Interesting Facts
Description
Genus Aspidistra
Herbs perennial
, rhizomatous
. Rhizome creeping
, elongate
; nodes dense. Leaves solitary or 2--4-tufted, basal, erect
, long petiolate
; leaf blade
many veined. Scape usually very short, with 2--8 scales
, 1(or 2) -flowered. Flowers bisexual
, terminal
, generally embraced by 1 or 2 bracts at perianth base
. Perianth campanulate, urceolate
, or cupular, fleshy
, apically (4--) 6--8(--10) -lobed. Stamens as many as and opposite perianth lobes, usually inserted
in proximal
part of perianth tube; filaments
very short or absent; anthers
dorsifixed
. Ovary 3- or 4-loculed; ovules several per locule. Style short, sometimes articulate
; stigma usually peltate or mushroom-shaped, large, entire or lobed
at margin
. Fruit a berry, globose
to ovoid-ellipsoid, usually 1-seeded.
About 55 species: China, India, Japan, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam; 49 species (46 endemic, one introduced
) in China.
Aspidistra has never been well studied so, for the convenience of later criticisms, we use the narrowest species concept in this treatment. Further studies are needed in order
to understand the precise species variation and to establish an adequate species concept in the genus.[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Liliidae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Lilianae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Order:
Asparagales
()
- Bromhead, 1838
- Suborder:
Asparagineae
()
-
- Family:
Asparagaceae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- Subfamily:
Convallarioideae
()
- Tribe:
Aspidistreae
()
- Genus:
Aspidistra
()
- Ker-Gawler, 1822
- Specific epithet:
nikolai
- Aver. & Tillich
- Botanical name: - Aspidistra nikolai Aver. & Tillich
- Specific epithet:
nikolai
- Aver. & Tillich
- Genus:
Aspidistra
(
- Tribe:
Aspidistreae
(
- Subfamily:
Convallarioideae
(
- Family:
Asparagaceae
(
- Suborder:
Asparagineae
(
- Order:
Asparagales
(
- Superorder:
Lilianae
(
- Subclass:
Liliidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
Publishing author : Aver. & Tillich Publication : Feddes Repert. 119(1-2): 40 (fig. 1H-M, map) 2008 [May 2008]
Similar Species
Members of the genus Aspidistra
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 24 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
A. caespitosa 'Jade Ribbons' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Asahi' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Goldfeather' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Hoshi Zora' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Milky Way' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Morning Frost' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Okame' (Striped Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Snow Cap' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Stars and Stripes' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'To Ryu Mon' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. elatior 'Variegata' (Variegated Cast Iron Plant) · A. linearifolia 'Leopard' (Aspidistra) · A. lurida 'Amanogawa' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. lurida 'Ginga' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. lurida 'Suisho' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. patentiloba (Aspidistra) · A. tonkinensis 'Clouded Leopard' (Aspidistra) · A. typica 'Old Glory' (Aspidistra) · A. typica 'Stargazey' (Aspidistra) · A. 'China Moon' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. 'Singapore Sling' (Cast Iron Plant) · A. 'Thai Dwarf' (Aspidistra) · A. 'Vietnam' (Cast Iron Plant)
More Info
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 4510236
Footnotes
- Liang Song-jun, Minoru N. Tamura "Aspidistra". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 240. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
