Cassiope

The scales Gentiles ( Cassiope ) are the only genus in the subfamily Cassiopoideae within the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ).

Description

The Cassiope species grow as " erikoide ", evergreen shrubs or dwarf shrubs. The branched branches are prostrate or ascending. The closely spaced leaves are decussate on the branches and usually arranged in four distinct rows; by the branches act square. The sessile leaves are scale-like, leathery and often pointed. The flat or rolled outward leaf blades have a smooth or fringed to ciliated leaf edge and no discernible Blattnervatur.

The small hairs ( trichomes ) are bündelig - branched only in this genus within the Ericaceae. It is the only genus within the Ericaceae, it has a bisporischen embryo sac from the Polygonum type.

The flowers appear singly in the leaf axils at more or less long pedicles; sometimes arises a zweiblütiger inflorescence at the end of the branch. There are four to six bracts present. The hanging flowers are hermaphroditic, radial symmetry and (rarely four ) usually fünfzählig. The five free sepals are scale-like; surround even the fruit. The five white to pink petals are fused bell-shaped, with five recurved Corolla lobe. At the base of the flower to find nectar glands. The ten stamens do not protrude beyond the petals. The upright stamens are flattened. The egg-shaped anthers have two long recurved horns ( appendage ). The five carpels are a superior ovaries fused with many ovules.

The five subjects of the capsule fruit are two columns each at their peak. It opens at maturity with five teeth and dismisses a variety of seeds. The tiny seeds have no wings.

Occurrence

The occurring only in the northern hemisphere genus Cassiope has a mainly zirkumboreale distribution. Your total range extends southward to China, the Himalayan region, Japan, Russia and western North America. In China, eleven species occur; six of them are endemic.

System

The genus Cassiope was founded in 1834 by David Don in Edinburgh New Philos. Journal, 17, page 157 published. Is the type species Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don. Cassiope is the only genus of the only tribe Cassiopeae HTCox ex Stevens of the subfamily Cassiopoideae Kron & Judd in the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ).

Species

There are about 12 to 17 Cassiope species:

• Cassiope abbreviata Hand. - Mazz.
• Cassiope argyrotricha T.Z.Hsu
• Cassiope fastigiata ( wall. ) D.Don
• Cassiope fujianensis L.K.Ling & G.S.Hoo
• Bärlappähnliche shed heather ( Cassiope lycopodioides ( Pall. ) D.Don )
• Cassiope membranifolia R.C.Fang
• Mertens -dandruff heather ( Cassiope mertensiana ( Bong. ) G.Don )
• Cassiope myosuroides W.W.Sm.
• Cassiope nana T.Z.Hsu
• Cassiope palpebrata W.W.Sm.
• Cassiope pectinata Stapf
• Cassiope selaginoides Hook. f & Thomson
• Four -edged scales heath ( Cassiope tetragona (L.) D.Don )
• Cassiope wardii C.Marquand.

No longer belong to the genus:

• Moosheide ( Cassiope hypnoides ) ⇒ Harrimanella hypnoides L. (L.) Coville
• Cassiope stelleriana ( Pallas ) DC. ⇒ Harrimanella stelleriana ( Pallas ) Coville

Use

Some species are rarely used as ornamental plants.

Swell

• Fang Ruizheng & Peter F. Stevens: Cassiope in the Flora of China, Volume 14, p 456: Online.
• Cassiopoideae in Ericaceae Homepage of Kathleen A. Kron.
• Kathleen A. Kron, Walter S. Judd, PF Stevens, DM Crayn, AA Anderberg, PA Gadek, CJ Quinn, JL & Luteyn: A phylogenetic classification of the Ericaceae: Molecular and morphological evidence, bot Rev., 68, 2002., pp. 335-423.