Genus of the Week
Week of January 4-10
This page has been created for people who want to learn more about plants, especially in the
context of their taxonomy (Latin names, etc.). This is by no means an exhaustive list of
all available Web resources for a particular genus.
If you like this page, you should also visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes
, a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family.
This week's genus:
Theligonum
Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Rosidae
Order: Haloragales
Family: Theligonaceae
Number of Species: about 3
Root: From the Greek "thel", possibly meaning "teat" and "gonon", meaning joint or angle.
Theligonum is a monoecious genus whose plants are characterized by fleshy leaves and the
fact that they are pollinated by ants. This process, termed "myrmecochory", involves ants
consuming the oily portion of the seeds and potentially carrying some seeds away from the
parent plant. One common name for this genus is "Dog's Cabbage".
Here are two links to information concerning the genus Theligonum:
- Read all about the morphology of Theligonum species
here, then when you get to the bottom of the page, click on the link to see several detailed
drawings of these plants. Source: Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. (1992 onwards). `The Families
of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.'
Version: 16th March 1997.
- Visit the home page of the Western Cape Schools Network to find out more about
myrmecochory.
The seeds of Theligonum species also have elaisomes, glandular structures containing oil.
- Another genus with elaisomes and ant-dispersed seeds is
Asarum, a former Genus of the Week.
References:
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.
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