Melanthiaceae

White Hellebore ( Veratrum album ) Illustration from Koehler 1887.

The Germer Family ( Melanthiaceae ), also called Black cabbage family, a family of plants are in the order of lilies -like ( Liliales ). There are 13 to 16 genera with about 170 species. Only a few species are used by humans.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Habit and foliage leaves

The evergreen or seasonal green, mostly perennial herbaceous plants. They often form rhizomes or tubers as outlasting. The hypocotyl is usually short.

The alternate, spirally or in whorls on the stem arranged leaves are simple, flat, and entire. The veins extending either in parallel, as in monocots usual, or for the Parideae reticulated.

Inflorescences and flowers

There are usually branched, racemose, formed aged men or Rispige inflorescences. The Parideae only one flower per stem is present.

The flowers are almost always hermaphroditic and mostly radial symmetry, zygomorph at Chionographis. Like almost all monocots also have the Melanthiaceae mostly threefold flowers. Of these, the genus differs oneberries (Paris ) from its four - to elfzähligen flowers. The two circles with three bracts usually present; they are in the two circuits are different or the same design, so then there are a tepals, forming a perianth; they may be free or fused. The colors of the bracts range from white to green, yellow to brownish red and purple to pink - up. There are usually two circles, each with three stamens present. The three most upper permanent carpels are free or adherent to an ovary. In each flower there are usually three free pen.

Fruit and seeds

Most of the follicles or seed capsules are formed; oneberries some species form berries; with few to many seeds in each of the three fruit trays. The brightly colored seeds are often winged or with appendages.

Ingredients and chromosomes

On ingredients toxic alkaloids, flavonoids and steroidal saponins are common. It can be stored calcium oxalate crystals.

The chromosomes are 1-6 microns long. The chromosome numbers in Parideae n = 5, Melianthieae often n = 8, in the Chionographideae often n = 12, in the Xerophylleae n = 15 and n = 17 in the Helionadeae

Systematics and distribution

The home of the taxa are mainly the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere ( Holarctic ). Dissemination focuses on East Asia and eastern North America. One exception is the genus Schoenocaulon, which also occurs in Peru, Venezuela and the Caribbean. In Central Europe, there is the Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia ) and the White Hellebore ( Veratrum album).

The family name Melanthiaceae in 1797 by August Johann Georg Karl Batsch in Moritz Balthasar Borkhausen: published Botanical Dictionary, 2, 8. The type genus Melanthium was 1 in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum: 339 published whose generic name is derived from the Greek words melas for black and anthos for flower and to the blackish bloom concerns (hence the common name black cabbage family). At Zomlefer et al. 2006 expands the family to the taxa of the Trilliaceae and Xerophyllaceae due to molecular genetic studies and then gives a monophyletic taxon.

The taxa of the formerly separate families: Chionographidaceae Takht, Heloniadaceae J.Agardh, Paridaceae Dum, Trilliaceae Chevall, Veratraceae Salisb. .. . and Xerophyllaceae Takht. in the family of the Germer family ( Melanthiaceae Batsch ex Borkh. ) are classified today. Taxa of this family were previously found also for the lily family ( Liliaceae ), for example Melanthioideae.

To the family of Germer plants ( Melanthiaceae ) includes 13 to 16 genera with about 170 species. The family is divided into five tribes:

• Tribus Chionographideae: it contains two genera with about six ways: Chamaelirium Willd. Contains only one type: Chamaelirium luteum (L.) A. Gray: It comes in eastern North America at altitudes 0-1100 meters.

• Helonias L.: It contains only one type: Helonias bullata L.: It thrives in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the northern coastal plains in North America at altitudes 0-1100 meters.

• Amianthium A.Gray: it contains only one type: Amianthium muscitoxicum (Walter ) A. Gray: It is used in North America at altitudes 0-1500 meters.

• Oneberries (Paris L., including about 16 types of Daiswa Raf and Kinugasa Tatev & Suto. . ): It contains about 24 species.
• Pseudotrillium S.Farmer ( part of some authors to Trillium ): With only one type: Pseudotrillium rival ( S.Wats. ) S.Farmer ( Syn: Trillium rival S.Wats. ): It comes only from southwestern Oregon to northwestern California before.

• Xerophyllum Michx. Contains only two species in the eastern and western North America.

Genera which were formerly classified here:

• Aletris L. ⇒ Nartheciaceae
• Harperocallis McDaniel ⇒ Tofieldiaceae
• Isidrogalvia Ruiz & Pav ⇒ Tofieldiaceae
• Japonolirion Nakai ⇒ Petrosaviaceae
• Lophiola Ker Gawl. ⇒ Nartheciaceae
• Metanarthecium Maxim. ⇒ Nartheciaceae
• Narthecium Huds. ⇒ Nartheciaceae
• Nietneria Klotzsch ex Benth. & Hook. f ⇒ Nartheciaceae
• Petrosavia Becc. ⇒ Petrosaviaceae
• Pleea Michx. ⇒ Tofieldiaceae
• Scoliopus Torr. ⇒ Liliaceae subfamily Calochortoideae
• Tofieldia Huds. ⇒ Tofieldiaceae
• Triantha ( Nutt. ) Baker ⇒ Tofieldiaceae

Use

Of several kinds of medical and veratrum insecticidal effects were examined; Note the high toxicity. Leaves and young plants are eaten by Chionographis japonica. The medical effects of Chamaelirium luteum were examined. The Cherokee Amianthium used muscitoxicum in stitches and the effects were studied on the skin. The subterranean parts of plants of Melanthium virginicum was used against endoparasites, so the medical effects have been investigated. The underground plant parts of Xerophyllum tenax be eaten cooked.

Some Trillium species there are varieties that are grown as ornamental plants in shady areas of parks and gardens.

Swell

• The Melanthiaceae in APWebsite family. (Section Description and systematics)
• Wendy B. Zomlefer, Walter S. Judd, W. Mark Whitten, Norris H. Williams: A synopsis of Melanthiaceae ( Liliales ) with focus on character evolution in tribe melanthieae, 2006 in Aliso, Vol 22, pp. 566-578. ( Section systematics)
• Wendy B. Zomlefer & Kent D. Perkins: Phylogeny of the Melanthiaceae ( Liliales ): Online. ( Section systematics)
• Description of the family of Melanthiaceae and The Trilliaceae family in the scope of the tribe Parideae at DELTA. ( Description section )