora, is the most species-rich genus of flowering plants in the frankincense and myrrh family, Burseraceae. The genus contains approximately 190 species of shrubs and trees, which are distributed throughout the (sub-) tropical regions of Africa, the western Indian Ocean islands, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and Vietnam. The genus is drought-tolerant and common throughout the xerophytic scrub, seasonally dry tropical forests, and woodlands of these regions.
Melhania is a genus of small shrubs or herbaceous plants. Traditionally included in the family Sterculiaceae, it is included in the expanded Malvaceae in the APG and most subsequent systematics. The genus is named for Mount Melhan in Yemen.
Tetraena giessii, synonym Zygophyllum giessii, is a species of plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. It is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitats are rocky areas and cold desert. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Zygophyllum is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν (zygon), meaning "double", and φυλλον (phyllon), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves, each of which have two leaflets.
Roepera similis is a succulent annual herb native to Australia.
Mabrya is a genus of flowering plants in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It consists of herbaceous perennials with brittle upright or drooping stems, found in dry areas of Mexico and the southern United States.
Piaranthus is a succulent plant genus in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, in the family Apocynaceae.
Tetraena qatarensis is a salt-tolerant dwarf shrub that grows in the Arabian Peninsula. It has small compact leaves that store water. The leaflets grow in pairs and the flowers have four or five petals.
Tetraena alba is a species of plant in the family Zygophyllaceae which is found in arid regions of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is a salt tolerant plant and dominates many of the plant communities in which it grows.
Tetraena fontanesii, synonym Zygophyllum fontanesii, is a species of plant of the family Zygophyllaceae. It is found in Macaronesia and northwest Africa.
Roepera is a genus of flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. It is native to southern Africa and Australia.
Tetraena simplex, commonly known as hureim or simple-leaved bean caper, is a halophytic flowering plant that is distributed in arid regions of the Western Asia and Africa. It is an annual and has a history of being used in Arabic folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory.