Dendrochilum glumaceum

Dendrochilum glumaceum, the hay-scented orchid or husk-like dendrochilum, was described by John Lindley in 1841. It is an elegant looking epiphytic or lithophytic dendrochilum that occurs in the Philippines and Borneo at altitudes between 700 and 2,300 m.
This species possesses long feathery pendulous spikes containing two rows of pure white flowers, with yellow to orange lips, that emerge on each new growth.
From each conical to ovoid pseudobulb grows an erect, single, long, oblanceolate leaf
Cultivation.
This species can be grown in pots and prefers intermediate temperatures and moderate to bright light.
There are several cultivars available : 'Broad Leaf', 'OHG', 'Orange and White Ring' and 'Orange Lip'. 'White Ring' and 'White with Orange Lip'.


Boswellia elongata

Boswellia elongata is a species of plant in the Burseraceae family. It is endemic to Yemen. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.


Silene baccifera

Silene baccifera is a plant species of the genus "Silene" of the family "Caryophyllaceae". It is native to Europe, but is also widespread in temperate regions of Asia and North Africa.


Sauteria spongiosa

Sauteria spongiosa is a species of liverwort in the Cleveaceae family. It is endemic to India.


African walnut

African walnut is a common name for several African plants and may refer to:


Juttadinteria simpsonii

Juttadinteria simpsonii is a species of plant in the family Aizoaceae. It is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitats are rocky areas and cold desert. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Cyperus bipartitus

Cyperus bipartitus, commonly known as slender flatsedge, river cyperus, or the shining flatsedge, is a common species of sedge. The name "slender flatsedge" also applies to "Cyperus gracilis".
Distribution and habitat.
"C. bipartitus" is native to the Americas, where it is found widely distributed from north to south in wet environments, such as lakes, sandbars, and ditches from elevations of to .
Description.
This is a small annual plant with fibrous roots and thin stems rarely exceeding about in height. There may be a one to three thin, short leaves around the base of the plant. The inflorescence is one to two centimeters long and holds several flat spikelets. These may be surrounded by long, leaflike bracts. Each spikelet contains flowers covered by dark reddish brown bracts. The achene fruit is a black disc about a millimeter wide.


Ilex quercetorum

Ilex quercetorum is a species of plant in the family Aquifoliaceae. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Batales

Batales is a botanical name of an order of flowering plants. This name was used in several systems, sometimes in the spelling Batidales. Often this order consisted of the genus "Batis" only. In the 1981 version of the Cronquist system it was an order placed in subclass Dilleniidae with the following circumscription:
The APG II system, used here, includes all the plants involved in the (expanded) order "Brassicales".


Festuca pratensis

Festuca pratensis, the meadow fescue, is a perennial species of grass, which is often used as an ornamental grass in gardens, and is also an important forage crop.
It grows in meadows, roadsides, old pastures, and riversides on moist, rich soils, especially on loamy and heavy soils.
It is a tall, tufted grass similar to the tall fescue, "Festuca arundinacea". Tall fescue differs by having minute hairs on the auricles. It can hybridise with
"Lolium perenne" and "Lolium multiflorum".
Description.
It is a perennial bunchgrass, (i.e. grows in tufts), which grows , flowering from June until August. The panicles are green to purplish. The spikelets have 5 to 14 flowers.
It has a short, blunt ligule compared to other grasses 1 mm high. The leaves are bright green and up to 4 mm across.


Pittosporum senacia

Pittosporum senacia is a shrub that grows naturally on the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and La Réunion.


Lancea (plant)

Lancea is a plant genus in the recently described Mazaceae. It had formerly been tentatively included in the lopseed family, Phrymaceae as well as the Scrophulariaceae.
Species.
"Lancea" species include:


Cephalophyllum compressum

Cephalophyllum compressum is a species of plant in the family Aizoaceae. It is endemic to Namibia. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Anigozanthos humilis

Anigozanthos humilis is a species of "Anigozanthos" in the family Haemodoraceae. This flowering perennial plant is endemic to Southwest Australia and widespread in its open forests. Common names include Catspaw and Common Cat's Paw. The genus name "Anigozanthos" comes from the Greek words "anisos", meaning unequal, and "anthos", meaning flower (in reference to the shape of the flowers). The specific epithet, "humilis", means "low-growing".
Description.
The species has a basal rosette of long strap-like leaves, emerging at the soil's surface from a rhizome beneath. A raceme of flowers appear at the terminus of long stalks, giving the plant a height up to one metre. The tuberous form of the flower bud is yellow, becoming orange then red at the opening. It is typically 0.4-1 meter tall and 0.3-0.6 meters across.
Taxonomy.
The species was first described by John Lindley in the 1840 work "A sketch of the vegetation of the Swan River Colony". Three subspecies have also been described and recognised.
Conservation Status.
While the subspecies "Anigozanthos humilis" subsp. "humilis" is common, and unthreatened, the rarer subspecies described by Stephen Hopper are listed with a conservation status. "Anigozanthos humilis" subsp. "Badgingarra" is listed by the Dept of Environment and Conservation as poorly known. and the subspecies "Anigozanthos humilis" subsp. "chrysanthus", the golden catspaw, has been listed as rare by the same body.
Cultivation.
The plant is widely cultivated, and is able to tolerate hot and humid climates, but requires winter protection in temperate regions. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It does best in sunny locations with well-drained soil.


Hickenia

Hickenia is the name of two genera of flowering plants, both named after Dr Cristóbal María Hicken:
The second of these, having been published in Britton and Rose's "Cactaceae" (1922) is an illegitimate homonym of the former, which was published three years earlier in "Physis" (Buenos Aires) 4: 422.


Renanthera bella

Renanthera bella is a species of orchid. This orchid is only known from Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo.


Macrozamia miquelii

Macrozamia miquelii, is a species of cycad in the plant family Zamiaceae. It is endemic to Queensland and New South Wales in Eastern Australia. Located within sclerophyll forests dominated by eucalyptus trees, the cycad grows on nutrient-poor soils. It is recognised within the Zamiaceae family for its, medium height at 1 m, intermediate size of male and female cones and comparatively lighter green leaves. The seeds have a bright orange red sarcotesta which attracts fauna consumption, allowing a mutualistic seed dispersal for the cycad. These seeds are also edible for human consumption if prepared correctly to remove the toxins.
Description.
"Macrozamia miquelii" are acaulescent. The caudex, which can grow to a diameter of 45 cm and 50 cm in height, is usually subterranean with little of it being visible above ground. This cycad has between 20 and 80 slightly glossy dark green leaves (fronds) in its crown, each leaf growing to a length of 2.3 m long. The leaves consist of 80 to 160 leaflets, each leaflet is 15 cm to 50 cm long, 8 mm to 20 mm wide and are covered in grey-brown hairs. Leaflets are discolorous with a dark green and slightly glossy upper surface and a paler green lower surface. Distal leaflets are spaced closely to other leaflets while proximal leaflets are more spread out. The rachis of the "Macrozamia miquelii" remains straight with a pale green colour and the leaflets are inserted at 40 degree angles to the rachis.
"Macrozamia miquelii" like all cycads are dioecious. The male cycad develops 1 to 5 male (pollen) cones, each cone measuring 12 cm to 28 cm in length and 4 cm to 7 cm in diameter. These cones are fusiform but curve with age and remain green throughout its lifetime. The female cycad develops 1 to 3 female (seed) cones, each cone measuring 25 cm to 40 cm in length and 10 cm to 15 cm in diameter. The female cone remains green and has a cylindrical shape. Seeds are oblong, with a length of 2 cm to 3 cm and diameter of 1.5 cm to 2 cm. The sarcotesta has an orange yellow colour which turns reddish-orange when the seeds are ripe. Shedding of pollen occurs from October to November and seeds ripen in March.
Etymology.
Ferdinand von Mueller named this cycad in 1862. The species name, "Macrozamia miquelii", honours Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel. As an early pioneer of cycad systematics, Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel studied numerous species of cycads.
Distribution and Habitat.
"Macrozamia miquelii" is found in both southern Queensland and northern NSW, from Port Curtis District to the upper Richmond River. The cycad is located on ridges and slopes within sclerophyll forests where eucalyptus tree species including the "Corymbia citriodora" and "Eucalyptus crebra" dominate the canopy. Scattered plants grow on low-nutrient stony or sandy soils at an altitude range of 10 m to 540 m.
Ecology.
"Macrozamia miquelii" requires a mutualistic relationship with fauna for its seed dispersal. As the sarcotesta are bright and colourful, avian and mammalian species are attracted to the seeds. With no toxins in the sarcotesta, smaller fauna including wallabies, possums and crows strip off the sarcotesta, leaving the seed untouched. Larger fauna such as emus and cassowaries have been observed contributing to seed dispersal as the seeds can be ingested and defecated intact without harming the fauna.
Conservation.
"Macrozamia miquelii" was rated as "least concern" by the IUCN in 2009. The IUCN has also indicated the cycad to have a decreasing population trend as a result of a declining quality of habitat. Conservation areas where the cycad species is protected includes Byfield National Park and Mount Archer National Park. The IUCN estimates a total of 10,000 to 20,000 mature individual plants remain within the wild.
Uses.
The seeds of the "Macrozamia miquelii" are edible after being treated. The Aboriginal Australians utilised multiple traditional preparation techniques such as leaching the seeds in water and aging, to remove the toxins within the seeds for consumption. The pith of the cycad contains a toxic starch that once processed to remove the toxins, is edible and used in laundries.
Toxicity.
Most parts of the "Macrozamia miquelii" are toxic with the seeds of the cycad having a higher concentration of azoxyglycosides, especially cycasin, than other parts of the plant. Other toxins identified within the cycad include β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) which acts as a powerful neurotoxin if ingested. The ingestion of raw cycad seeds by an animal can lead to death and cause nausea and diarrhea in humans as well as death in some cases. This toxicity protects the plant against insect attacks while also deterring predators including humans from consuming the plant.


Chiloscyphus

Chiloscyphus is a genus of liverworts belonging to the family Lophocoleaceae.
The genus has cosmopolitan distribution.
Species:


Echinomastus johnsonii

Echinomastus johnsonii (syn. "Sclerocactus johnsonii") is a species of cactus known by the common names Johnson's beehive cactus and Johnson's fishhook cactus. It is native to the southwestern United States from eastern California to Utah, where it can be found in desert scrub habitat. It produces an egg-shaped or cylindrical stem up to tall by wide. It is covered densely in straight and curving spines which may be up to long and come in shades of yellow, gray, lavender, and pink or red, with up to 24 per areole. The cactus may have yellow or pink flowers; the species is sometimes divided into two varieties on the basis of flower color. Flowers are up to wide. The scaly, fleshy fruit is up to long.


Cuscuta denticulata

Cuscuta denticulata, commonly known as desert dodder or small-toothed dodder, is a thin, yellow to orange, parasitic annual vine in the morning glory family (Convulvulaceae), native to the deserts of the south-western United States and northern Mexico.
Description.
Growth pattern.
It is an annual plant that grows as a very thin orange-ish parasitic vine, with clumping twinings around the host stems. It parasitizes the host by sending small, short-lived rootlets (haustoria) into its tissues, from which it absorbs moisture and nutrients.
Leaves and stems.
Yellow to orange stems are without hairs, with minute scale-like leaves.
Inflorescence and fruit.
It blooms from May to October with tiny spikes of clusters of miniature white, 5-parted bell shaped flowers. Corolla lobes are bent back, with overlapping calyx lobes. Both calyx and corolla have fine teeth on their margins, hence the species name and common name. Fruits are conical capsules.
Habitat and range.
It grows up to in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert into Baja California. It parasitizes plants of the creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland communities, such as creosote bush ("Larrea tridentata") and cheesebush ("Ambrosia salsola").


Alpine penstemon

Alpine penstemon is a common name for several plants and may refer to:


Olearia polita

Olearia polita is a species of flowering plant in the aster family. It is found only in New Zealand.


Yua (plant)

Yua is a small genus of vines in the family Vitaceae. There are two species in the genus "Yua":


Distylium

Distylium (winter-hazel) is a genus of about 18 species of evergreen shrubs and trees in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, native to eastern and southeastern Asia.
Taxonomy.
Fossil record.
Researchers have recognized Distylium fossil pollen among the middle Miocene Sarmatian palynoflora from the Lavanttal Basin of Austria. The sediment containing the fossil pollen had accumulated in a lowland wetland environment with various vegetation units of mixed evergreen/deciduous broadleaved/conifer forests surrounding the wetland basin. Key relatives of the fossil taxa found with Distylium are presently confined to humid warm temperate environments, suggesting a subtropical climate during the middle Miocene in Austria. Distylium macrofossils of the Lower and Middle Miocene, are known from the lignite mines of the Kaltennortheim Formation in the Rhön Mountains, cental Germany, where it is associated with typical elements of the Mastixioid floras that attest to an optimal warm humid phase of the Miocene.


Ceratozamia brevifrons

Ceratozamia brevifrons is a species of cycad in the family Zamiaceae.


Psittacanthus angustifolius

Psittacanthus angustifolius is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae found in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Destruction.
In August 2000, it was found on "Psidium guineense" north of Yamaranguila, Department Intibuca of Honduras. In November of the same year, it was found on "Pinus tecunumanii" which was growing north of Opatoro, Department La Paz. In Mexico, the species was found on "Pinus tecunumanii" and "Pinus oocarpa" which were growing 4-km south of Jitotol, Chiapas.


Diuris cuneata

Diuris cuneata is a species of orchid whose name is accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew but regarded as a synonym of "Diuris dendrobioides" by Australian authorities. It was first formally described in 1888 by Robert D. FitzGerald from a specimen collected near Cootamundra by Walter Scott Campbell and the description was published in Fitgerald's book "Australian Orchids".


Arnica viscosa

Arnica viscosa is an uncommon North American species of arnica in the sunflower family, known by the common name Mount Shasta arnica (not to be confused with the Shasta County arnica, "A. venosa").
Distribution.
It is native to the Klamath Mountains and nearby southern Cascade Range in northern California (Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity Counties) and southern Oregon (Josephine, Douglas, Klamath, and Deschutes Counties). It grows in subalpine to alpine habitats.
Description.
"Arnica viscosa" is a perennial herb usually producing one or more hairy, glandular stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall. There are five to ten pairs of oblong leaves along the stem each a few centimeters long.
The inflorescence bears many flower heads lined with hairy, glandular phyllaries. The head is discoid, containing only yellow disc florets, and no ray florets.
The fruit is an achene about 5 or 6 millimeters long, not counting its white to brownish pappus.


Cornales

The Cornales are an order of flowering plants, early diverging among the asterids, containing about 600 species. Plants within the Cornales usually have four-parted flowers, drupaceous fruits, and inferior to half-inferior gynoecia topped with disc-shaped nectaries.
Taxonomy.
In the classification system of Dahlgren the Cornales were in the superorder Corniflorae (also called Cornanae). Under the APG IV system, the Cornales order includes these families:
The oldest fossils assigned with confidence to the order are "Hironoia fusiformis", described from Coniacian age Japanese coalified fruits, and "Suciacarpa starrii" described from American permineralized fruits of Campanian age.
Phylogeny.
The Cornales order is sister to the remainder of the large and diverse asterid clade.
The Cornales are highly geographically disjunct and morphologically diverse, which has led to considerable confusion regarding the proper circumscription of the groups within the order and the relationships between them. Under the Cronquist system, the order comprised the families Cornaceae, Nyssaceae, Garryaceae, and Alangiaceae, and was placed among the Rosidae, but this interpretation is no longer followed. Many families and genera previously associated with the Cornales have been removed, including Garryaceae, "Griselinia", "Corokia", and "Kaliphora", among others.
Molecular data suggest four clades are within the Cornales: "Cornus-Alangium", nyssoids-mastixioids, Hydrangeaceae-Loasaceae, and "Grubbia-Curtisia", with the Hydrostachyaceae in an uncertain position, possibly basal. However, the relationship between these clades is unclear, and as a result of many historical taxonomic interpretations and differing opinions regarding the significance of morphological variations, rankings of taxa within the order are inconsistent. These difficulties in interpreting the systematics of Cornales may represent an early and rapid diversification of the groups within the order.


