Geosiris aphylla
| Geosiris aphylla | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Geosiris |
| Species: | G. aphylla
|
| Binomial name | |
| Geosiris aphylla | |
Geosiris aphylla is a species in the flowering plant family Iridaceae, first described in 1894. It is endemic to Madagascar.[1]
Geosiris aphylla is sometimes called the earth-iris. It is a small myco-heterotroph lacking chlorophyll and obtaining its nutrients from fungi in the soil.[2]
Description
[edit]Its rhizomes are slender and scaly, and stems are simple or branched. The leaves are alternate, but having no use, are reduced and scale-like (hence the epithet "aphylla," meaning "without leaves"). The flowers are light purple.
Range and habitat
[edit]Geosiris aphylla is native to central and eastern Madagascar. It lives in forest humus in humid lowland and montane forests, between 400 and 1200 meters elevation.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 96–98. ISBN 978-0-88192-897-6.
- ^ Jonker, F.P. (1939). "Les Géosiridacées, une nouvelle famille de Madagascar". Mededelingen van het Botanisch Museum en Herbarium van de Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht, vol. 60 no. 1, pp. 473-479. 1 January 1939.
External links
[edit]
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