Ruscus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Asparagaceae
Subfamilia: Nolinoideae
Tribus: Rusceae
Genus: Ruscus
Species: R. aculeatus – R. colchicus – R. hypoglossum – R. hypophyllum – R. hyrcanus – R. streptophyllus

Nothospecies: R. × microglossus
Name

Ruscus L.
Vernacular names
English: butcher's broom
suomi: Ruskukset, rautamyrtit
magyar: Csodabogyó
русский: Иглица, мышиный тёрн
Türkçe: Tavşanmemesi, Ölmezdiken

Ruscus is a genus of six species of flowering plants, native to western and southern Europe (including northern to southern England), Macaronesia, northwestern Africa, and southwestern Asia east to the Caucasus.[1] In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae).[2] Like many lilioid monocots, it was formerly classified in the family Liliaceae.

The species are evergreen shrub-like perennial plants, growing to approximately 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall. They have branched stems that bear numerous cladodes (flattened, leaf-like stem tissue, also known as phylloclades) 2 to 18 centimetres (0.79 to 7.09 in) long and 1 to 8 centimetres (0.39 to 3.15 in) broad. The true leaves are minute, scale-like, and non-photosynthetic. The flowers are small, white with a dark-violet centre, and situated on the middle of the cladodes. The fruit is a red berry 5 to 10 millimetres (0.20 to 0.39 in) in diameter. Some species are monoecious while others are dioecious.

Ruscus is spread by seed and by means of underground rhizomes. It can colonise extensive patches of ground.
Ruscus aculeatus habit
Ruscus hypoglossum
Species

Ruscus aculeatus (butcher's broom). Europe, Azores.
Ruscus colchicus. Caucasus.
Ruscus hypoglossum. Central and Southeast Europe, Turkey.
Ruscus hypophyllum (spineless butcher's broom). Iberia, northwest Africa. Used in the floral trade as foliage.
Ruscus hyrcanus Woronow An endemic and relict bush in the Talish Mountains, Azerbaijan. Protected in the Hirkan national Park.
Ruscus microglossus. Southern Europe.
Ruscus streptophyllus. Madeira.[3]

References

Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 161 (2): 132–136, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x
P. F. Yeo (1966). "Two New Species of Ruscus (Liliaceae)". Feddes Repertorium. 73 (1): 17–20. doi:10.1002/fedr.19660730103.