Nepenthes rhombicaulis

Nepenthes rhombicaulis is a tropical pitcher plant endemic to Sumatra. The specific epithet "rhombicaulis" is formed from the Latin words "rhombicus", meaning "rhomboid", and "caulis", "stem". It refers to the cross-sectional shape of the stem internodes.
Botanical history.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" was first collected by Shigeo Kurata on March 29, 1972, on Mount Pangulubao at an altitude of between 1700 and 1900 m above sea level. The species was mentioned by name in a 1972 issue (volume 26, number 10, page 44) of "The Heredity". It was formally described by Kurata the following year in "The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore". One of the original specimens, "Kurata 4300", was designated as the holotype of the species and is deposited at the herbarium of the Nippon Dental College (NDC). An isotype is held at the National Herbarium of Singapore (SING).
Kurata's illustration of the type specimen shows a small apical appendage on the underside of the pitcher lid. However, Matthew Jebb and Martin Cheek pointed out that this feature is not present in the isotype held in Singapore. Kurata suggested that the appendage might be a developmental defect and of little significance. Observations made at the type locality by Charles Clarke and Ch'ien Lee seem to confirm this; while some wild plants exhibit this appendage, most do not.
In the 1983 book "Carnivorous Plants of the World in Colour" by Katsuhiko and Masahiro Kondo, a photograph of "N. gymnamphora" is identified as "N. rhombicaulis".
In 1993, Bruce Salmon postulated that the lower pitchers of "N. rhombicaulis" are specially adapted to trapping subterranean insects. His observations were published in the "Carnivorous Plant Newsletter".
Rudolf Schmid-Höllinger reported observing upper pitchers of "N. rhombicaulis" on Mount Pangulubao in 1993. He published his findings the following year in the "Carnivorous Plant Newsletter". Charles Clarke also reported finding one small upper pitcher in 1995. Prior to this, it was thought that the upper stem of "N. rhombicaulis" was only used for climbing and did not produce pitchers. However, doubts have been raised about the identity of the upper pitchers observed by Schmid-Höllinger.
Description.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" climbs well and its stem is known to reach 35 m in length, making it one of the longest in the genus. Internodes are up to 20 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. They are usually rhomboid in cross section. The stem bears numerous sunken glands. The species has an extended rhizome which produces stems at irregular intervals.
Leaves are sessile. The lamina is lanceolate-spathulate, up to 25 cm long, and up to 4 cm wide. It has an acute to sub-peltate apex and an amplexicaul base. Two to three longitudinal veins are present on either side of the midrib. Pinnate veins are oblique. Tendrils may be up to 15 cm long.
Rosette and lower pitchers are ovoid to ventricose in the lower parts and cylindrical above. They reach 12 cm in height and 4 cm in width. A pair of fringed wings (≤3 mm long) runs down the front of the pitchers. The glandular region is restricted to the ovoid portion of the inner surface. Digestive glands occur at a density of 150 to 300 per square centimetre. The pitcher mouth is round and oblique. The peristome is sub-cylindrical to irregularly expanded and up to 5 mm wide. Its inner margin is lined with distinct, papery teeth up to 3 mm long. The lid or operculum is ovate and may bear a small apical appendage on its lower surface. Up to 100 nectar glands are present on the underside of the lid. A spur (≤5 mm long), which may be unbranched, bifid, or trifid, is inserted near the base of the lid.
Upper pitchers have not been reliably recorded in the field and measurements for them have not been published. Based on Schmid-Höllinger's observations, they are ventricose in the lower parts and elongated above, becoming tubiform or slightly infundibuliform towards the mouth. The peristome is greatly reduced and bears smaller teeth. Wings may or may not be reduced to ribs. Several hundred nectar glands are present on the underside of the lid, although they are smaller than in lower pitchers.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" has a racemose inflorescence. The peduncle and rachis both reach 20 cm in length, although the latter is usually shorter in female plants. Partial peduncles are two-flowered and lack bracteoles. Sepals are elliptical and up to 4 mm long.
Most parts of the plant are virtually glabrous. The margins of the lamina are often lined with short red hairs. Inflorescences may have a sparse indumentum of minute hairs.
The stem and lamina are green. Lower pitcher range in colour from dull green throughout to light red with purple blotches. The peristome may be light green to dark purple and is often darker around its outer margin. According to Schmid-Höllinger, upper pitchers are yellowish-green with pale red spots in the upper part and pitchers produced on offshoots from the climbing stem have clear red speckles throughout.
Ecology.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" is known from a number of peaks in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, particularly around Lake Toba. Plants that appear to match the description of "N. rhombicaulis" have also been recorded from Mount Bandahara in Aceh. The species is known with certainty only from the Mount Pangulubao complex and Mount Lubukraya, although Shigeo Kurata suggested that it is likely to be more widespread in the Lake Toba region. "Nepenthes rhombicaulis" has an altitudinal distribution of 1600–2000 m above sea level.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" grows terrestrially in dense, shady montane forest. It is usually found in lower montane forest above steep slopes, but has also been recorded from upper montane forest. It is one of the few "Nepenthes" species that are common in the understory.
Lower pitchers frequently develop embedded in detritus and leaf litter on the forest floor, resulting in their often deformed appearance. Bruce Salmon noted that lower pitchers which develop in this way grow around twice as large as those which develop completely above ground. He postulated that the species is adapted to trapping subterranean insects, although he did not examine the contents of these pitchers to test the hypothesis.
In its natural habitat, "N. rhombicaulis" occurs sympatrically with "N. flava", "N. ovata", "N. spectabilis", and "N. tobaica". Natural hybrids with all of these species have been recorded. On Mount Pangulubao, "N. gymnamphora" ("N. xiphioides") and "N. mikei" grow around 100 m above populations of "N. rhombicaulis".
Due to its somewhat restricted distribution, "N. rhombicaulis" is listed as Vulnerable on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Related species.
"Nepenthes rhombicaulis" is very similar to "N. gymnamphora" in both morphology and growth habit. It is sympatric with this species on Mount Pangulubao. "Nepenthes rhombicaulis" also bears a close resemblance to "N. hirsuta" from Borneo.
In 2001, Charles Clarke performed a cladistic analysis of the "Nepenthes" species of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia using 70 morphological characteristics of each taxon. The resultant cladogram placed "N. rhombicaulis" in an unresolved polytomy at the base of the "Montanae/Nobiles" clade, together with "N. benstonei".
Natural hybrids.
At least four natural hybrids involving "N. rhombicaulis" have been recorded and at least three of the parent species (excluding "N. rhombicaulis") occur on Mount Pangulubao.


Calceolaria crenata

Calceolaria crenata is a perennial plant belonging to family Calceolariaceae and native to the Peruvian Andes and the Ecuadorian Andes. The genus "Calceolaria" has been recently segregated from other members of the Scrophulariaceae, along with "Porodittia", and "Jovellana" into its own family.
"Calceolaria crenata" can grow to high, with a branching habit, and has soft cordate leaves. "Calceolaria crenata" flowers from spring to summer in its native habitat, with clusters of small ( in diameter) yellow flowers.


Haworthia zantneriana

Haworthia zantneriana is a species of the genus "Haworthia" in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, endemic to the southern parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa.
It is considered a synonym of "Haworthia chloracantha var. zantneriana".
Description.
A small stemless species of "Haworthia" with glabrous succulent leaves. The leaves usually have longitudinal white marks, often forming margins and a keel to each leaf.
It is very proliferous and can eventually form large clumps. The flowers typically appear in October and November.
There are two main varieties:
Distribution.
The natural range of this species is the rocky fynbos vegetation in the southern parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape Provinces, South Africa, stretching from the Little Karoo in the west, as far east as Baviaanskloof.
It favours shady areas (often on south-facing slopes), in rocky crevices. It is typically found on higher slopes.


