Difference between revisions of "Phedimus"

Rafinesque

Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 1: 438. 1817,.

Etymology: Greek phaidimos, shining, perhaps alluding to leaves of some species
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 223. Mentioned on page 147, 148, 149, 150.
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Revision as of 20:29, 24 September 2019

Herbs, perennial, not viviparous, 0.5–5 dm, (often woody at base), glabrous [pubescent]. Stems erect or creeping, simple or branched, fleshy. Leaves persistent, cauline, alternate or opposite, (± alike), sessile [petiolate], (narrowed to base), not connate basally; blade orbiculate, obovate, spatulate-elliptic, or elliptic-lanceolate, laminar, 1–8 cm, fleshy, base not spurred, margins crenate (sometimes glandular); veins not conspicuous. Inflorescences terminal cymes. Pedicels absent. Flowers erect, 5-merous; sepals connate basally, all alike or unequal; petals spreading, erect basally and spreading distally or recurved at tip, nearly distinct, yellow, white, or pink; calyx and corolla not circumscissile at base in fruit; nectaries adnate to pistils as basal scales; stamens 10; filaments of antipetalous stamens adnate to corolla; pistils erect, nearly distinct; ovary base truncate; styles shorter than ovary. Fruits stellately spreading. Seeds ellipsoid, finely lined.

Discussion

Aizopsis Grulich; Asterosedum Grulich; Spathulata (Borissova) Á. Löve & D. Löve

Species 20 (3 in the flora).

S. Mayuzumi and H. Ohba (2004) concluded that Phedimus forms a lineage distinct from Sedum in a strongly supported clade based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences. Phedimus is characterized by having flattened leaves with serrate or crenate margins; Sedum has semiterete or very thickened leaves with entire margins (Ohba et al. 2000).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaves opposite; petals white to pink. Phedimus spurius
1 Leaves alternate; petals yellow > 2
2 Leaf blades elliptic-lanceolate, 4-8 cm. Phedimus aizoon
2 Leaf blades spatulate-elliptic to obovate, 1.5-3 cm. Phedimus hybridus