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Crassulaceae

(Family)

Overview

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Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce. The family includes about 1,400 species in 33 genera.

No member of this family is an important crop plant, but many are popular for horticulture; many members have a bizarre intriguing appearance, and are quite hardy, typically needing only minimal care. Familiar species include the Jade plant or "friendship tree", Crassula ovata and "Florists' Kalanchoe", Kalanchoe blossfeldia.

Classification within the family is difficult because many of the species hybridize readily, both in the wild and in cultivation. Some older classifications included Crassulaceae in Rosales, but newer schemes treat them in the order Saxifragales.

CAM photosynthesis (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) is named after the family, because the pathway was first discovered in crassulacean plants.

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Rosularia flower
Sempervivum sobolifera (syn. Jovibarba globiferum subsp. globiferum), Hen and chicks
b>Crassulaceae, or the orpine family, are a family of dicotyledons. They store water in their succulent leaves. They are found worldwide, but mostly occur in the Northern Hemisphere and southern Africa, typically in dry and/or cold areas where water may be scarce. The family includes about 1,400 species in 33 genera.

No member of this family is an important crop plant, but many are popular for horticulture; many members have a bizarre intriguing appearance, and are quite hardy, typically needing only minimal care. Familiar species include the Jade plant or "friendship tree", Crassula ovata and "Florists' Kalanchoe", Kalanchoe blossfeldia.

Classification within the family is difficult because many of the species hybridize readily, both in the wild and in cultivation. Some older classifications included Crassulaceae in Rosales, but newer schemes treat them in the order Saxifragales.

CAM photosynthesis (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) is named after the family, because the pathway was first discovered in crassulacean plants.

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Rosularia flower
Sempervivum sobolifera (syn. Jovibarba globiferum subsp. globiferum), Hen and chicks

References

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External links

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Taxonomy

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The Family Crassulaceae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Adromischus

Adromischus is a genus of easily propagated leaf succulents from the Crassulaceae family. Adromischus are endemic to southern Africa. The name comes from the ancient Greek "adros" (=thick) et "mischos" (=stem). [more]

Aeonichryson

[more]

Aeonium

Aeonium is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. [more]

Afrovivella

[more]

Aichryson

Aichryson is a genus of about 15 species of succulent, subtropical plants, mostly native to the Canary Islands, with a few in the Azores, Madeira and Morocco, and one in Portugal. [more]

Aichrysum

[more]

Aithales

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Aizopsis

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Aldasorea

[more]

Altamiranoa

Villadia is a genus of family Crassulaceae. It includes about 25 to 30 species distributed from Texas to Peru. [more]

Amerosedum

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Arctanthemum

Arctanthemum is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. [more]

Asterosedum

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Balfouria

Balfouria (Hebrew: ??) is a moshav in northern Israel, south of Nazareth. Located near Afula, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 312. [more]

Breitungia

[more]

Briophyllum

[more]

Bulliarda

[more]

Byrnesia

[more]

Cepaea

Cepaea is a genus of medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropods in the family Helicidae, the typical snails. The shells of species within this genus are often brightly colored and patterned with stripes. [more]

Chamaerhodiola

[more]

Chetyson

[more]

Chiastophyllum

[more]

Clausenellia

[more]

Clementsia

[more]

Cockerellia

[more]

Combesia

[more]

Congdonia

[more]

Corynephyllum

[more]

Cotyledon

A cotyledon (; "seed leaf" from Greek: ??t???d?? kotyledon, gen.: ??t???d???? kotyledonos, from ??t??? kot?le "cup, bowl"), is a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling. The number of cotyledons present is one characteristic used by botanists to classify the flowering plants (angiosperms). Species with one cotyledon are called monocotyledonous (or, "monocots"). Plants with two embryonic leaves are termed dicotyledonous dicots and placed in the class Magnoliopsida. [more]

Cotyliphyllum

[more]

Courantia

[more]

Crassula

Crassuvia

[more]

Cremnophila

[more]