Monimiaceae

The Monimiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the magnoliid order Laurales. It is closely related to the families Hernandiaceae and Lauraceae. It consists of shrubs, small trees, and a few lianas of the tropics and subtropics, mostly in the southern hemisphere. The largest center of diversity is New Guinea, with about 75 species. Lesser centres of diversity are Madagascar, Australia, and the neotropics. Africa has one species, "Xymalos monospora", as does Southern Chile ("Peumus boldus"). Several species are distributed through Malesia and the southwest Pacific.
The Monimiaceae are underrepresented in herbaria and other plant collections. Variation within the family has not been understood, resulting in an unusual proportion of monospecific genera. As of 2010, these 11 genera were considered monospecific: "Peumus, Xymalos, Kibaropsis, Austromatthaea, Hemmantia, "Endressia", Hennecartia, Macrotorus, Macropeplus, Grazielanthus," and "Faika". "Kairoa" was thought to be monospecific until 2009.
The Monimiaceae include 24 genera with a total of about 217 known species. The largest genera and the number of their constituent species is: "Tambourissa" (50), "Mollinedia" (20-90), "Kibara" (43), "Steganthera" (17), "Palmeria" (14), and "Hedycarya" (11). The type genus, "Monimia", is endemic to the Mascarenes.
The number of species in the Monimiaceae has been variously estimated from about 200 to about 270. Most of this difference results from uncertainty over species limits in the tropical American genus "Mollinedia". Estimates of the number of species in "Mollinedia" have ranged from 20 to 90. Janet Russell Perkins and Ernest Friedrich Gilg described 71 species of "Mollinedia" in "Das Pflanzenreich" in 1901, but many authors today regard this as an example of overdescription.
The wood of "Peumus boldus" and "Hedycarya arborescens" is used locally, in Chile and New Zealand, respectively, but is of no commercial importance. Both of these species are grown in their native regions as ornamentals. An herbal tea is made from "Peumus".
The phytochemistry of a few of the genera has been studied.
Fossil wood attributed to the Monimiaceae has been found in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and on James Ross Island, Antarctica. Both of these fossil sites are roughly 83 million years old, from the Campanian stage of the Cretaceous period. Fossil leaves of the Monimiaceae are known from the Paleocene of King George Island of the South Shetland Islands, near the Antarctic peninsula and from the Eocene of Patagonia.
Divergence of different groups within Monimiaceae was long believed to be explained by the separation of East Gondwana (India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Australia, Antarctica, and New Caledonia) from West Gondwana (Africa and South America), and by the later separation of Africa and South America. The family Monimiaceae was long considered to be one of the best examples of vicariance, but the dating of clades by molecular clock methods has shown that the presence of the Monimiaceae in Africa and South America can be explained only by long-distance dispersal. Antarctica had coastal forests as recently as the mid-Miocene, and these could have provided an intermediate phase in dispersal between Australia and South America.
Genera.
The information on genera is from Renner "et al." (2010) or, when not available there, from Philipson (1993).
History.
The family Monimiaceae was erected in 1809 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. He called it "[the] order Monimieae", but the orders of that time were equivalent to what are now called families. He defined the family broadly, to include what are now called the Siparunaceae and Atherospermataceae, as well as the modern Monimiaceae. This circumscription of the family prevailed until the 1990s, but some, such as Robert Brown and John Lindley, recognized the Atherospermataceae as a separate family.
Jussieu used the now-obsolete genus names "Ruizia", "Ambora", "Citrosma", and "Pavonia" ("sensu" Ruiz & Pavón). These are now known as "Peumus", "Tambourissa", "Siparuna", and "Laurelia", respectively. Jussieu was apparently unaware that Antonio José Cavanilles had published the name "Pavonia" in 1786 for a genus in the Malvaceae. Later authors replaced the name "Ruizia" with "Boldea", until it was eventually determined that "Peumus" is the correct name for this genus.
In 1855, Louis-René Tulasne wrote two landmark papers on the Monimiaceae. Using current names, the genera that he recognized were: "Peumus, Monimia, Tambourissa, Hedycarya, Mollinedia, Kibara, Siparuna, Atherosperma, Laurelia," and "Doryphora".
In 1898, Janet Russell Perkins began a series of articles on the Monimiaceae, but only two were ever completed. The second of these was mistitled as part III on its first page (compare to table of contents therein) and covers the genus "Siparuna", which is now grouped with "Glossocalyx" in the family Siparunaceae.
The first in this series covers the tribe Mollinedieae, but begins with an extensive discussion of the family. Perkins defined the family very broadly, to include "Amborella", "Trimenia", and "Piptocalyx". These are now regarded as basal angiosperms, and "Piptocalyx" is a segregate of "Trimenia". Perkins also included the genus "Conuleum", but it is now usually treated in "Siparuna" because it is monospecific and sister to "Siparuna".
In this paper, Perkins named five new genera: "Macropeplus, Macrotorus, Steganthera, Tetrasynandra," and "Anthobembix". The genus "Anthobembix" consisted of two species that Perkins had transferred from "Kibara". In 1942, these were transferred to "Steganthera". The genus "Lauterbachia" was named by Perkins in a flora published in 1901.
A comprehensive treatment of the Monimiaceae was published by Perkins and Ernest Friedrich Gilg in "Das Pflanzenreich" in 1901. In the part of their family that is still in the Monimiaceae, 20 genera were recognized, including "Anthobembix". They placed "Conuleum" in synonymy under "Siparuna" and added four genera to those listed by Perkins in 1898. The new genera were "Xymalos, Wilkiea, Lauterbachia," and "Chloropatane".
The genus "Chloropatane" had been described by H.G. Adolf Engler in 1899. It was based on a specimen that was eventually shown to be a species of "Erythrococca" (Euphorbiaceae), but it is too fragmentary to be more precisely identified.
The family was reviewed again by Lillian L. Money "et al." in 1950.
The most recent monograph of the Monimiaceae was written by William Raymond Philipson in 1993 in a series entitled "The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants". divided the Monimiaceae into six subfamilies: Glossocalycoideae, Siparunoideae, Atherospermatoideae, Monimioideae, Hortonioideae, and Mollinedioideae. The latter three constitute the Monimiaceae as defined in the APG III system, which was published in 2009. In these three subfamilies, Philipson recognized a total of 25 genera. He did not accept "Anthobembix", but he did include the other 19 genera from the 1901 monograph by Perkins and Gilg. He also included six genera that had been published after Perkins and Gilg (1901): "Decarydendron, Kibaropsis, Austromatthaea, Kairoa, Faika," and "Parakibara". The latter three had been named by Philipson in the 1980s.
After Philipson's treatment of the Monimiaceae, the genera "Hemmantia" and "Endressia" were published in 2007 in "Flora of Australia". "Grazielanthus" was published in 2008 in "Kew Bulletin". The name "Endressia" ("sensu" Whiffin) is now known to be illegitimate because Jaques Étienne Gay had published the name "Endressia" for a genus in the Apiaceae in 1832. "Endressia" is related to "Angelica" and "Selinum" in the tribe Selineae.
Molecular phylogenetic studies of the angiosperms and of Laurales had only sparsely sampled the Monimiaceae until 2010. In that year, and in 2014, phylogenies were produced that were based on much denser sampling. These have shown that the next revision of the family must make substantial changes to the genera.
Classification.
From the time that the family Monimiaceae was established by Jussieu in 1809, until it was monographed by Philipson in 1993, it was usually circumscribed to include three distinct groups in the Laurales, which are recognized in the APG III system as the separate families Siparunaceae, Atherospermataceae, and Monimiaceae "sensu stricto". The inclusion of "Amborella" and "Trimenia" was always doubtful and was rejected by many. Their exclusion from the Monimiaceae was well established by the time Philipson wrote his treatise on the family.
Beginning with the ground-breaking paper by Mark W. Chase and many coauthors in 1993, the cladistic analysis of DNA sequences has contributed much to the knowledge of angiosperm phylogeny. By the end of the 1990s, it was evident that the traditional circumscription of Monimiaceae was paraphyletic over the monotypic family Gomortegaceae, and possibly polyphyletic, as well, because the major part of it formed a clade with the Hernandiaceae and Lauraceae.
Among the Hernandiaceae, Monimiaceae, and Lauraceae, the question of which two are most closely related has been remarkably difficult to answer. Different studies have yielded different results, but none with strong statistical support. This is surprising, in view of the fact that the Hernandiaceae and Lauraceae are much closer to each other morphologically than either of them is to the Monimiaceae.
Systematics.
In 1993, Philipson divided the subfamily Mollinedioideae into three tribes: Hedycaryeae, Mollinedieae, and Hennecartieae. The Hennecartieae consisted of a single species: "Hennecartia omphalandra". It is now known that "Hennecartia" is nested within the Mollinedieae and is sister to a clade consisting of the rest of the neotropical Monimiaceae. The family Mollinedieae is strongly supported as monophyletic if "Hennecartia" is included.
The monophyly of the Hedycaryeae is not supported or rejected by either of the recent molecular phylogenetic studies. One study resolved "Xymalos" as sister to the rest of the Mollinedioideae, but this result had only weak maximum likelihood bootstrap support.
In the next revision of the Monimiaceae, several genera will need to be recircumscribed or placed in synonymy with others. "Tetrasynandra" and "Grazielanthus" are embedded within "Steganthera" and "Mollinedia", respectively. "Kibaropsis" forms a clade with "Hedycarya arborea", the type species of "Hedycarya". The monophyly of "Levieria" is questionable, but only one species has been sampled for DNA. "Levieria acuminata" is nested within "Hedycarya". "Wilkiea", meanwhile, is polyphyletic and should be divided into at least three genera. The type species, "W. calyptrocalyx" is now regarded as a synonym of "Wilkiea huegeliana", and the latter is placed by some authors in synonymy with "Wilkiea macrophylla".


Azanza lampas

Azanza lampas is an Asian shrub in the family Malvaceae and tribe Gossypieae; its native range is tropical and subtropical Asia. It has yellow flowers, grows up to 3 metres and in Vietnam it is called "Tra nhỏ".
Uses.
Its roots and fruits are traditionally used to treat gonorrhea and syphilis. The paste made from its roots is used by the Korku tribe of Maharashtra and Nepal to cure jaundice.


