Gymnosiphon

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Dioscoreales

Familia: Burmanniaceae
Tribus: Burmannieae
Genus: Gymnosiphon
Species: G. affinis – G. afro-orientalis – G. aphyllus – G. bekensis – G. brachycephalus – G. breviflorus – G. capitatus – G. constrictus – G. cymosus – G. danguyanus – G. divaricatus – G. fimbriatus – G. guianensis – G. longistylus – G. marieae – G. minahassae – G. minutus – G. neglectus – G. niveus – G. okamotoi – G. oliganthus – G. panamensis – G. papuanus – G. pauciflorus – G. philippinensis – G. recurvatus – G. refractus – G. saccatum – G. samoritoureanus – G. sphaerocarpus – G. suaveolens – G. syceorosensis – G. tenellus – G. urbani – G. usambaricus
Name

Gymnosiphon Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 29. (1827)

Type species: Gymnosiphon aphyllus Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 1: 29. (1827)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Cymbocarpa Miers, Proc. Linn. Soc. London 1: 61. (1840)
Ptychomeria Benth., Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 7: 14. (1855)
Benitzia H.Karst., Linnaea 28: 420. (1857)
Desmogymnosiphon Guinea, Ensayo Geobot. Guin. Continent. Espan.: 264 (1946)

References

Blume, C.L. 1827. Enumeratio Plantarum Javae 1: 29.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Gymnosiphon in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 July 12. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2015. Gymnosiphon. Published online. Accessed: Sept. 12 2015.
Tropicos.org 2015. Gymnosiphon. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2015 Sept. 12.

Gymnosiphon (yellowseed)[2] is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants from the yam order. Like most of the other members of the family in which the plant is placed (Burmanniaceae), Gymnosiphon is entirely myco-heterotrophic genus that does not contain chlorophyll and respectively does not perform photosynthesis.[3]

Gymnosiphon is distributed across the moist, tropical regions of Asia, America and Africa.[1] The plant has very small size and thin stems. Leaves are rudimentary and with appearance like scales or bracts. Its flowers are white in color, pale and solitary or sometimes collected in tiny inflorescences of few depending on the species. They are also actinomorphic with three larger outer tepals and three more inner and smaller ones.[4]

Phylogenetically Gymnosiphon is placed in the clade of Burmanniaceae sensu stricto.

Species[1]

Gymnosiphon affinis - New Guinea
Gymnosiphon afro-orientalis - SC Africa
Gymnosiphon aphyllus - Taiwan, SE Asia, New Guinea, Micronesia
Gymnosiphon bekensis - C Africa
Gymnosiphon brachycephalus - Panama, NW S America
Gymnosiphon breviflorus - Costa Rica, Panama, N South America
Gymnosiphon capitatus - Guyana, NW Brazil
Gymnosiphon constrictus - Gabon
Gymnosiphon cymosus - N South America
Gymnosiphon danguyanus - Tanzania, Madagascar
Gymnosiphon divaricatus - S Mexico, Trinidad, C + S America
Gymnosiphon fimbriatus - N South America
Gymnosiphon guianensis - Guyana, Suriname
Gymnosiphon longistylus - C + W Africa
Gymnosiphon marieae - Madagascar
Gymnosiphon minahassae - Sulawesi
Gymnosiphon minutus - Costa Rica, N South America
Gymnosiphon neglectus - Java
Gymnosiphon niveus - West Indies
Gymnosiphon okamotoi - Palau in Micronesia
Gymnosiphon oliganthus - NE Papua New Guinea
Gymnosiphon panamensis - from Veracruz to Panama
Gymnosiphon papuanus - New Guinea, Sulawesi, Palau
Gymnosiphon pauciflorus - New Guinea
Gymnosiphon recurvatus - Guyana
Gymnosiphon samoritoureanus - Guinea, Liberia
Gymnosiphon sphaerocarpus - Pernambuco, West Indies
Gymnosiphon suaveolens - Mexico, C + S America
Gymnosiphon tenellus - Jamaica, C America, NW S America
Gymnosiphon usambaricus - Kenya, Tanzania

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
"Gymnosiphon". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
Govaerts, R., Wilkin, P. & Saunders, R.M.K. (2007). World Checklist of Dioscoreales. Yams and their allies: 1-65. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
"Gymnosiphon in Flora of China". Efloras.org. Retrieved 2012-07-13.