Lepidobotrys

Lepidobotrys
Lepidobotrys staudtii, from Vegetation der Erde (1915)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Celastrales
Family: Lepidobotryaceae
Genus: Lepidobotrys
Type species
L. staudtii
Engl., 1902

Lepidobotrys is a flowering plant genus in the family Lepidobotryaceae. It contains only one species, Lepidobotrys staudtii.[1] L. staudtii is a small African tree, ranging from Cameroon eastward to Ethiopia.[2]

The tannin 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid is found in L. staudtii.[3]

Taxonomic history

Lepidobotrys staudtii was named and described by Adolf Engler in 1902 and placed by him in the family Linaceae.[4] It was regarded as somewhat of an anomaly and during the 20th century, was assigned to various families by different authors. Hans G. Hallier[5] and Reinhard G.P. Knuth[6] put it in Oxalidaceae. In 1950, Jean Leonard became the first to put it in a family by itself, which he thought to be close to Linaceae.[7] Arthur Cronquist, agreeing with Hallier and Knuth, put it in Oxalidaceae.[8] Adding to the confusion was the lack of any strong basis for placing these and related families into orders.

References

  1. ^ Klaus Kubitzky. "Lepidobotryaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants vol.VI. Springer-Verlag: Berlin,Heidelberg, Germany (2004).
  2. ^ Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. Flowering Plant Families of the World. Firefly Books: Ontario, Canada. (2007).
  3. ^ 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid on home.ncifcrf.gov
  4. ^ Adolf Engler (May 1902). section: Linaceae africanae In: "Beitrage zur Flora von Afrika" In: Botanische Jahrbucher fur Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 32(1):108 (see External links below)
  5. ^ Hans G. Hallier. Lepidobotrys Engl.: "Die Oxalidaceen und die Geraniaceen" Beihefte zum Botanischen Centralblatt 39(2):163.
  6. ^ Reinhard G.P. Knuth. "Oxalidaceae" In: Adolf Engler and Karl Prantl. Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien ed.2 volume 19a:40-41.
  7. ^ Jean J.G. Leonard (Jun1950). "Lepidobotrys Engl., type d'une famille nouvelle de Spermatophytes: les Lepidobotryaceae" Bulletin du Jardin botanique de l'Etat a Bruxelles 20(1):38.
  8. ^ Arthur Cronquist. An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants. Columbia University Press: New York 1981.