Curtogyne

[more]

Dasystemon

[more]

Diamorpha

[more]

Dietrichia

[more]

Dinacria

[more]

Diopogon

Diotostemon

[more]

Dudleya

Dudleya is a genus of succulent perennials, consisting of about 45 species in southwest North America. [more]

Echeveria

Escheveria

[more]

Etiosedum

[more]

Eurystyles

[more]

Globulea

[more]

Gormania

A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]

Grammanthes

[more]

Graptopetalum

Graptopetalum is a plant genus of the family Crassulaceae. They are perennial succulent plants and native to Mexico and Arizona. They grow usually in a rosette. There are around 19 species in this genus. [more]

Graptoveria

[more]

Greenovia

Aeonium is a genus of about 35 species of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae. [more]

Hasseanthus

[more]

Helladia

[more]

Helophytum

[more]

Hjaltalinia

[more]

Hydrophila

[more]

Hylotelephium

Herbs perennial, glabrous or hairy. Roots fibrous or tuberous, often carrot-shaped. Rhizome short, fleshy or woody; young branches not covered with scales. Flowering stem arising from lateral bud of previous year, annual and abscissing from base or persisting and basally woody. Stem leaves alternate, opposite, or 3-5-verticillate; leaf blade flat, glabrous, spurless. Inflorescence terminal, sometimes also subterminal and thus paniculate, cymose, often corymbiform, sometimes umbel-like, many flowered, bracteate. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, unequally (4 or) 5-merous, sometimes reduced. Sepals usually shorter than petals, base subconnate and spurless. Petals usually free, purple, red, pink, or white, occasionally yellowish or greenish. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, inserted basally on corolla. Nectar scales oblong-cuneate to linear-oblong, apex rounded or subemarginate. Carpels free, base narrow, substipitate. Follicles erect, many seeded. Seeds narrowly winged.[1] [more]

Hypagophytum

[more]

Jovibarba

Jovibarba ("beard of ") is a small genus of three species of succulents in the family Crassulaceae, endemic to Europe. The genus is closely related to Sempervivum. Some taxonomists classify it as a subgenus of Sempervivum. Jovibarba have pale-greenish-yellow or yellow bell-shaped flowers with six petals, while Sempervivum has actinomorphic flowers with more than six petals. The common name Hen and chicks is applied to some Jovibarba species (and also species in several other related genera). [more]

Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe (), also written Kalanch?e or Kalancho?, is a genus of about 125 species of tropical, succulent flowering plants in the Family Crassulaceae, mainly native to the Old World but with a few species now growing wild in the New World following introduction of the species. [more]

Kalorochea

[more]

Kalosanthes

Keratolepis

[more]

Kirpicznikovia

[more]

Kitchingia

[more]

Kungia

Herbs perennial, glabrous or hairy. Roots short, fibrous. Stolons present; sterile stems usually present. Basal leaves in subsessile rosettes, spiral or decussate, mostly alternate; stem leaves alternate. Flowering stems erect, very slender but strong. Inflorescence terminal, racemiform or paniculiform, formed by many cymelets, many flowered; bracts acuminate at apex. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous. Sepals lanceolate-triangular, spurless. Petals connate at base, red or purple, lanceolate, apex acute. Stamens 1 or 2 × as many as petals, inserted opposite sepals; anthers oblong-reniform. Nectar scales short. Carpels nearly free, oblong, base attenuate or stalked. Styles long. Follicles erect, many seeded. Seeds ovoid, minutely papillate.[2] [more]

Larochea

[more]

Lenophyllum

[more]

Leucosedum

[more]

Macrobia

[more]

Macrosepalum

[more]

Megalonium

[more]

Mesanchum

[more]

Meterostachys

[more]

Monanthella

[more]

Monanthes

Monanthes is a genus of small, succulent, subtropical plants of the Crassulaceae family. The about ten species are mostly endemic to the Canary Islands and Salvage Islands, with some found on Madeira. Its center of diversity is Tenerife, with seven species occurring on this island. On Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, only M. laxiflora occurs. [more]

