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

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

Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 centimetres tall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrophulariaceae</span> Figwort family of flowering plants

The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including tropical mountains. The family name is based on the name of the included genus Scrophularia L.

<i>Antirrhinum</i> Genus of plants

Antirrhinum is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers or snapdragons because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are also sometimes called toadflax or dog flower. They are native to rocky areas of Europe, the United States, Canada, and North Africa. Antirrhinum species are widely used as ornamental plants in borders and as cut flowers.

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

Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older classifications, Plantaginaceae was the only family of the order Plantaginales, but numerous phylogenetic studies, summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, have demonstrated that this taxon should be included within Lamiales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phrymaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Phrymaceae, also known as the lopseed family, is a small family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, but is concentrated in two centers of diversity, one in Australia, the other in western North America. Members of this family occur in diverse habitats, including deserts, river banks and mountains.

<i>Lactoris</i> Genus of shrubs

Lactoris fernandeziana is a flowering shrub endemic to the cloud forest of Masatierra — Robinson Crusoe Island, of the Juan Fernández Islands archipelago of Chile. It is the only extant species in the genus Lactoris.

<i>Ilex mucronata</i> Species of holly

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<i>Aldrovanda</i> Genus of carnivorous plants

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

Brunfelsia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to subfamily Petunioideae of the nightshade family Solanaceae. The 50 or so species have been grouped into the three sections: Brunfelsia, Franciscea and Guianenses, which differ significantly in both distribution and characteristics, although molecular data have revealed that only two sections are natural (monophyletic), namely the Caribbean section Brunfelsia and a common section for all South American species. Linnaeus named the genus for the early German herbalist Otto Brunfels (1488–1534).

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<i>Planchonella australis</i> Species of tree

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

Aragoa is a genus of woody perennials native to the páramo of Colombia and north-western Venezuela. It classified as the sister taxon to Littorella and Plantago, all of which are now classified in the family Plantaginaceae. It is found at elevations above about 3000 m.

<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>Plantago hedleyi</i> Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae

Plantago hedleyi is a species of flowering plant in the plant family Plantaginaceae that is endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. Joseph Maiden described P. hedleyi in 1914. Plants of this plantain are large with large leaves, up to nine veins, wide petioles, and long spikes with dozens of flowers and fruits with up to 5 seeds.

<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>Plantago triantha</i> Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae

Plantago triantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae that is native to Tasmania, Australia and the subantarctic Auckland Islands of New Zealand. Robert Brown described the species in 1810. Plants of this species of plantain are annual or perennial with a rosette habit, fleshy toothed leaves, and short inflorescences.

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

Sibthorpia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, with a peculiar distribution in the mountains of North America, South America and Africa, and the coasts of Europe.

<i>Schoenus australis</i> Species of grass-like plant

Schoenus australis is a species of sedge endemic to locations near the southern coast of South Africa.

<i>Plantago stauntonii</i> Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae

Plantago stauntonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae that is endemic to Île Amsterdam and Île Saint-Paul in the French southern territories. Sir Heinrich Wilhelm Reichardt described P. stauntonii in 1871, naming it after Sir George Leonard Staunton, who collected specimens of it in 1793.

<i>Plantago unibracteata</i> Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae

Plantago unibracteata is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae that is endemic to New Zealand. Knud Rahn gave the species its current name in 1996, based on Joseph Dalton Hooker's original description in 1854. Plants of this species of plantain are perennial with a rosette habit, with narrowly angular-ovate leaves with few teeth, and numerous angular or rounded seeds.

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.