Boryaceae

Borya scirpoidea

The Boryaceae are a plant family of the order of the asparagus -like ( Asparagales ). The little family contains only twelve species in two genera, which occur exclusively in Australia.

Description

The species of perennial herbaceous plants are Boryaceae with a bushy habit, occasionally throwing leaves and parallel-veined. In shape to the species of the family are specifically adapted to dry environments. The rhizome is short, root-like pile occasionally, mycorrhizal roots are fibrous and wiry. The numerous linear leaves are spirally, are sessile and scheidig. Your endoderm is greatly thickened.

Surrounded by bracts inflorescence is a terminal raceme or spike, the small but showy, white and durable individual flowers consist of six bloom cladding in two threefold petal circles. The fused at their approach to the stamen anthers are nearly as wide as long. The pens are filiform, the scars tiny. The ovary is upper constant.

Nectar is produced for Borya flies are known as pollinators. The fruits are capsules, they contain a few black seeds.

In both genera contains cells with raphides ( needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals ). The basic chromosome number is 11 (Alania ) or 14 or 28 ( Borya ).

Paleobotany

The oldest representative of the family are estimated at an age of around 109 million years.

Dissemination

The species are endemic to the coastal regions of Australia.

System

The family consists of two genera:

  • Alania Alania endlicheri Kunth
  • Borya Borya constricta Churchill
  • Borya inopinata P.I.Forst. & E.J.Thomps.
  • Borya jabirabela Churchill
  • Borya laciniata Churchill
  • Borya longiscapa Churchill
  • Borya mirabilis Churchill
  • Borya nitida Labill.
  • Borya scirpoidea Lindl.
  • Borya septentrionalis F.Muell.
  • Borya sphaerocephala R.Br.
  • Borya subulata G.A.Gardner

Evidence

  • John Godfrey Conran: Boryaceae, in: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.): The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Vol.3, pp. 151-154, 1998, ISBN 978-3-540-64060-8
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