Hydnora

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Magnoliids
Ordo: Piperales

Familia: Aristolochiaceae
Subfamilia: Hydnoroideae
Genus: Hydnora
Species: H. abyssinica – H. africana – H. arabica – H. esculenta – H. johannis – H. sinandevu – H. triceps – H. visseri
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Hydnora in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jan. 01. Reference page.

Name

Hydnora Thunb. Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 36: 69. (1775)

Type species: Hydnora africana Thunb. Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 36: 69. (1775)

References

Thunberg, C.P. 1775. Kongliga Vetenskaps Academiens Handlingar 36: 69.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Hydnora in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jan. 01. Reference page.
African Plants Database (version 3.4.0). Hydnora. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
International Plant Names Index. 2016. Hydnora. Published online. Accessed: Apr. 10 2016.
Nickrent, D.L. (2014) The Parasitic Plant Connection, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Available on line [1]. Accessed March 1 2014.
Tropicos.org 2014. Hydnora. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2014 Mar. 1.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Hydnora in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Hydnora is a group of parasitic plants described as a genus in 1775.[2][3] It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.[1][4][5]

Taxonomy

The following species are listed within the genus Hydnora:[1]

Hydnora abyssinica A.Br. - Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia; S + C + SE + E Africa from Eritrea + Sudan to Namibia + KwaZulu-Natal
Hydnora africana Thunb. - Angola, Namibia, Cape Province
Hydnora arabica [6]Bolin & Musselman - Oman & Yemen
Hydnora esculenta Jum. & H.Perrier - Madagascar
Hydnora sinandevu Beentje & Q.Luke - Kenya, Tanzania
Hydnora triceps Drège & E.Mey. - Northern Cape Province, Namibia
Hydnora visseri Bolin, E.Maass, & Musselman - Northern Cape Province, Namibia

Etymology

The genus name Hydnora derives from the ancient Greek ὕδνον, 'truffle',[7][8] because of the somatic structure of this root parasite.[9]
Genomics
The highly reduced plastid genome map of a species of Hydnora (H. visseri).[10]

One of the smallest plastid genomes among flowering plants has been found in the genus Hydnora.[11] As compared to the chloroplast genome of its closest photosynthetic relatives, the plastome of Hydnora visseri shows extreme reduction in both size (ca. 27 kilo base pairs) and gene content (24 genes appear to be functional).[10]
Ethnobotany

Other Hydnora species are known to be available in Southern African herbal markets in Mozambique[12] and South Africa.[13] In South Africa the Imbola yesiXhosa are reported to use a thin paste of the powdered Hydnora rhizome as a treatment for acne and other skin conditions.[14] In Uganda, the Hydnora spp. are reported to be used as food (fruits) and medicine (rhizomes) for diarrhea, hypertension, and diabetes,[15] though these claims have not been confirmed.

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Thunberg, Carl Peter. 1775. Kongliga Vetenskaps Academiens Handlingar 36: 69, [1].
Tropicos, Hydnora Thunb.
Beentje, H. & Luke, Q. (2002). Hydnoraceae. Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-8.
Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
BOLIN, JAY F.; LUPTON, DARACH; MUSSELMAN, LYTTON JOHN (2018-02-09). "Hydnora arabica (Aristolochiaceae), a new species from the Arabian Peninsula and a key to Hydnora". Phytotaxa. 338 (1). doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.338.1.8. ISSN 1179-3163.
Bailly, Anatole (1981-01-01). Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 2010035283. OCLC 461974285.
Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-french dictionary online". www.tabularium.be. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
Gledhill, David (2008-03-06). The Names of Plants. Cambridge University Press. p. 206. ISBN 9780521866453.
Naumann, Julia; Der, Joshua P.; Wafula, Eric K.; Jones, Samuel S.; Wagner, Sarah T.; Honaas, Loren A.; Ralph, Paula E.; Bolin, Jay F.; Maass, Erika; Neinhuis, Christoph; Wanke, Stefan; dePamphilis, Claude W. (2016-02-01). "Detecting and Characterizing the Highly Divergent Plastid Genome of the Nonphotosynthetic Parasitic Plant Hydnora visseri (Hydnoraceae)". Genome Biology and Evolution. 8 (2): 345–363. doi:10.1093/gbe/evv256. ISSN 1759-6653. PMC 4779604. PMID 26739167.
List of sequenced plastomes: Flowering plants
Williams, V. L.; Falcão, M. P.; Wojtasik, E. M. (1 April 2011). "Hydnora abyssinica: Ethnobotanical evidence for its occurrence in southern Mozambique". South African Journal of Botany. 77 (2): 474–478. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2010.09.010.
Williams, V. L.; Wojtasik, E. M.; Witkowski, E. T. F. (2011-04-01). "Ethno-ecological evidence for Hydnora abyssinica occurring in Johannesburg and Durban traditional medicine markets". South African Journal of Botany. 77 (2): 268–279. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2010.08.005.
Dold, Tony (2005). "Imbhola yesiXhosa Traditional Xhosa cosmetics". Veld and Flora. September: 123–125.
NYAFUONO, JANE F.; BUKENYA, REMIGIUS Z.; ODYEK, OLWA (2000-01-01). "Taxonomy and Ethnobotany of Hydnora in Lake Mburo National Park (uganda)". Israel Journal of Plant Sciences. 48 (2): 99–103. doi:10.1560/NQBR-UN7F-464G-19WJ. ISSN 0792-9978.