Genus of the Month
November
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 might also want to visit the Land of the Glandular Trichomes
, a microscopic look at plants in the Lamiaceae family. Also, you can see my contribution to the
Conservation New England web site, entitled
"The Introduction of Non-Native Plants into Massachusetts".
This month's genus:
Voyria (Ghostplant)
Subclass: Dicotyledoneae
Superorder: Asteridae
Order: Gentianales
Family: Gentianaceae
Number of Species: At least 3
Root: ??
The genus Voyria consists of tropical species found in the Americas as well as Africa.
All species in this genus are saprophytic, meaning that they extract nutrients from decaying
organic material. They are also achlorophyllous (without chrlorophyll), and are thus lacking
typical green coloration in their stems and leaves.
Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different Voyria species:
- The Myco-Heterotrophs-Gallery
has detailed descriptions and photos of several Voyria species.
- Visit the Plants of the Machiguenga
web page to see a picture and description of a species of Voyria from the country of
Peru (you'll have to scroll about 3/4 of the way down).
- Click
here for nice photo of Voyria, from the Plant Systematics Teaching
Collection at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
References:
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.
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