Eliea

Eliea is a genus of flowering plants, shrubs or small trees, in the St. Johnswort family, Hypericaceae. It comprises a single species, Eliea articulata, which is endemic to Madagascar.
The genus was named in honor of M. Elie de Beaumont. "Eliea articulata" was originally described as "Hypericum articulatum" in 1797. It was renamed "Eliea articulata" in 1830, published in the "Annales des Sciences Naturelles".
It is a small shrub growing up to in height with jointed branches and opposite leaves. The flowers have five petals, numerous stamens, and three styles.
"Eliea brevistyla" and "Eliea majorifolia" are considered synonyms in Kew's Plants of the World Online and the Tropicos Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar.


Balanophora

Balanophora is a genus of parasitic plants in the family Balanophoraceae found in parts of tropical and temperate Asia, including the Eastern Himalayas, Malesia region, Pacific Islands, Madagascar, and tropical Africa. There are about 20 accepted species, including the newly discovered "B. coralliformis". Many species emit an odour which possibly attracts pollinators in the same way that pollinators are attracted to "Rafflesia".
"Balanophora" species are used in folk medicine in many Asian cultures. For example, in China, "Balanophora" is known as "she-gu" (stone-fungus) and in Thailand as "hoh-ra-tao-su-nak". In both cases, the plant is used to treat a variety of ailments and has various ritual purposes. The tubers of "Balanophora" are rich in a wax-like substance which is used in Java as a fuel for torches.
Taxonomy.
The genus was first described in 1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster in "Characteres Generum Plantarum". The name is derived from the ancient Greek words (), meaning "acorn" and (), meaning "to carry".
Species.
, the following species are accepted at Plants of the World Online:


Renanthopsis

× Renanthopsis, abbreviated Rnthps in the horticultural trade, is the nothogenus for intergeneric hybrids between the orchid genera "Phalaenopsis" and "Renanthera" (Phal. x Ren.).


Astrophytum capricorne

Astrophytum capricorne, the goat's horn cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family Cactaceae, that is native to the Coahuila regions of Northern Mexico. Growing to tall by wide in a ball or oval shape, it is grey-green in colour with 7 to 9 prominent ribs, very long twisted spines and yellow flowers with a red centre in summer.
The common name of goat's horn cactus corresponds to the species identifier "capricorne" ("capri" meaning “goat” and "corne" meaning “horn”) referring to the curved spines that are said to resemble a goat's horns.
This species is designated as of "least concern" by the IUCN as it is widely distributed in the Chihuahuan desert.
Cultivation.
This species is grown, typically from seed, as an ornamental plant as it produces large, attractive yellow flowers with red central regions. Some cultivars bear white flecking on the plant body while others lack this feature. Though tolerant of cold temperatures, it must be grown in a warm, sheltered spot which does not freeze in winter. The soil should be poor, alkaline and very sharply drained. Alternatively it can be grown under glass in a pot with cactus compost. In cultivation in the UK, "Astrophytum capricorne" has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Prominent varieties and cultivars include:


Lonicera subspicata

Lonicera subspicata is a species of honeysuckle known by the common name southern honeysuckle. It is endemic to California, where it is known from several areas in mountain and coastal habitat, particularly chaparral. It is a vining shrub which usually climbs on other plants for support. It may exceed two meters in length. It is lined with oval leaves up to 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a long, fuzzy spike of light yellow flowers each about a centimeter long. The flower has an upper and lower lip with hairy stamens and style protruding. The fruit is a round red or yellow berry just under a centimeter wide. There are at least two varieties; var. "denudata" known as "moronel" in Mexico and var. "subspicata" which is mainly limited to Santa Barbara County.


Passiflora aurantia

Passiflora aurantia, the orange-petaled passion flower, is a species in the family Passifloraceae which produces inedible fruit. It is native to New Caledonia and Australia.


Cupressus nootkatensis

Cupressus nootkatensis (syn. "Xanthocyparis nootkatensis") is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many common names including: Nootka cypress, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress, Nootka cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, and Alaska yellow cedar. The specific epithet "nootkatensis" is derived from its discovery by Europeans on the lands of a First Nation of Canada, those lands of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, who were formerly referred to as the Nootka.
Taxonomy.
First described in the genus "Cupressus" as "Cupressus nootkatensis" in 1824, it was transferred to "Chamaecyparis" in 1841 on the basis of its foliage being in flattened sprays, as in other "Chamaecyparis", but unlike most (though not all) other "Cupressus" species.
However, this placement does not fit with the morphology and phenology of the cones, which are far more like "Cupressus", like them maturing in two years, not one. Genetic evidence, published by Gadek et al., strongly supported its return to "Cupressus" and exclusion from "Chamaecyparis".
More recently, Farjon "et al." (2002) transferred it to a new genus "Xanthocyparis", together with the newly discovered Vietnamese golden cypress "Xanthocyparis vietnamensis"; this species is remarkably similar to Nootka cypress and the treatment has many arguments in its favour, as while they are not related to "Chamaecyparis", neither do they fit fully in "Cupressus" despite the many similarities.
Little et al., while confirming the above relationship with further evidence, pointed out that an earlier nomenclatural combination in the genus "Callitropsis" existed, as "Callitropsis nootkatensis" (D.Don) Oerst., published in 1864 but overlooked or ignored by other subsequent authors. Little et al. therefore synonymised "Xanthocyparis" with "Callitropsis", the correct name for these species under the ICBN when treated in a distinct genus. The name "Xanthocyparis" has now been proposed for conservation, and the 2011 International Botanical Congress followed that recommendation.
In 2010, Mao et al. performed a more detailed molecular analysis and placed Nootka cypress back in "Cupressus". However, this is disputed, as the tree would compose a monophyletic subgenus. "The argument that it warrants treatment as a monotypic genus is not without merit, in which case the correct name is "Callitropsis nootkatensis.""
Description.
Nootka cypress is native to the west coast of North America, from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, south to the Klamath Mountains in northernmost California. It is typically occurring on wet sites in mountains, often close to the tree line, but sometimes also at lower altitudes.}|
"Cupressus nootkatensis" is an evergreen tree growing up to tall, commonly with pendulous branches. The foliage is in flat sprays, with dark green, 3–5 mm long scale-leaves. The cones have 4 (occasionally 6) scales, and resemble the cones of Mexican cypress ("Cupressus lusitanica", another "Cupressus" species which can show foliage in flat sprays) fairly closely, except being somewhat smaller, typically 10–14 mm diameter; each scale has a pointed triangular bract about 1.5–2 mm long, again similar to other "Cupressus" and unlike the crescent-shaped, non-pointed bract on the scales of "Chamaecyparis" cones. The Caren Range on the west coast of British Columbia is home to the oldest Nootka cypress specimens in the world, with one specimen found to be 1,834 years old (Gymnosperm Database).
"Cupressus nootkatensis" is one of the parents of the hybrid Leyland cypress; the other parent, Monterey cypress, is also in genus "Cupressus", although in the North American "Hesperocyparis" clade, which has generally been found to be phylogenetically closer to C. nootkatensis than the Old World clade "Cupressus" sensu stricto (e.g., Mao et al. 2010).
Climate-related mortality.
In Alaska, where the tree is primarily referred to as "yellow cedar," extensive research has been conducted into large-scale die-offs of yellow cedar stands. These studies have concluded that the tree has depended upon heavy coastal snowpacks to insulate its shallow roots from cold Arctic winters. The impacts of climate change have resulted in thinner, less-persistent snowpacks, in turn causing increased susceptibility to freeze damage. This mortality has been observed over 7% of the species range, covering approximately 10 degrees of latitude from northern southeast Alaska to southern British Columbia. Substantial future mortality is likely due to warming temperatures and decreasing snowpacks. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is reviewing whether to designate the species as threatened or endangered.
Uses.
Historically.
This species has been considered to be one of the finest timber trees in the world and has been exported to China during the last century. The wood has been used for flooring, interior finish and shipbuilding
Construction.
The various physical properties of the wood make it an attractive material for both general construction and boat building. Due to its slow growth it is hard and, like other cypress woods it is durable; it therefore offers good dimensional stability, and is resistant to weather, insects, and contact with soil. It works easily with hand or machine tools; it turns and carves quite well. It can be fastened with glues, screws, and nails. Nootka cypress's texture, uniform color, and straight grain will take a fine finish. It resists splintering and wears smoothly over time. When fresh cut it has a somewhat unpleasant bitter scent, but when seasoned it has barely any discernible scent, hence its traditional use in face masks.
Due to its expense, it is used mainly for finished carpentry. Typical uses include exterior siding, shingles, decking, exposed beams, glue-laminated beams, paneling, cabinetry, and millwork. In historic preservation it can be used as a substitute for "Thuja plicata" (western red cedar) and "Taxodium distichum" (bald cypress), due to current difficulties in obtaining quality timber of those species due to environmental concern and past over-exploitation, although this applies equally to Nootka cypress.
Other uses for Nootka cypress include saunas, and battery containers due to its resistance to acids. Traditionally, paddles, masks, dishes, and bows were made from the wood.
Landscaping.
The drooping branchlets give the tree a graceful weeping appearance. It makes an attractive specimen tree in parks and open spaces. It can also be used as a tall hedge.nIt will grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9, but can be difficult to grow. Best growth is in light or heavy soil, preferably well drained, and in climates with cool summers. It prefers semi-shade to full sun. It can also be used in bonsai.
Under the synonym "Xanthocyparis nootkatensis" the cultivar "C. nootkatensis" 'Pendula' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Firewood.
Nootka cypress has extreme heartwood qualities that make this one of the most desired sources of heat on the west coast. Its wood burns very hot and lasts a long time as embers. A tree can still be used for firewood up to 100 years after its death.
Indigenous societies.
The Nootka cypress is used extensively by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, along with another cypress, "Thuja plicata" (western red cedar). While western red cedar was preferred for larger projects (houses, canoes), Nootka cypress was used for smaller carvings such as vessels and utensils.
A legend amongst the Nootka peoples of the Hesquiaht First Nation tells of the origins of the Nootka cypress. In the legend, a raven encounters three young women drying salmon on the beach. He asks the women if they are afraid of being alone, if they are afraid of bears, wolves, and other animals. Each women responded "no". But when asked about owls, the women were indeed afraid of owls. Hearing this, the trickster raven hid in the forests, and made the calls of an owl. The terrified women ran up the mountains, but turned into Nootka cypress trees when they were out of breath. According to the Nootka, this is why Nootka cypress grows on the sides of mountains, and also why the bark is silky like a woman's hair, the young trunk is smooth like a woman's body.
In Tlingit culture the story of Natsilane describes how a Nootka cypress was used to carve the world's first killer whale.


