Calligonum is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with about 80 species across the Mediterranean Sea region, Asia and North America.

Calligonum
Calligonum polygonoides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Polygonaceae
Subfamily: Polygonoideae
Genus: Calligonum
L.
Species

See text

Description edit

Plants of the genus Calligonum are shrubs, diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches. Leaves are simple, opposite, nearly sessile, linear or scale-like, sometimes absent or very small, linear or filiform, distinct or united with short membranous ochreae. Flowers are bisexual, solitary or in loose axillary inflorescences. Flowers have persistent, 5-parted perianths not accrescent in fruit, and 10-18 stamens with filaments connate at the base. The ovary is tetragonous.[1][2]

Taxonomy edit

The genus Calligonum was first published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[3] It is placed in the subfamily Polygonoideae, tribe Calligoneae, along with its sister genus, Pteropyrum.[4]

Species edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Calligonum". Flora of Pakistan. Retrieved 2013-11-23 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  2. ^ "Calligonum". Flora of China. Retrieved 2013-11-23 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  3. ^ "Calligonum L." International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  4. ^ Schuster, Tanja M.; Reveal, James L.; Bayly, Michael J. & Kron, Kathleen A. (2015), "An updated molecular phylogeny of Polygonoideae (Polygonaceae): Relationships of Oxygonum, Pteroxygonum, and Rumex, and a new circumscription of Koenigia", Taxon, 64 (6): 1188–1208, doi:10.12705/646.5