Phoebanthus
Encyclopedia
Phoebanthus is a genus
of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae
. It includes two species of herbaceous perennials that are both endemic to the U.S. state
of Florida
. The genus is a close relative to Helianthus
, the genus of the common sunflower
, and the plants have the general appearance of a sunflower.
The relationship between the two species has never been closely analyzed, but it does not appear that P. grandiflorus is simply an autotetraploid of P. tenuifolius .
Species include:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae
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...
. It includes two species of herbaceous perennials that are both endemic to the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The genus is a close relative to Helianthus
Helianthus
Helianthus L. is a genus of plants comprising 52 species in the Asteraceae family, all of which are native to North America, with some species Helianthus L. is a genus of plants comprising 52 species in the Asteraceae family, all of which are native to North America, with some species Helianthus...
, the genus of the common sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
, and the plants have the general appearance of a sunflower.
Description
Phoebanthus is characterized by having a pappus of short scales that are usually persistent (don't fall off) compared to the pappus of two deciduous awns (and sometimes a few scales) in Helianthus, and Phoebanthus is also characterized by a distinctive type of slender, horizontal tuber that forms the perennating organ.- Phoebanthus tenuifolius is a diploid that occurs in a relatively small area in the panhandle area of Florida, where it occurs in only 4 counties (Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, and Liberty) and it is listed by the state as a "Threatened Species".
- Phoebanthus grandiflorus is a tetraploid that occurs in peninsular Florida where it has a somewhat broader distribution from Clay and Alachua counties in the north as far south as the area just north of Lake Okeechobee.
The relationship between the two species has never been closely analyzed, but it does not appear that P. grandiflorus is simply an autotetraploid of P. tenuifolius .
Species include:
- Phoebanthus grandiflorus S. F. Blake
- Phoebanthus tenuifolius S. F. Blake
External links
- http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=125071 on-line version of Flora North America treatment of Phoebanthus (includes an illustration of P. grandiflorus)
- http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Results.aspx?cat=genus&id=924&text=Phoebanthus online treatment of Phoebanthus in the ISB Atlas of Florida Plants (includes photos and county maps of both species)