Skimmia fragrantissima

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Rutaceae

The Rutaceae are herbs, shrubs , and trees with glandular punctate , commonly strongly smelling herbage comprising about 150 genera and 1,500 species that are further characterized by the common occurrence of spines and winged petioles . The leaves are alternate or opposite, simple or palmately or pinnately compound , or sometimes heathlike or reduced to spines; stipules are absent. The flowers are often sweet-scented, nearly always bisexual , and are actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic. The calyx consists of 3-5 distinct or basally connate sepals and the corolla consists of 3-5 distinct or sometimes connate petals or rarely the petals are lacking. The androecium consists of distinct or sometimes connate stamens that are commonly obdiplostemonous , that is in two whorls with the outer whorl opposite the petals. However, sometimes there may be (1)3-4 whorls or rarely up to 60 stamens. The gynoecium consists of a single compound pistil of commonly 2-5 or more, often incompletely connate carpels that may be united only basally or apically, either one or an equal number of styles, and a superior ovary with usually 2-5 or more locules, each bearing 1-several axile ovules. Generally, an intrastaminal nectary disk is situated between the stamens and the ovary. The fruit is variable. -- Gerald Carr.

Genus Skimmia

Glabrous shrubs . Leaves simple , petiolate , alternate, glandular-punctate. Flowers polygamous, clustered in terminal panicles. Calyx 4-5-partite. Petals 4-5, oblong . Stamens 4-5. Ovary 2-5-locular; style stout or absent, stigma 2-5-lobed. Fruit a drupe, fleshy .

A genus of 7 or 8 species distributed in the Himalayas, E. Asia, Japan and Phillipine Islands. The genus has a strong musky smell.[1]

Taxonomy

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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: Rosidae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Rutanae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Order: Sapindales () - Dumortier, 1829
        Suborder: Rutineae ()
        Family: Rutaceae () - A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons. - rues, rutacées
        Subfamily: Toddalioideae ()
        Genus: Skimmia () - Thunberg, 1783, nom. cons.
        Specific epithet: fragrantissima - Hort. ex T.Moore
        Botanical name: - Skimmia fragrantissima Hort. ex T.Moore