Poranthera is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1811.[3][4]

Poranthera
Poranthera microphylla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Subfamily: Phyllanthoideae
Tribe: Poranthereae
Genus: Poranthera
Rudge 1811 not Raf. 1830 (syn of Sorghastrum in Poaceae)
Type species
Poranthera ericifolia
Synonyms[2]

Oreoporanthera (Grüning) Hutch

It is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae.[5] Its closest relative is Pseudophyllanthus.

Poranthera is native to Australia and New Zealand.[2] The name is derived from the Greek word, poros, "opening or pore", and the Latin word anthera, "anther".[3][6]

Poranthera consists of monoecious or rarely, dioecious annual or perennial herbs. On the anthers, the line of dehiscence does not extend beyond the apex. It does not have the clearly round pores that define truly poricidal dehiscence.[5]

Poranthera alpina has been placed in the monospecific genus Oreoporanthera by some authors, but in 2007, a molecular phylogenetic analysis of matK and ITS sequences showed this species to be embedded in Poranthera.[7]

Species[2]
  1. Poranthera alpina Cheeseman ex Hooker f. - S NZ
  2. Poranthera coerulea O.Schwarz - N WA, N NT
  3. Poranthera corymbosa Brongn. - SE Qld, NSW, Vic
  4. Poranthera dissecta Halford & R.J.F. Hend. - S WA
  5. Poranthera drummondii Klotzsch - W + SW WA
  6. Poranthera ericifolia Rudge - E NSW
  7. Poranthera ericoides Klotzsch - SW WA
  8. Poranthera florosa Halford & R.J.F.Hend. - S WA
  9. Poranthera huegelii Klotzsch - S WA, SE SA
  10. Poranthera leiosperma Halford & R.J.F.Hend. - WA, SA, NSW, Vic, NT
  11. Poranthera microphylla Brongn. - Australia (all 7 parts), S NZ
  12. Poranthera obovata Halford & R.J.F.Hend. - Qld, NSW
  13. Poranthera oreophila Halford & R.J.F.Hend. - NSW, Vic
  14. Poranthera petalifera (Orchard & J.B.Davies) Halford & R.J.F.Hend. - SW Tas
  15. Poranthera triandra J.M.Black - WA, SA, Vic, NT
names in Poaceae[2]

In 1830, Rafinesque[8] used the name Poranthera to refer to a very different plant than that to which Rudge had already applied the name. Thus he created an illegitimate homonym. Species names coined using Rafinesque's homonym:[9][10]

  1. Poranthera ciliata - Sorghastrum nutans
  2. Poranthera nutans - Sorghastrum nutans

References edit

  1. ^ Poranthera In: Index Nominum Genericorum. In: Regnum Vegetabile (see External links below).
  2. ^ a b c d Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ a b Rudge, Edward. 1811. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 10: 302-303 in Latin
  4. ^ Tropicos, Poranthera Rudge
  5. ^ a b Maria S. Vorontsova and Petra Hoffmann. 2008. "A phylogenetic classification of tribe Poranthereae (Phyllanthaceae)." Kew Bulletin 63(1):41-59.
  6. ^ Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. volume III,. CRC Press: Baton Rouge, New York, Washington DC, USA; London, England. ISBN 978-0-8493-2677-6 (vol III). (see External links below)
  7. ^ Maria S. Vorontsova, Petra Hoffmann, Olivier Maurin, and Mark W. Chase. 2007. "Phylogenetics of tribe Poranthereae (Phyllanthaceae)." American Journal of Botany 94(12):2026-2040.
  8. ^ Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel. 1830. Bulletin Botanique [Geneve] 1: 221
  9. ^ Tropicos, Poranthera Raf.
  10. ^ The Plant List, synonymy for Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash

External links edit