May
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.
Visit 
for links to my other botanical web pages.
This month's genus:
Drymaria
Superorder: Caryophyllidae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Number of Species: about 9 (perhaps 50!)
Root: "dry" poss. referring to oak or wooden, "maria" the name Maria or Mary.
Species in the genus Drymaria seem to be mostly native to Mexico.
Several of these warm-weather species are considered rare or endangered in the parts of the
U.S. which are at the border of their natural ranges. There is one species,
D. arenarioides, which is weedy in Mexico and is on the U.S. noxious weed list,
as well as the lists for several states, including Arizona and Florida.
Here are a few links to images and descriptions of different Drymaria species:
- Kinmatsu Lin has taken these photos of D. diandra.
- Texas A&M University has photos and a description of D. pachyphylla, a species that can be toxic to grazing animals.
- D. arenarioides is also toxic to grazing animals. You can read more about it in this pdf file.
- D. cordata can be found around campus at the University of Hawaii, to which I'm assuming it was introduced.
References:
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. New York, Oxford University Press: 1993.
Current Genus of the Week
Jenn's Home Page
Kesseli Lab