Strombosia

Strombosia is a plant genus of about 10 species in the family Olacaceae. It has also been classified in the family Strombosiaceae. The generic name is from the Greek "", meaning "pear-shaped", referring to the fruit.
Description.
"Strombosia" species grow as shrubs or trees. The flowers are bisexual with 5 petals. The fruits are drupes (pitted) with a thin, fleshy pericarp.
Distribution and habitat.
"Strombosia" species are distributed mostly in tropical Africa, with others in tropical Asia. Their habitat is typically lowland forests.
Species.
 "The Plant List" recognises 10 taxa (of species and infraspecific names):


Yankalilla Bay

Yankalilla Bay is a long, wide bay in south-eastern South Australia, on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is on the south-eastern coast of the Gulf St Vincent, as it opens into the Southern Ocean.
Three rivers discharge into the bay: the Bungala River, Yankalilla River (whose mouth is at Lady Bay) and Carrickalinga Creek. The rivers can adversely affect the ecology of the sea, in particular the health of the reef and seagrass. Normanville Beach and Carrickalinga Reef.
Yankalilla Bay is known for being the site of the ship's graveyard of HMAS "Hobart", which was scuttled on 5 November 2002 off the coast between Wirrina Cove and Normanville to create a dive wreck and artificial reef. Its official name is the Fleurieu Artificial Reef. The HMAS "Hobart" Memorial Lookout is located at Little Gorge.


Hebe recurva

Hebe recurva is a flowering plant of the family Plantaginaceae, which is endemic to the north-west area of Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. It is an evergreen shrub, reaching in height, with gray, spear-shaped leaves that are 2–4 cm long. Flowers are white.
Mature leaves curve backwards slightly, hence the specific epithet "recurva".
The cultivar 'Boughton Silver' has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Hardy down to , it requires a sheltered spot in full sun or partial shade.


Cissarobryon elegans

Cissarobryon elegans is a flowering plant species in the family Francoaceae.


Lapidaria margaretae

Lapidaria is a monotypic genus of dwarf succulent plants in the family Aizoaceae. The only species it contains is Lapidaria margaretae, also known as the Karoo rose.
Description.
"Lapidaria margaretae" resembles those genera within the family Aizoaceae to which it is most closely related; namely "Lithops", "Dinteranthus" and "Schwantesia". However, while "Lithops" and "Dinteranthus" will typically only have one pair of leaves, "L. margaretae" has two to four pairs of leaves. Each leaf is 1.5–2 cm long and 1 cm wide. Clumps of up to three heads may be formed with age.
The plant is mostly dormant during the hot summer and cold winter, only growing during the spring and autumn, with flowering occurring in the latter, or in early winter. It flowers with a single 5 cm wide yellow flower that can eclipse the plant. This flower contains 6 or 8 sepals, up to around 100 petals (always a multiple of three) and 300–500 stamens. It opens during the day. The flowering might be solitary, or succeeded by up to two others.
Distribution.
This species is native to dry areas (250 mm per year) in southern Namibia, around Warmbad and the Northern Cape areas adjacent to Warmbad in South Africa, at an elevation of above sea level.
Habitat.
"Lapidaria margaretae" grows sunken into the ground on white quartz plains, in crevices, in red sand or on loose stone. It is usually located on Northeast-facing gentle hill slope in full sun, or under dwarf shrub in a succulent steppe. It often grows near other stone-like succulents, such as "Lithops" species.
Cultivation.
Even though there are no commercial uses for "L. margaretae", it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant. They need full bright sunlight throughout the year and will grow strongly at any time when the weather is warm and sunny and water is available. Plants are frost tolerant to .


Cerastium cerastoides

Cerastium cerastoides, the mountain chickweed or starwort mouse-ear, is a flowering plant species in the pink family Caryophyllaceae found in the mountains of Europe.


Rhodymenia cinnabarina

Rhodymenia cinnabarina is a species of red algae first described in 1841.


Canarium acutifolium

Canarium acutifolium is a forest tree species, of the plant family Burseraceae, growing naturally in New Guinea, the Moluccas, Sulawesi, New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and in lowland north-eastern Queensland, Australia.
In 1917 botanist Elmer D. Merrill was the first to formally describe this species name, based on de Candolle's 1825 name "Marignia acutifolia" which was in turn based on earlier Rumphius's 1600s description from "Amboina", Ambon Island, in the Moluccas Islands. Furthermore, Merrill also based his description on a 1913 type specimen collection from Ambon by Robinson to represent Rumphius's Ambon description and on other synonymous names described in between these times.
The species has four recognised varieties, three have descriptions in "Flora Malesiana" and more recently in 2000 botanist Wayne Takeuchi described a new fourth variety of isolated known occurrence in New Guinea:
In Australia, "C. acutifolium" var. "acutifolium" grows naturally below ca. altitude in the scarce remaining lowland rainforests of the Wet Tropics region of north-eastern Queensland. These only known natural populations of the species in the nation have obtained the national and Qld governments' "vulnerable" species conservation status.


Geum quellyon

Geum quellyon, commonly called scarlet avens, Chilean avens, Double Bloody Mary, or Grecian rose, is a perennial herb in the family Rosaceae. It is native to the central and southern regions of Chile. "G. quellyon" has been introduced to other countries including Belgium, Bolivia, and the United Kingdom, where it was first planted in 1826.
Description.
Macroscale.
Plants reach a height of between 6cm and 100cm. Leaves are compound, with between 3 and 10 pairs of leaflets. "G. quellyon" grows a thick taproot which smells of cloves when broken due to the presence of aromatic compounds. Flowers vary in colour from yellow-orange to pink-red.
Microscale.
When in metaphase, somatic chromosomes of "G. quellyon" (and of "G. magellanicum", another species of "Geum" native to Chile) are shorter and fatter than those in other "Geum" species.
Distribution.
"G. quellyon" is native to the following regions of Chile: Araucanía, Aysén, Biobío, Los Lagos (including the island of Chiloé), Magallanes, Maule, Metropolitana de Santiago, Ñuble, O’Higgins, Los Ríos, and Valparaíso.
Uses.
Medicinal.
"G. quellyon" has been used in the traditional medicine of the Mapuche people of Chile for tooth neuralgia, gastric inflammation, and prostatitis and to regulate menstruation. A methanolic extract is obtained from its roots.
Observations of a kidney transplant patient showed a pharmacological interaction between "G. quellyon" and cyclosporine, an immunosuppressant used to prevent transplant rejection.
Horticultural.
"Geum quellyon" is commonly cultivated as a garden ornamental, and in that context is sometimes called "Geum chiloense". "G. quellyon" grows best in full sun to part shade, in moist but well-drained soil. Plants become damaged and do not recover well if exposed to temperatures of -4.4°C or below.
Cultivars include:
Diseases.
"G. quellyon" may be affected by pathogens belonging to the genus "Peronospora."


