Flaveria
Encyclopedia
Flaveria is a genus of plants in the sunflower family
. They are sometimes called yellowtops. Some are annual or perennial herbs and some are shrubs. They bear yellow flowers. These plants are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Some members of this genus exhibit C3 carbon fixation
, while others are C4 plants
and some are intermediate. With closely related species exhibiting different forms of metabolism, this genus has been included in studies on the evolution of photosynthesis. A monograph published by A. M. Powell in 1978 (Systematics of Flaveria (Flaveriinae-Asteraceae) in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden) is the most comprehensive study of morphology and biogeography for the Flaveria species to date. A recent phylogenetic study published by A. McKown et al. in 2005 (Phylogeny of Flaveria (Asteraceae) and inference of C4 photosynthesis evolution in American Journal of Botany) clarifies many of the evolutionary relationships between Flaveria species.
Selected species:
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
. They are sometimes called yellowtops. Some are annual or perennial herbs and some are shrubs. They bear yellow flowers. These plants are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Some members of this genus exhibit C3 carbon fixation
C3 carbon fixation
carbon fixation is a metabolic pathway for carbon fixation in photosynthesis. This process converts carbon dioxide and ribulose bisphosphate into 3-phosphoglycerate through the following reaction:...
, while others are C4 plants
C4 carbon fixation
C4 carbon fixation is one of three biochemical mechanisms, along with and CAM photosynthesis, used in carbon fixation. It is named for the 4-carbon molecule present in the first product of carbon fixation in these plants, in contrast to the 3-carbon molecule products in plants. fixation is an...
and some are intermediate. With closely related species exhibiting different forms of metabolism, this genus has been included in studies on the evolution of photosynthesis. A monograph published by A. M. Powell in 1978 (Systematics of Flaveria (Flaveriinae-Asteraceae) in Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden) is the most comprehensive study of morphology and biogeography for the Flaveria species to date. A recent phylogenetic study published by A. McKown et al. in 2005 (Phylogeny of Flaveria (Asteraceae) and inference of C4 photosynthesis evolution in American Journal of Botany) clarifies many of the evolutionary relationships between Flaveria species.
Selected species:
- Flaveria australasica - speedyweed
- Flaveria bidentis - coastal plain yellowtops
- Flaveria brownii - Brown's yellowtops
- Flaveria campestris - alkali yellowtops
- Flaveria chloraefolia - clasping yellowtops
- Flaveria floridana - Florida yellowtops
- Flaveria linearis - narrowleaf yellowtops
- Flaveria macdougalii - Mcdougall's yellowtops *this is currently not considered a Flaveria species (see McKown et al. 2005)
- Flaveria pringlei
- Flaveria sonorensis
- Flaveria trinerviaFlaveria trinerviaFlaveria trinervia is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name clustered yellowtops. It is native to parts of the Americas, including the southeastern and southwestern United States, most of Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean, but it is known in many other places as...
- clustered yellowtops