Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Mexican Catseye, Mexican Cryptantha, Mexico Cat's-Eye
Description
Family Boraginaceae
Herbs perennial
, biennial, or annual
, less often lianas, shrubs
, or trees
, usually bristly
or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves simple
, exstipulate
, alternate, rarely opposite, entire or serrate at margin
. Inflorescences often double
scorpioid cymes, rarely solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers bisexual
, actinomorphic
, rarely zygomorphic. Calyx usually 5-parted or lobed
, mostly persistent
. Corolla tubular
, campanulate
, rotate, funnelform
, or salverform
; tube
appendages
5, rarely more, mostly trapeziform, rarely absent, sometimes a ring
of hairs
present; limb usually 5-parted; lobes
overlapping, rarely twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted
on corolla tube or rarely at throat
, included
or rarely exserted; anthers
introrse
, 2-loculed, usually dorsifixed
at base
, less often medifixed
, dehiscence longitudinal
. Nectaries at base of corolla tube or on disc below ovary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; locules 2 and each with 2 ovules, or 4 and each with 1 ovule; ovules nearly atropous
, semianatropous, or anatropous
. Style terminal
or gynobasic
, branched or not. Gynobase
flat, fastigiate
, or subulate
. Fruit 1-4-seeded drupes or nutlets
(mericarps) ; nutlets mostly dry, often ornamented with wings
, prickles and/or glochids (stiff bristles
with barbed
or anchorlike tips
) . Seeds vertical
or oblique
, coat
membranous; embryo straight, less often curved
; cotyledons flat, fleshy
.
About 156 genera and 2500 species: temperate
and tropical regions
, centered in the Mediterranean region; 47 genera and 294 species in China, of which four genera and 156 species are endemic.[1]
Physical Description
Habit: Forb/herb
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,416 meters (0 to 4,646 feet).[2]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Annual
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:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Asteridae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Solananae
()
- R. Dahlgren Ex Reveal, 1992
- Family:
Boraginaceae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- borage, bourraches
- Subfamily:
Boraginoideae
()
- Tribe:
Eritrichieae
()
- Genus:
Cryptantha
()
- Lehmann ex G. Don, 1837
- Specific epithet:
mexicana
- (Brandeg.) I.M. Johnston
- Botanical name: - Cryptantha mexicana (Brandeg.) I.M. Johnston
- Specific epithet:
mexicana
- (Brandeg.) I.M. Johnston
- Genus:
Cryptantha
(
- Tribe:
Eritrichieae
(
- Subfamily:
Boraginoideae
(
- Family:
Boraginaceae
(
- Superorder:
Solananae
(
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
Similar Species
Members of the genus Cryptantha
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 153 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
C. abata (Abata Cryptantha) · C. affinis (Common Cryptantha) · C. albida (New Mexico Cat's-Eye) · C. ambigua (Basin Cryptantha) · C. angustifolia (Bristlelobe Cryptantha) · C. aperta (Grand Junction Cat's-Eye) · C. atwoodii (Atwood Catseye) · C. bakeri (Baker Cat's-Eye) · C. barbigera (Bearded Cat's-Eye) · C. barnebyi (Barneby Catseye) · C. breviflora (Cryptantha Breviflora) · C. caespitosa (Caespitose Cat's-Eye) · C. cana (Mountain Cat's-Eye) · C. capitata (Capitate Cat's-Eye) · C. celosioides (Buttecandle) · C. cinerea (Bownut Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. abortiva (James' Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. arenicola (James' Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. cinerea (James' Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. jamesii (James Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. laxa (James Cryptantha) · C. cinerea var. pustulosa (James' Cryptantha) · C. circumscissa (Cushion Cat's-Eye) · C. circumscissa var. circumscissa (Cushion Cryptantha) · C. circumscissa var. hispida (Cushion Cryptantha) · C. circumscissa var. rosulata (Cushion Cryptantha) · C. clevelandii (Cleveland's Cat's-Eye) · C. clevelandii Greene var. clevelandii Greene (Cleveland's Cryptantha) · C. clevelandii Greene var. florosa I.M.Johnst. (Cleveland's Cryptantha) · C. clevelandii var. clevelandii (Cleveland's Cryptantha) · C. clevelandii var. dissita (Cleveland's