Ernodesmis

Ernodesmis is a genus of green algae in the family Siphonocladaceae.


Archontophoenix tuckeri

Archontophoenix tuckeri, the Rocky River palm or Cape York palm, is a palm native to Australia.
Description.
Palm to 20 m tall, trunk to 26 cm in diameter and expanded at the base. Leaves about 3 m long with a moderate lateral twist. Crownshaft is green. Pinnae have silver/grey scales below and tend to be semi-pendulous in the apical 1/3. They lack ramenta on the midrib below. The inflorescence, branched to 3 orders, usually holds the branches erect though they become pendulous in fruit; it is usually wider than long and remains green with maturation of the fruit. Flowers are white/cream. Staminate flower has 13-19 stamens. Fruit is red/brick-red at maturity, 17–25 mm long. Fibres in the mesocarp are in two distinct layers, the outer with thin straight fibres, the inner with thick, fiat to 0.3 mm wide, usually held tight in the dried state.
It occurs in rainforest, gallery forest, swampforest, mangrove ecotone and moist vine-thickets of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland from Mcllwraith Range [14° 00'S] to Cape York [10° 40'S], from sea-level to 500 m altitude.
This is a variable species which tends to become shorter with smaller leaves in the northern parts of its range. The fruit is large and the two distinct layers of fibres in the mesocarp are unique within the genus. New leaves are often in tones of pink, red or bronze, and the juvenile leaves become proportionately larger than in other species before they commence to divide.


Aa (plant)

Aa is a genus of plants of the family Orchidaceae.
Species in this genus can be found growing terrestrially in cold habitats near the snowline in the Andes and also in Costa Rica; they are usually found close to small streams. The elongated inflorescence grows from a basal rosette of leaves, terminating in a small white non-resupinate flower. This lip is fringed and hood-shaped. The flower gives off a pungent smell that attracts flies. This genus has often been included in the orchid genus "Altensteinia".
The first scientific description of a species of this genus was made in 1815 by Karl Sigismund Kunth, naming it first "Ophrys paleacea" , and later "Altensteinia paleacea". In 1854 Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach separated "Aa" from "Altensteinia", to include two species "Aa argyrolepis" and "Aa paleacea". The genus name apparently was rendered by the author to always appear first in alphabetical listings. Another - disputed - explanation, is that Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach named this genus after Pieter van der Aa; the printer of the Dutch botanist Paul Herman's "Paradisus Batavus". A few years later, Reichenbach reviewed the name of the genus and named it again "Altensteinia". Finally in 1912 Rudolf Schlechter switched the name again to "Aa", as more species were being discovered making the new name more significant.
Species.
The following species of "Aa" are accepted


Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi

Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi is a species of cycad that is native to Eastern Cape province and KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa at elevations of 700 up to 1400 meters.
Description.
The trunks are tree-shaped and stand in groups individually or because of root shoots. The trunk becomes up to 4 m high and 35 to 60 cm wide. The crown is open and woolly brown.
The numerous leaves are stiff, straight or slightly curved and spread horizontally, usually at right angles to the crown. The leaves are 1 to 1.5 m long, 18 to 20 cm. The petiole is 17 to 30 cm long, bare, and is circular in cross section. The leaflets are young silvery slightly, yellowish in old age. They are tight and upper leaf area they overlap. At the tip of the leaf and towards the base, the leaflets become smaller, but not thorny. The middle leaflets are 10 to 17 cm long and 7 to 8 mm wide. At the bottom, 7 to 9 leaf veins are clearly prominent, the leaf margin is not serrated, but the leaf tip carries a sharp thorn.
The female cones are single or up to six. They are barrel-shaped, 25 to 30 cm long and 15 to 20 cm in diameter. The color of the pin is yellow, but it is covered with yellow gray to brown wool. The stem is short, so that the pin appears sitting. The sporophylls are 4.5 to 5 cm long. The side of the sporophyll lying on the journal surface is flat, 25 mm high, 45 to 50 mm wide, almost smooth under the wool with the exception of one skirt. The sarcotesta of the seed is pale yellow to pale yellow-orange to maturity. The sclerotesta is long-ovate to approximately spherical, slightly flattened, 24 to 33 mm long, 16 to 20 mm in diameter, medium brown, with 10 to 13 flat, but distinct longitudinal furrows.
The male cones are in third to twelfth. They are cylindrical, 20 to 40 cm long with a diameter of 6 to 10 cm, towards the top narrower and covered with brown wool. The stem is short, so that the pin appears sitting. The sporophylls are 25 to 28 mm long. The side of the sporophyll lying on the journal surface is 7 mm high and 17 to 20 mm wide, with a beak about 5 mm long. The sporangia form a single spot with a large sterile area at the base and the tip of the sporophyll.


Centropogon aequatorialis

Centropogon aequatorialis is a species of plant in the family Campanulaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.


Cantleya

Cantleya is a genus of plant in the family Stemonuraceae. The sole species is Cantleya corniculata, found in Indonesia and Malaysia.


Dacrydium xanthandrum

Dacrydium xanthandrum is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.


Brachyglottis traversii

Brachyglottis traversii is a naturally uncommon endemic plant in New Zealand.


Cibotium menziesii

Cibotium menziesii, the hāpuu ii or Hawaiian tree fern, is a species of tree fern that is endemic to the islands of Hawaii. It is named after the Scottish naturalist Archibald Menzies. It is also known as the male tree fern, and "Cibotium glaucum" is deemed the female tree fern due to differences in color.
Biology.
"Hāpuu ii" can grow up to tall but are usually in height with a diameter of nearly , making it Hawaii's largest tree fern. The trunk is made of stiff hard fibres surrounding a starchy pith in the centre. The green fronds have yellow midribs and are paler on the underside. They grow to as long as . Stems are covered in red or black bristles. The fronds are singularly divided but divide at the end where the spores form.
Reproduction.
This species reproduces through the use of spores, which form at and are released from the end of the fronds. For domestic and commercial reproduction, spores are collected from the lower fronds of the plant, which are heated, treated with water and kept refrigerated. The side shoots off the main trunk are also viable but need to be cut close to the trunk.
Habitat.
"Cibotium menziesii" is endemic to the windward portions of the main Hawaiian islands. It is found in rainforests at elevations of . They can grown on the ground or on trees as an epiphyte. Despite its origin, it is very adaptable and can withstand long cool winters; even without fronds, little heat is needed to stimulate new growth. Due to the effects of invasive species, especially feral pigs, and commercial harvesting, populations of this species are currently in decline.
Uses.
Food.
The starchy core of the trunk can be cooked (often stewed) and eaten; it was a staple food during times of famine. This part of the trunk is an important food source for feral pigs.
Medicine.
The pith of the "hāpuu ii" is combined with "olena" ("Curcuma longa") roots, "pawale" ("Rumex giganteus"), and "okolehao" liquor to create a 'blood purifier'. A treatment for chest pain is prepared from "hāpuu ii" and "amaumau" ("Sadleria cyatheoides") piths, "kukui" ("Aleurites moluccana") bark, "ohia ai" ("Syzygium malaccense") bark, "ahakea" ("Bobea" spp.) bark, "uhaloa" ("Waltheria indica") root bark, "popolo" ("Solanum americanum"), "aukoi" ("Senna occidentalis"), "noni" ("Morinda citrifolia") fruit, and "ko kea" ("Saccharum officinarum"). Heated fibres from the fronds are used to cure numerous bodily ailments such as muscle pain and joint stiffness.
Other uses.
The "pulu" (frond fibres) are used to absorb bodily fluid from corpses in preparation for traditional burials. These same fibres are also used in handcrafted pillows that are sold as souvenirs on the islands. The trunk was hollowed out by Native Hawaiians and used as a planter for "uhi" ("Dioscorea alata"), and this practice continues.


Dissocarpus biflorus

Dissocarpus biflorus, commonly known as twin flower saltbush, grows along the coast line and estuaries of Australia.
The flowers grow as hairy clumps in the axils present between May and July.


Myrmecia (alga)

Myrmecia is a genus of green algae that is associated with lichens.


