Xerophyta

Classification System: APG IV

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

Familia: Velloziaceae
Genus: Xerophyta
Species: X. acuminata – X. andringitrensis – X. arabica – X. argentea – X. brevifolia – X. capillaris – X. concolor – X. connata – X. dasylirioides – X. demeesmaekeriana – X. eglandulosa – X. elegans – X. equisetoides – X. eylesii – X. goetzei – X. humilis – X. kirkii – X. longicaulis – X. nutans – X. pinifolia – X. retinervis – X. rippsteinii – X. scabrida – X. schlechteri – X. schnizleinia – X. seinei – X. simulans – X. spekei – X. splendens – X. squarrosa – X. stenophylla – X. suaveolens – X. suffrutescens – X. tulearensis – X. velutina – X. villosa – X. viscosa – X. zambiana
Name

Xerophyta Juss. Gen. Pl. 50 (1789).

Type species: X. madagascariensis J.F.Gmel. (= X. pinifolia
Lam. ex Poir.)

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Talbotia Balf., Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 9: 190 (1868)
Talbotiopsis L.B.Sm., Phytologia 57: 152 (1985), nom. illeg.

References
Jussieu, Antoine Laurent de 1789. Genera Plantarum, secundum ordines naturales disposita juxta methodum in Horto Regio Parisiensi exaratam. (Paris). BHL
Behnke, H.-D., Hummel, E., Hillmer, S., Sauer-Gürth, H., Gonzalez, J. & Wink, M. 2013. A revision of African Velloziaceae based on leaf anatomy characters and rbcL nucleotide sequences. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 172(1): 22–94. DOI: 10.1111/boj.12018 Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2014. Xerophyta in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2014 Aug 18. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2014. Xerophyta. Published online. Accessed: Aug. 18 2014.

Xerophyta is a plant genus in the family Velloziaceae named in 1789.[1][2] It is native to Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula.[3]

Some species in this genus are poikilochlorophyllous plants. This means that during dry climatic conditions, they lose chlorophyll and cease photosynthesis and transpiration. Thus they are extremely tolerant of desiccation .[4] Hence the name Xerophyta, from Ancient Greek ξηρός (xeros, "dry") and φυτά (phutá), plural of φυτόν (phutón, “plant”).[5]

Species[3]

Xerophyta acuminata
Xerophyta andringitrensis
Xerophyta arabica
Xerophyta argentea
Xerophyta capillaris
Xerophyta concolor
Xerophyta connata
Xerophyta dasylirioides
Xerophyta demeesmaekeriana
Xerophyta eglandulosa
Xerophyta elegans
Xerophyta equisetoides
Xerophyta eylesii
Xerophyta goetzei
Xerophyta hereroensis
Xerophyta humilis
Xerophyta kirkii
Xerophyta longicaulis
Xerophyta monroi
Xerophyta nutans
Xerophyta pectinata
Xerophyta pinifolia
Xerophyta retinervis
Xerophyta rippsteinii
Xerophyta rosea
Xerophyta scabrida
Xerophyta schlechteri
Xerophyta schnizleinia
Xerophyta seinei
Xerophyta sessiliflora
Xerophyta simulans
Xerophyta spekei
Xerophyta splendens
Xerophyta squarrosa
Xerophyta stenophylla
Xerophyta suaveolens
Xerophyta trichophylla
Xerophyta tulearensis
Xerophyta velutina
Xerophyta villosa
Xerophyta viscosa
Xerophyta wentzeliana
Xerophyta zambiana

formerly included[3]

moved to other genera: Barbaceniopsis Nanuza Vellozia

X. abietina - Vellozia abietina
X. boliviensis - Barbaceniopsis boliviensis
X. cinerascens - Vellozia cinerascens
X. minima - Vellozia minima
X. plicata - Nanuza plicata
X. pohliana - Vellozia minima
X. pulchra - Vellozia pulchra
X. sellowii - Vellozia sellowii
X. taxifolia - Vellozia taxifolia
X. tragacantha - Vellozia tragacantha
X. triquetra - Nanuza plicata
X. vargasiana - Barbaceniopsis vargasiana