Cryptantha) · C. clevelandii var. florosa (Cleveland's Cryptantha) · C. clokeyi (Clokey's Cryptantha) · C. compacta (Compact Cat's-Eye) · C. confertiflora (Basin Yellow Cat's-Eye) · C. corollata (Coast Range Cat's-Eye) · C. costata (Ribbed Catseye) · C. crassipes (Terlingua Creek Cat's-Eye) · C. crassisepala (Deertongue) · C. crassisepala var. crassisepala (Thicksepal Cryptantha) · C. crassisepala var. elachantha (Thicksepal Cryptantha) · C. creutzfeldtii (Creutzfeldt's Cat's-Eye) · C. crinita (Sacramento Cryptantha) · C. crymophila (Subalpine Cryptantha) · C. decipiens (Gravel Cat's-Eye) · C. dumetorum (Bush-Loving Cat's-Eye) · C. echinella (Hedgehog Cryptantha) · C. elata (Cliffdweller's Candlestick Catseye) · C. excavata (Deep-Scar Cryptantha) · C. fendleri (Fendler Cat's-Eye) · C. flaccida (Beaked Cryptantha) · C. flava (Brenda's Yellow Catseye) · C. flavoculata (Rough-Seed Cat's-Eye) · C. fulvocanescens (Tawny Cat's-Eye) · C. fulvocanescens var. fulvocanescens (Tawny Cryptantha) · C. fulvocanescens var. nitida (Tawny Cryptantha) · C. ganderi (Gander's Cryptantha) · C. glomeriflora (Truckee Cat's-Eye) · C. gracilis (Narrow-Stem Cat's-Eye) · C. grahamii (Fragrant Cryptantha) · C. hispidula (Napa Cryptantha) · C. hoffmannii (Hoffmann's Cryptantha) · C. holoptera (Winged Catseye) · C. hooveri (Hoover Cryptantha) · C. humilis (Round-Spike Cat's-Eye) · C. incana (Tulare Cat's-Eye) · C. insolita (Las Vegas Cryptantha) · C. intermedia (Clearwater Catseye) · C. intermedia var. intermedia (Clearwater Catseye) · C. interrupta (Elko Cryptantha) · C. johnstonii (Johnston Catseye) · C. jonesiana (Jones Catseye) · C. kelseyana (Kelsey's Cat's-Eye) · C. leiocarpa (Coastal Cat's-Eye) · C. leucophaea (Gray Cryptantha) · C. longiflora (Long-Flowered Cat's-Eye) · C. mariposae (Mariposa Cryptantha) · C. maritima (Guadalupe Cat's-Eye) · C. maritima var. maritima (Guadalupe Cryptantha) · C. maritima var. pilosa (Guadalupe Cryptantha) · C. mensana (Southwestern Cat's-Eye) · C. mexicana (Mexican Catseye) · C. micrantha (Purpleroot Pick-Me-Not) · C. micrantha lepida (Redroot Cryptantha) · C. micrantha var. lepida (Redroot Cryptantha) · C. micrantha var. micrantha (Redroot Cryptantha) · C. micromeres (Minute-Flower Cat's-Eye) · C. microstachys (Tejon Cat's-Eye) · C. milo-bakeri (Milo Baker's Cat's-Eye) · C. minima (Little Cat's-Eye) · C. mirabunda (Wonderful Cat's-Eye) · C. mohavensis (Mohave Cat's-Eye) · C. muricata (Pointed Cat's-Eye) · C. muricata var. denticulata (Pointed Cryptantha) · C. muricata var. jonesii (Jones' Cryptantha) · C. muricata var. muricata (Pointed Cryptantha) · C. nemaclada (Colusa Cat's-Eye) · C. nevadensis (Nevada Cat's-Eye) · C. nevadensis A.Nelson & Kenn. var. nevadensis A.Nelson & Kenn. (Nevada Catseye) · C. nevadensis A.Nelson & Kenn. var. rigida I.M.Johnst. (Nevada Catseye)
More Info
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- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- The Great Basin naturalist. 39 1979 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 323.
- Wrightia. 2 1959-1963 Richardson, Tex. [etc.]University of Texas at Dallas. url p. 161, p. 162, p. 20.
- Wang Wen-tsai, Liu Yu-lan, Zhu Ge-ling, Lian Yong-shan, Wang Jing-quan & Wang Qing-rui in Kung Xian-wu & Wang Wen-tsai, eds. 1989. Boraginaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 64(2): 1-253.
Notes
Contributors
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 02, 2008:
- Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad, Herbario del Instituto de Ecología, A.C., México
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2654656
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-31835
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13745953
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:114825-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 31835
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 114825-1
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDBOR0A1T0
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: CRME4
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 33301
Footnotes
- Gelin Zhu, Harald Riedl & Rudolf V. Kamelin "Boraginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 329. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 715.160 meters (2,346.325 feet), Standard Deviation = 435.310 based on 38 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