Alternaria

Alternaria is a genus of [Deuteromycetes] fungi. "Alternaria" species are known as major plant pathogens. They are also common allergens in humans, growing indoors and causing hay fever or hypersensitivity reactions that sometimes lead to asthma. They are present in the human mycobiome and readily cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised people such as AIDS patients.
There are 299 species in the genus; they are ubiquitous in the environment and are a natural part of fungal flora almost everywhere. They are normal agents of decay and decomposition. The spores are airborne and found in the soil and water, as well as indoors and on objects. The club-shaped spores are single or form long chains. They can grow thick colonies which are usually green, black, or gray.
At least 20% of agricultural spoilage is caused by "Alternaria" species; most severe losses may reach up to 80% of yield, though. Many human health disorders can be caused by these fungi, which grow on skin and mucous membranes, including on the eyeballs and within the respiratory tract. Allergies are common, but serious infections are rare, except in people with compromised immune systems. However, species of this fungal genus are often prolific producers of a variety of toxic compounds. The effects most of these compounds have on animal and plant health are not well known. Many species of alternaria modify their secondary metabolites by sulfoconjugation, however the role of this process is not yet understood. The terms "alternariosis" and "alternariatoxicosis" are used for disorders in humans and animals caused by a fungus in this genus.
Not all "Alternaria" species are pests and pathogens; some have shown promise as biocontrol agents against invasive plant species. Some species have also been reported as endophytic microorganisms with highly bioactive metabolites.
The genus is now known to be polyphyletic.
Species.
Some species include:


Meesiaceae

Meesiaceae is a family of mosses belonging to the order Splachnales.
Genera:


Asperula tinctoria

Asperula tinctoria, common name dyer's woodruff, is a plant in the family Rubiaceae, a native of much of northern and central Europe from France to Russia and also of Western Siberia.
Uses.
The root is used by the ancient Greeks and Romans to make a red dye for clothing, but is less productive than the more widely used madder "Rubia tinctorum".


Polystichum bulbiferum

Polystichum bulbiferum is a species of fern in the family Dryopteridaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Gymnospora

Gymnospora is a genus of plants in the milkwort family (Polygalaceae) which is endemic to Brazil. It was first described as a subgenus of "Polygala" by Robert Chodat in 1891. It was separated into its own genera in 2013. Their flowers are long and its pedicels are long.
Species.
As of August 2020, there are 2 accepted species:


Olearia angulata

Olearia angulata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
It is found only in New Zealand.


Millotia

Millotia is a genus of small annual herbs in the pussy's-toes tribe within the sunflower family.
The genus name honours French historian Claude-François-Xavier Millot.
All known species are endemic to Australia:


Solanum arboreum

Solanum arboreum is an arborescent shrub in the family Solanaceae, which reaches a height of . It is native to Central and South America.


Cusickiella

Cusickiella is a small genus containing two species of plants in the family Brassicaceae which are native to the western United States. These are mat-forming perennials with a stumpy, branching caudex covered in rounded clusters of tiny, thick leaves. A short stem bears white or yellowish flowers that yield silicles.
The alkali cusickiella, "Cusickiella douglasii", grows in the hills and mountains from California to Washington, Idaho, and Utah. It has white flowers and usually larger leaves, up to 14 millimeters long.
The Bodie Hills cusickiella, "Cusickiella quadricostata", has a more limited distribution in eastern California and western Nevada. It can be distinguished from its congener by its yellow flowers, leaves no more than 5 millimeters long, and a keel along the valves on the silicle.


Juncus continuus

Juncus continuus is a plant found in many parts of Australia. Often growing on sandy, moist soils, near fresh water. The specific epithet refers to the continuous pith within the stems. Basal leaves are reduced to sheaths, coloured yellow/green.


Atriplex paludosa subsp. baudinii

Atriplex paludosa" subsp. "baudinii is subspecies of "Atriplex paludosa" (marsh saltbush) that is endemic to Western Australia.
Description.
It grows as an erect shrub up to a metre high. Leaves are oval in shape, one to four centimetres long, 2 to 15 millimetres wide, and scaly all over.
Taxonomy.
It was first published as "Atriplex paludosa" var. "Baudini" by Alfred Moquin-Tandon in 1849, based on specimens collected by during the Baudin expedition. The orthography of "Baudini" was later altered to "baudinii". At the same time, Moquin-Tandon published "Atriplex drummondii", based on specimens collected by James Drummond, but the latter name is now considered a taxonomic synonym of the former. In 1938, Paul Aellen promoted the variety to subspecies rank. At the same time, the inexplicably published "Atriplex paludosa" var. "typica" for this taxon, a name that is invalid, illegal and superfluous.
Distribution and habitat.
It occurs almost exclusively within the Southwest Botanical Province of Western Australia.


Avrainvillea

Avrainvillea is a genus of green algae in the family Dichotomosiphonaceae.
As sources of bioactive natural products.
The organic extract of "Avrainvillea longicaulis" had antioxidant activity surpassing or equivalent to that of commercially available antioxidants (butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole and alpha-tocopherol).
"Avrainvillea erecta" was reported to have strong hemagglutination activity. In addition, the chloroform fraction of a methanol extract of "Avrainvillea erecta" exhibited hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity as strong as that shown by gallic acid.


Scouleriales

Scouleriales is an order of haplolepideous mosses in the subclass Dicranidae.


Daphnandra melasmena

Daphnandra melasmena, commonly known as the socketwood, or black-leaved socketwood is a rainforest tree in eastern Australia. It grows on the more fertile basaltic soils, often associated with the White Booyong. Found from near Bowraville, New South Wales in the south to the Tweed Valley further north. A small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 metres tall with a stem diameter of 30 cm.
"Daphnandra melasmena" was first described by ornithologist Richard Schodde in 2000, having been known previously as "Daphnandra" sp. D. The specific epithet "melasmena" is derived from the Ancient Greek, referring to the leaves and stems turning black on drying.


Agathis jurassica

Agathis jurassica is an extinct coniferous tree found in the Talbragar Fish Beds of New South Wales. The beds were discovered in 1889 near the Farrs Hills in the Talbragar River valley. Specimens from the area were briefly examined by Australian paleontologists upon discovery and published by R. Etheridge Jr. later that year. The initial classification identified "Agathis jurassica" as "Podozamites lanceolatus". This name was upheld through further inspections by Walkom in 1921, but the species was reclassified as "Agathis jurassica" in 1981 by Mary White. In 1999, placement in "Agathis" was doubted, and the species has been referred to as Podozamites jurassica. The species is found predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere with marginal expanses into the Northern Hemisphere.
Taxonomy.
The species was originally classified as "Podozamites lanceolatus", after a very brief inspection of over one thousand specimens originally collected from the site. A more detailed account of all the flora was performed in 1921 by Walkom where the initial classification was upheld, yet it was noted that the flora from the area was likely coniferous. The fossils found at the Talbragar Fish Beds had similarities in leaf appearance to known records of "Podozamites lanceolatus". However in this species, the pinnae distinctly grow from opposite sides of the rachis rather than growing spirally around it. White notes this error as well as the fact the variation in leaf sizes along smaller branchlets signal that the branches are in fact foliage spurs, which she considered not characteristic of "Podozamites". In 1981 these contrasts sparked White to conduct an intensive review of information available on the two genera and led her to the conclusion that the specimen found in the Talbragar Fish Beds were more closely linked to "Agathis" rather than "Podozamites", and the species was described as "Agathis jurassica". The reproductive cones recovered from the site were also initially classified under a different name and later also reclassified as White to be those of "Agathis jurassica". The cones were believed to be of the same family as "Agathis", but were classified as "Araucarites grandis".
In 1999, in a review of fossil Araucariaceae, Hill and Brodribb considered that the oldest reliably identified fossils of the genus "Agathis" were from the Middle Eocene of Australia, and so doubted whether "Agathis jurassica" had been correctly identified. Subsequent authors have used the name "Podozamites jurassica", although this combination had apparently not been validly published .
Talbragar Fish Beds.
The Talbragar Fish Beds are a well known geological site to the Northwest of Sydney and Wollemi National Park in Southeastern Australia that have produced thousands of incredibly preserved individual fossil specimens. The area is believed to have been a large and shallow freshwater lake that was surrounded by lush, woody vegetation, classified as a ‘Kauri Pine’ forest. The lake supported a large population of fish as well as a diverse range of flora along the shore that gave home to many insects as well. Examination of fish at the site give reason to believe there was a large scale event that rapidly inundated the lake with sediment; likely volcanic ash that trapped and buried the fish as well as some of the surrounding vegetation. The fossils in this locale are predominantly siliceous impressions, further supporting the idea that volcanic ash buried the specimen and left the stark white impressions of the flora over time. Fossilization in this area occurred in the Early to Middle Jurassic where Australia was still a part of Gondwana, under the Tethys Sea, and the site's climate was believed to be moderately warm with increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere that allowed for lush vegetation to flourish.