Mucizonia

[more]

Ohbaea

Herbs perennial, glabrous. Rosettes conspicuous, lax; rosette leaves alternate, flat, larger than stem leaves. Inflorescence lateral, cymose, with 3 scorpioid branches, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, 5(or 6) -merous. Sepals subequal, base subconnate. Petals ± free, brassy yellow. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, in 2 series. Carpels suberect, base subconnate. Follicles erect, many seeded.[3] [more]

Oliveranthus

[more]

Oliverella

[more]

Oreosedum

[more]

Orostachys

Herbs biennial. Roots fibrous. Rhizome absent. Leaves of 1st year arranged in a solitary, basal, dense rosette, alternate, linear to ovate, often with dull purple dots, apex usually cuspidate with a white, cartilaginous appendage to rarely softly obtuse or acuminate. Flowering stem solitary, arising from center of rosette in 2nd year; stem leaves alternate. Inflorescense terminal, a dense raceme or thyrse, narrowly pyramidal to cylindric in outline, with a distinct main axis and sometimes cymose lateral branches, many flowered, bracteate. Flowers bisexual, subsessile or pedicellate, 5-merous. Sepals usually shorter than petals. Petals subconnate at base, white, pink, or red, lanceolate. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, in 2 series. Nectar scales small. Carpels erect, free, stipitate, many ovuled. Styles slender. Follicles beaked at apex, many seeded.[4] [more]

Pachyphytum

[more]

Pachyrantia

[more]

Pachyveria

[more]

Pagella

[more]

Perrierosedum

[more]

Petrogeton

[more]

Petrophyes

[more]

Petrosedum

[more]

Phedimus

Herbs perennial. Rootstock thick. Stems arising from rootstock or persistent basal part of flowering stems, simple, glabrous, rarely pubescent. Leaves alternate or opposite, petiolate or sessile; leaf blade flat, margin serrate or crenate. Inflorescences terminal, cymose with 3 main branches, bractless, many flowered. Flowers sessile or nearly so, bisexual, mostly 5-merous. Sepals basally connate, fleshy, spurless. Petals spreading at anthesis, nearly free, bright yellow. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, in 2 series. Nectar scales entire or apex emarginate. Ovaries and follicles with adaxial outgrowth. Styles short, oblique or spreading at flowering. Follicles many seeded. Seeds striate.[5] [more]

Pistorinia

[more]

Poenosedum

[more]

Procrassula

[more]

Prometheum

A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]

Pseudosedum

Herbs perennial, glabrous. Roots cordlike to tuberous. Root crown with a few triangular, small, membranous leaves. Leaves alternate, oblong to linear, terete, fleshy. Flowering stems annual, simple, erect or ascending, densely leafy, old stems sometimes persisting. Stem leaves alternate. Inflorescence terminal, a group of predominantly scorpioid cymes, usually corymbiform, many flowered. Flowers bisexual, 5- or 6-merous. Sepals subconnate at base. Corolla reddish and drying golden yellow, or white, funnelform to campanulate; lobes connate nearly to middle. Stamens 2 × as many as petals. Carpels erect. Styles slender. Follicles erect, lanceolate, many seeded. Seeds mostly oblong.[6] [more]

Purgosea

[more]

Rhodiola

Rhodiola is a genus of perennial plants in the family Crassulaceae that resemble Sedum and other members of the family. Like sedums, Rhodiola species are often called stonecrops. Some authors merge Rhodiola into Sedum. [more]

Rhodolia

[more]

