Hydnora
| Hydnora | |
|---|---|
| File:HydnoraAfricanaKarasburgDistrictNamibia2002Musselman.jpg | |
| Hydnora africana | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Aristolochiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Hydnoroideae |
| Genus: | Hydnora Thunb. |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Aphyteia Ach. | |
Hydnora is a group of parasitic plants described as a genus in 1775.[2][3] It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.[1][4][5] Hydnora pollinates through brood-site mimicry. This is a method of pollination in which the plant emits a smell that is attractive to insects, so that the plant can trap the insect and allow it to take pollen so that it can pollinate other Hydnora.[6] Hydnora cannot photosynthesize and rely on host plants for nutrients. They are plants that are rooted underground and have the ability to damage infrastructures by bursting through pavements. [7]
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The following species are listed within the genus Hydnora:[1]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| File:Hydnora abyssinica2.png | Hydnora abyssinica A.Br. | Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia; S + C + SE + E Africa from Eritrea + Sudan to Namibia + KwaZulu-Natal |
| File:Hydnora africana 29537922.jpg | Hydnora africana Thunb. | Angola, Namibia, Cape Province |
| Hydnora arabica [8]Bolin & Musselman | Oman & Yemen | |
| File:Hydnoraceae (Hydnora esculenta) parasitic flower plant of Fabaceae (9612658331).jpg | Hydnora esculenta Jum. & H.Perrier | Madagascar |
| Hydnora sinandevu Beentje & Q.Luke | Kenya, Tanzania | |
| File:HydnoraTricepsHollowedOutFruitNearPortNollothSouthAfrica2002Musselman.jpg | Hydnora triceps Drège & E.Mey. | Northern Cape Province, Namibia |
| File:Hydnora visseri, Namibia.png | Hydnora visseri Bolin, E.Maass, & Musselman | Northern Cape Province, Namibia |
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Etymology
[edit | edit source]The genus name Hydnora derives from the ancient Greek ὕδνον, 'truffle',[9][10] because of the somatic structure of this root parasite.[11]
Genomics
[edit | edit source]
One of the smallest plastid genomes among flowering plants has been found in the genus Hydnora.[13] As compared to the chloroplast genome of its closest photosynthetic relatives, the plastome of Hydnora visseri shows extreme reduction in both size (ca. 27 kilo base pairs) and gene content (24 genes appear to be functional).[12]
Ethnobotany
[edit | edit source]Other Hydnora species are known to be available in Southern African herbal markets in Mozambique[14] and South Africa.[15] In South Africa the Imbola yesiXhosa are reported to use a thin paste of the powdered Hydnora rhizome as a treatment for acne and other skin conditions.[16] In Uganda, the Hydnora spp. are reported to be used as food (fruits) and medicine (rhizomes) for diarrhea, hypertension, and diabetes,[17] though these claims have not been confirmed.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families[permanent dead link]
- ^ Thunberg, Carl Peter. 1775. Kongliga Vetenskaps Academiens Handlingar 36: 69, [1].
- ^ Tropicos, Hydnora Thunb.
- ^ Beentje, H. & Luke, Q. (2002). Hydnoraceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-8.
- ^ Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- ^ Thorogood, C. (2018). Hydnora : The strangest plant in the world? PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET, 1(1), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.9
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- ^ List of sequenced plastomes: Flowering plants
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