Anacampseros

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Ordo: Caryophyllales

Familia: Anacampserotaceae
Genus: Anacampseros
Species: A. affinis – A. albidiflora – A. albissima – A. alta – A. arachnoides – A. australiana – A. bayeriana – A. coahuilensis – A. comptonii – A. crinita – A. decapitata – A. densifolia – A. depauperata – A. dielsiana – A. dinteri – A. filamentosa – A. fissa – A. gariepensis – A. gracilis – A. grisea – A. harveyi – A. herreana – A. hillii – A. karasmontana – A. kurtzii – A. lanceolata – A. lavbleckiana – A. mallei – A. marlothii – A. meyeri – A. namaquensis – A. nebrownii – A. nitida – A. papyracea – A. paradoxa – A. parviflora – A. pisina – A. prominens – A. quinaria – A. quinarioides – A. recurvata – A. retusa – A. rhodesica – A. rubroviridis – A. rufescens – A. ruschii – A. schoenlandii – A. scopata – A. specksii – A. starkiana – A. subnuda – A. telephiastrum – A. tomentosa – A. truncata – A. ustulata – A. vanthielii – A. variabilis – A. vespertina – A. vulcanensis
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Anacampseros in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Sep 16. Reference page.

Name

Anacampseros L., Opera Var. 232. (1758)

Type species: Anacampseros telephiastrum DC.

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Telephiastrum Fabr., Enum.: 107 (1759).
Ruelingia Ehrh., Beitr. Naturk. 3: 132 (1788).
Talinaria Brandegee, Zoe 5: 231 (1907).
Xenia Gerbaulet, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 113: 552 (1992).
Avonia (E.Mey. ex Fenzl) G.D.Rowley, Bradleya 12: 111 (1994).

References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1758. Caroli Linnaei ... Opera varia in quibus continentur Fundamenta botanica, Sponsalia plantarum, et Systema naturae : in quo proponuntur naturae regna tria secundum classes, ordines, genera & species.. 376 pp. Lucae. BHL Reference page. : 232.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Anacampseros in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Sep 16. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Anacampseros in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Sep 16. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Anacampseros. Published online. Accessed: Sep 16 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Anacampseros. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Sep 16.
Catalogue of Life: 2021 Annual Checklist

Vernacular names
suomi: Mehikit, mehiportulakat

Anacampseros L. is a genus comprising about a hundred species of small perennial succulent plants native to Southern Africa. The botanical name Anacampseros is an ancient one for herbs supposed to restore lost love.

The Australian species Grahamia australiana was at one time included in the genus Anacampseros, but the entire genus now is regarded as Southern African, and no longer includes any Australian representatives.

Description

Plants in the genus Anacampseros are perennial. In habit they are small undershrubs or sprawling herbs that may form dense mats. Mature plants of many of the species form a small caudex or a tuberous root-stock. The leaves of most species are succulent and may be either lanceolate in shape or rounded.[1] The arrangement of leaves on a stem is alternate. The leaves in most species are closely spaced, and in some species they are small and more or less hidden by papery or filamentous fascicled stipules. Some species have sessile flowers, often in an involucre. Other species bear their flowers on racemose peduncles. In contrast to the alternately born leaves, the bracts are opposite and scarious. The flowers are actinomorphic with two caducous sepals and five fugacious petals. The petals may be white, pink, or even pale purple. The plants flower from time to time in summer, and open on sunny days only. The numerous stamens are attached to the bases of the petals. The style is split into three. The ovary is superior, and ripens into a three-valved unilocular capsule that contains many seeds on a free-standing central placenta. In some species the three valves are misleadingly split into six valves. The seeds are compressed and may be angled or have three wings.[1]
Taxonomy

Anacampseros is now a genus in the family Anacampserotaceae, whereas until about 2010 it had been considered a member of Portulacaceae.[2]

Anacampseros Mill. is a synonym of the genus Sedum, which is in a different plant family, Crassulaceae.[2]
Species

The following species were listed as accepted in the Kew Gardens Plant list at the start of 2016.[2]

Anacampseros affinis H.Pearson & Stephens
Anacampseros albidiflora Poelln.
Anacampseros albissima Marloth
Anacampseros alstonii Schönland
Anacampseros alta Poelln.
Anacampseros arachnoides (Haw.) Sims
Anacampseros bayeriana S.A.Hammer
Anacampseros coahuilensis (S.Watson) Eggli & Nyffeler
Anacampseros comptonii Pillans
Anacampseros crinita Dinter
Anacampseros decipiens Poelln.
Anacampseros densifolia Dinter ex Poelln.
Anacampseros depauperata (A.Berger) Poelln.
Anacampseros dielsiana Dinter
Anacampseros dinteri Schinz
Anacampseros filamentosa (Haw.) Sims
Anacampseros fissa Poelln.
Anacampseros gracilis Poelln.
Anacampseros herreana Poelln.
Anacampseros hillii G.Will.
Anacampseros karasmontana Dinter
Anacampseros kurtzii Bacig.
Anacampseros lanceolata (Haw.) Sweet
Anacampseros lanigera Burch.
Anacampseros mallei (G.Will.) G.Will.
Anacampseros marlothii Poelln.
Anacampseros meyeri Poelln.
Anacampseros namaquensis H.Pearson & Stephens
Anacampseros nebrownii Poelln.
Anacampseros nitida Poelln.
Anacampseros papyracea E.Mey. ex Fenzl
Anacampseros papyracea subsp. namaensis Gerbaulet
Anacampseros paradoxa Poelln.
Anacampseros parviflora Poelln.
Anacampseros pisina G.Will.
Anacampseros prominens G.Will.
Anacampseros quinaria E.Mey. ex Fenzl
Anacampseros recurvata Schönland
Anacampseros recurvata subsp. buderiana (Poelln.) Gerbaulet
Anacampseros recurvata subsp. minuta Gerbaulet
Anacampseros retusa Poelln.
Anacampseros rhodesica N.E.Br.
Anacampseros rubroviridis Poelln.
Anacampseros rufescens (Haw.) Sweet
Anacampseros ruschii Dinter & Poelln.
Anacampseros schoenlandii Poelln.
Anacampseros scopata G.Will.
Anacampseros starkiana Poelln.
Anacampseros subnuda Poelln.
Anacampseros subnuda subsp. lubbersii (Bleck) Gerbaulet
Anacampseros telephiastrum DC.
Anacampseros tomentosa A.Berger
Anacampseros truncata Poelln.
Anacampseros ustulata E.Mey. ex Fenzl
Anacampseros vanthielii G.Will.
Anacampseros variabilis Poelln.
Anacampseros vespertina Thulin
Anacampseros vulcanensis Añon
Anacampseros wischkonii Dinter & Poelln.

Uses and significance

Folk uses and views on the genus are incoherent and regional. Some species are regarded as narcotic or outright poisonous, but tests on sheep gave no positive result and some of the notionally toxic species are used in adulterating beer. Several species have been used in making various forms of beer, but it is not clear what the intended effect might be, although some species appears to have some activity in hydrolysing some carbohydrates. Some species are used as charms and non-specific "medicines".[3]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anacampseros.
References

Dyer, R. Allen, The Genera of Southern African Flowering Plants”. ISBN 0 621 02854 1, 1975
The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed January 2016)

Watt, John Mitchell; Breyer-Brandwijk, Maria Gerdina: The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa 2nd ed Pub. E & S Livingstone 1962

Botanica Sistematica
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