Rochea

Rosularia

Herbs perennial, usually hairy. Rootstock usually fleshy. Leaves mostly in dense, basal rosettes, usually with several rosettes per plant, alternate, sessile, flat. Flowering stems often several, arising from axils of rosette leaves (or solitary and arising from center of rosette) ; stem leaves alternate. Inflorescence lateral, cymose-corymbiform, paniculate-corymbiform, or spicate-paniculate, lax to dense. Flowers bisexual, 5-9-merous. Sepals connate at base. Corolla pink or white, sometimes with red or purple markings, campanulate or cupular; lobes partly connate at base, limb erect to spreading, membranous. Stamens 2 × as many as petals, inserted above corolla base, ca. 2 × as long as petals. Nectar scales cuneate to cuneate-spatulate-quadrate. Carpels erect, free, often hairy. Follicles erect, free, many seeded. Seeds striate.[7] [more]

Sedastrum

Sedella

A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]

Sedum

Sedum is the large stonecrop genus of the Crassulaceae, representing about 400 species of leaf succulents, found throughout the northern hemisphere, varying from annual groundcovers to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves and a typical form of blossom with five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Sempervivella

[more]

Sempervivum

Sempervivum (), known as Houseleeks or Liveforever, are a genus of about 40 species of succulent plants of the Crassulaceae family which grow in rosettes. Another name used for some species (and also for some plants in other related genera) is Hen and chicks. [more]

Septas

Septimia

[more]

Sinocrassula

Plants annual, biennial, or perennial, with reddish brown, thin striations or spots throughout, glabrous or minutely hairy. Roots fibrous. Sterile stems usually present. Leaves mostly in basal rosettes, often with several rosettes per plant, often caducous and lost by anthesis, alternate, apex obtuse or acuminate. Flowering stems erect, ± elongated; stem leaves alternate. Inflorescence terminal or lateral, paniculate-corymbiform with long, basally subopposite branches, rarely simple and racemelike; bracts leaflike, laxly arranged. Flowers erect, pedicellate, bisexual, 5-merous. Calyx subglobose; sepals erect, triangular or triangular-lanceolate, base connate. Petals free or almost so, yellow to red or purplish red, subglobose-urceolate, S-shaped in longitudinal section, apically extrorsely vaulted curved, base concave, apex sometimes thickened. Stamens as many as petals, inserted on sepals, slightly shorter than petals. Nectar scales entire, apex emarginate or dentate. Carpels somewhat wide, base abruptly narrowed. Styles short; stigmas capitate. Follicles many seeded.[8] [more]

Sphaeritis

[more]

Stylophyllum

[more]

Tacitus

A Genus in the Kingdom Plantae. [more]

Tarchonantus

Telmissa

Tetradium

Tetradium is a genus of about 5 to 10 species of trees in the family Rutaceae, occurring in temperate to tropical east Asia. In cultivation in English-speaking countries, they are known as Euodia, Evodia, or Bee bee tree. [more]

Tetraphyle

[more]

Therophon

[more]

Thompsonella

[more]

Tillia

Triactina

Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have water-storing leaves. The flowers usually have five petals, seldom four or six. There are typically twice as many stamens as petals. [more]

Tylecodon

Tylecodon is a genus of in family Crassulaceae. It contains the following species (but this list may be incomplete): [more]

Umbilicus

[more]

Urbinia

Vauanthes

[more]

Vereia

[more]

Villadia

[more]

X Cremnosedum

X Graptophytum

X Graptosedum

X Graptoveria

X Pachyveria

X Sedeveria

At least 3 species and subspecies belong to the Genus X Sedeveria.

More info about the Genus X Sedeveria may be found here.

References

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External links

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Footnotes

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  1. Kunjun Fu, Hideaki Ohba & Michael G. Gilbert "Hylotelephium". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 209. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  2. Fu Kun-tsun, Michael G. Gilbert "Kungia". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 205. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  3. "Ohbaea". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 218. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  4. Kunjun Fu, Hideaki Ohba & Michael G. Gilbert "Orostachys". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 206. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  5. "Phedimus". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 218. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  6. "Pseudosedum". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 213. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  7. Kunjun Fu, Hideaki Ohba & Michael G. Gilbert "Rosularia". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 217. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  8. "Sinocrassula". in Flora of China Vol. 8 Page 214. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:29:15