Aizoaceae Martinov
EOL Text
Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes woody at the base, usually ± succulent. Stipules 0. Leaves opposite or alternate, simple. Inflorescences axillary, solitary or in groups. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic. Perianth segments 5, united below into a tube, persistent. Stamens 3-many. Ovary superior, of 1-5 united carpels; ovules 1-many per loculus. Fruit a capsule, circumscissile (in ours).
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| Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
| Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=3 |
Seeds disperse by jet action: ice plants
Seeds of ice plants disperse ballistically using the energy of raindrops and hygrochastic capsules.
"The present review describes the ombrohydrochoric dispersal syndrome in plants, i.e. seed expulsion by raindrops. There are two different ombrohydrochoric dispersal modes – dispersal by rain wash and by ballistic forces. Both have been reported from the understory of tropical and temperate forests, from wetlands and from deserts, and from numerous families and genera. A special form of ombrohydrochoric dispersal is the jet-action rain-operated seed dispersal mechanism which is restricted to the semi-desert ice plants, Aizoaceae, one of the major families of the angiosperms. Within this family, 98% of the species possess hygrochastic capsules with an ombrohydrochoric seed dispersal mechanism which in part are also responsible for the remarkable speciation burst and radiation. The highly complex capsules open when wet, and the seeds are expelled by a 'jet action' with the kinetic energy of raindrops. The halves of the covering membranes of a locule form a nozzle near the centre of the capsule which serves as a jet. Drops of water falling on the distal opening (after the locule has been filled with water) result in an explosive expulsion of water droplets and seeds through that jet. More seeds are dispersed further away from the capsule than in those capsule types without such a jet mechanism." (Parolin 2007:511)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Parolin, P. 2006. Ombrohydrochory: Rain-operated seed dispersal in plants - With special regard to jet-action dispersal in Aizoaceae. Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 201(7): 511-518.
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| Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
| Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/1def34b764cd9ae1ade09124999bc446 |
Camouflage reduces herbivory: pebble plants
The flat, rounded leaves and underground growth of pebble plants may protect them from herbivory by serving as camouflage.
"Pebble plants grow in the stonier patches of the same [Namib] [D]esert. They survive by living partly underground. Their leaves have been reduced to a single pair, fat, round and succulent, with just a groove between them from which, in the right season, will sprout a surprisingly large flower. Such a rounded shape, with a very low surface area for a given volume, reduces evaporation to a minimum and is therefore a great help to the plant in conserving its water in the intense heat. But as has been noted earlier it may bring an additional benefit. Outside the flowering season, the plant is very difficult to find among the gravel and pebbles, so its shape could also serve as a defence against detection by grazing animals -- ostriches and tortoises, porcupines and perhaps a few gerbils." (Attenborough 1995:265)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Attenborough, D. 1995. The Private Life of Plants: A Natural History of Plant Behavior. London: BBC Books. 320 p.
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| Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
| Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/7dcc28fdf676a2b27ea142528020d9fd |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:408
Specimens with Sequences:554
Specimens with Barcodes:435
Species:262
Species With Barcodes:258
Public Records:204
Public Species:153
Public BINs:0
The Family Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae (fig-marigold family or ice plant family) is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1900 species. They are commonly known as stone plants or carpet weeds. Species that resemble stones or pebbles are sometimes called mesembs. Several species are known as ice plant.
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Description
The family is widely recognised by taxonomists, although once it went by the botanical name "Ficoideae", now disallowed. The APG II system of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998) also recognises the family, and assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots. The APG II system also classes the former families Mesembryanthemaceae Fenzl (1836) , Sesuviaceae Horan. (1834) and Tetragoniaceae Link (1831) under the family Aizoaceae.
Most species (96 %, 1782 species in 132 genera) in this family are endemic to arid or semi-arid parts of southern Africa [1], but a few are from Australia and the Central Pacific. Most of these species are succulents and belong to the subfamilies Mesembryanthemoideae and Ruschioideae and are loosely termed mesems or mesembs.
Most fig-marigolds are herbaceous, rarely somewhat woody, with stems growing either erect or prostrate. Leaves are simple, opposite or alternate, and more or less succulent with entire (or rarely toothed) margins. Flowers are perfect in most species (but unisexual in some), actinomorphic, and appear singularly or in few-flowered cymes developing from the leaf axils. Sepals are typically 5 (3-8) and more or less connate (fused) below. True petals are absent. However, some species have numerous linear petals derived from staminoides. The fruit is a capsule with one to numerous seeds per cell.
A few species (especially Carpobrotus edulis, commonly called Ice Plant) have been widely introduced and become invasive.
Uses
Several Aizoaceae are edible, including:
- Carpobrotus edulis and Mesembryanthemum crystallinum have edible leaves, and are both commonly called Ice plant
- A species known as New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) is grown as a garden plant in somewhat dry climates and used as an alternative to spinach in upscale salads.
Carpobrotus edulis was introduced to California to stabilize soil along railroad tracks.
Subfamilies
- Aizooideae
- Sesuvioideae
- Tetragonioideae
- Mesembryanthemoideae
- Ruschioideae
Genera
Aptenia cordifolia or Rock Rose
Ice Plant (Carpobrotus edulis)
Jensenobotrya lossowiana
Drosanthemum speciosum
Cephalophyllum spec.
Odontophorus angustifolius Richtersveld N.P.
Footnote
- ^ Chesselet, P., Smith, G.F., Burgoyne, P.M., Klak, C., Hammer, S.A., Hartmann, H.E.K., Kurzweil, H., van Jaarsveld, E.J., van Wyk, B-E. & Leistner, O.A (2000). "Seed Plants of Southern Africa". Strelitzia 10: 360–410.
References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2010) |
- Bittrich V. H. E. K. Hartmann (1988). "The Aizoaceae — a new approach". Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 97: 239–254. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1988.tb01581.x.
- Cornelia Klak, Angeline Khunou, Gail Reeves and Terry Hedderson (2003). "A phylogenetic hypothesis for the Aizoaceae (Caryophyllales) based on four plastid DNA regions". Amer. J. Bot. 90: 1433–1445. doi:10.3732/ajb.90.10.1433. - on line here
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| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aizoaceae&oldid=399199109 |