Phryma leptostachya, or lopseed, is a perennial herb of the genus Phryma.[1] When distinguished from Phryma oblongifolia and Phryma nana, it is native to eastern North America.

Phryma leptostachya
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Phrymaceae
Genus: Phryma
Species:
P. leptostachya
Binomial name
Phryma leptostachya
L.

The plant stands about 0.3 to 1.0 meters tall, and the inflorescences bear a number of small (4 mm) tube-shaped white to pink flowers.[1]

Taxonomy edit

Phryma leptostachya was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2] It was the only species he placed in his genus Phryma. Two further species were later described by the Japanese botanist Gen-ichi Koidzumi, Phryma oblongifolia[3] and Phryma nana.[4] However, these species were generally not accepted, and populations in Asia and North America were usually treated as the single species Phryma leptostachya, being distinguished only at the rank of subspecies and variety. In 2017, treating all three as full species was supported by morphological and earlier molecular phylogenetic evidence,[5] and all three are accepted by Plants of the World Online, as of April 2022,[6] although other sources may continue to use a single species with only intraspecific divisions.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Phryma leptostachya". Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  2. ^ "Phryma leptostachya L." The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  3. ^ "Phryma oblongifolia Koidz." The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  4. ^ "Phryma nana Koidz." The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  5. ^ Endo, Yasuhiko & Miyauchi, Tomonari (2017). "Circumscription of Two Phryma Species (Phrymaceae) in Japan" (PDF). The Journal of Japanese Botany. 92 (1): 1–11.
  6. ^ "Phryma L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2022-04-18.

External links edit