Acrodon
Appearance
Acrodon | |
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Acrodon bellidiflorus, illustration from Plantarum historia succulentarum, 1802. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Caryophyllales |
Family: | Aizoaceae |
Subfamily: | Ruschioideae |
Tribe: | Ruschieae |
Genus: | Acrodon N.E.Br [1] |
Acrodon is a genus of ice plants from South Africa. It comprises 8 species, mostly endangered and all restricted to the southern Cape regions of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa.[2]
Description
Species of Acrodon form dense, low mats or tufts of growth, and their leaves are triangular in cross-section. Another distinctive feature is that the leaves and flowers have a few tiny teeth along the ends of their margins and keels.
The white or pink flowers often have striped petals. The fruits are solid and persistent, with five deep locules.[3]
Species
- Acrodon bellidiflorus (L.) N.E.Br. A common Renosterveld species that extends from Hermanus to Oudtshoorn.[4]
- Acrodon deminutus Klak. A rarer species restricted to quartz-fields in the Eastern Rûens Shale Renosterveld and Potberg Ferricrete Fynbos vegetation types.[5]
- Acrodon duplessiae (Bolus) Glen
- Acrodon leptophyllus (Bolus) Glen
- Acrodon parvifolius R.du Plessis. An endangered species restricted to quartz and silcrete patches near to the coast, in the Botrivier area.[6]
- Acrodon purpureostylus (L.Bolus) Burgoyne. An endangered species restricted to gravelly, loamy shales in the greater Breede river valley, from Robertson down to as far as the Potberg.[7]
- Acrodon quarcicola H.E.K.Hartmann. An endangered species from exposed quartzitic slopes in the Agulhas region.[8]
- Acrodon subulatus (Mill.) N.E.Br. An endangered species restricted to shale Renostervelds in the far western Overberg.[9]
Relatives
It is frequently confused with related genera that grow in the same region, such as Brianhuntleya or Cerochlamys.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Acrodon.
References
- ^ http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Aizoaceae/Acrodon/
- ^ http://redlist.sanbi.org/genus.php?genus=125
- ^ Vlok, J. and Schutte-Vlok, A. 2010. Plants of the Klein Karoo. Umdaus Press, Hatfield.
- ^ Acrodon bellidiflorus - SANBI
- ^ Acrodon deminutus - SANBI
- ^ Acrodon parvifolius - SANBI
- ^ Acrodon purpureostylus - SANBI
- ^ Acrodon quarcicola - SANBI
- ^ Acrodon subulatus - SANBI