TaxonomyThe study of Klak shows many clades in the central
Aizoaceae:
Antimima clade: Antimima, Braunsia, Estherhuyzenia, Hammeria, Octopoma, Smicrostigma, Zeuktophyllum; a mix of the Leipoldtia, Lampranthus and Ruschia clades, suggesting that none of these groups is monophyletic.
Dracophilus clade: 4 small genera Dracophilus, Juttadintera, Namibia and Psammophora
Eberlanzia clade: Eberlanzia and Stoeberia
Lampranthus clade: Braunsia, Esterhuysenia and Hammeria
Leipoldtia clade: Cephalophyllum, Fenestraria, Hallianthus, Leipoldtia and Vanzijlia
Lithops clade: Dintherantthus, Eberlanzia, Ebracteola, Erepsia, Lapidaria, Lithops, Schwantesia, Stoeberia, Vanheerdia.
Octopoma clade: Octopoma, Smicrostigma and Zeuktophyllum form a clade (PP = 0.99) within the
Leipoldtia clade
Ruschia clade: large genera Cephalophyllum, Lampranthus, Erepsia, Leipoldtia and Ruschia.
Titanopsis
Plant Theory 2The allocation of the above clades and solitary genera to
Phase 4 and 5 is problematic. There is too little homeopathic information to do so. And the botanic relationship between the clades in inconclusive. Exemplary is the genus Russchia that is paraphyletic and encountered in many clades.
For the time being the Dracophilus, Eberlanzia, Lampranthus, Octopoma and Ruschia clades are placid in
Subphase 5.
BotanyLeaves: often sheathing; epidermis with bladder cells or uniformly xcromorphic.
Inflorescence: mostly distinct.
Flowers: staminodial petals free; filaments papillose at the base or very rarely naked; nectary nearly always crest-like, free or connate into a ring; ovary inferior, placenta basal or parietal.
Fruit: a hygrochastic capsule with opening keels on the valves and extending into the locule; mostly with covering membranes and additional closing devices.
Chromosome number: x = 9.
Ruschioideae: Antimieae, RuschieaeAntimieae: Antimima, Braunsia, Esterhuysenia, Octopoma, Ruschia, Smicrostigma, Zeuktophyllum
Ruschieae: Acrodon, Aloinopsis, Amphibolia, Antegibbaeum, Antimima, Arenifera, Argyroderma, Astridia, Bergeranthus, Bolusanthemum, Braunsia, Brianhuntleya, Carpobrotus, Carruanthus, Cephalophyllum, Cerochlamys, Chasmatophyllum, Cheiridopsis, Circandra, Conophytum, Corpuscularia, Cylindrophyllum, Deilanthe, Delosperma, Dicrocaulon, Didymaotus, Dinteranthus, Diplosoma, Disphyma, Dracophilus, Drosanthemum, Eberlanzia, Ebracteola, Enarganthe, Erepsia, Esterhuysenia, Faucaria, Fenestraria, Frithia, Gibbaeum, Glottiphyllum, Hallianthus, Hartmanthus, Hereroa, Imitaria, Jacobsenia, Jensenobotrya, Jordaaniella, Juttadinteria, Khadia, Knersia, Lampranthus, Lapidaria, Leipoldtia, Lithops, Machairophyllum, Malephora, Mestoklema, Meyerophytum, Mitrophyllum, Monilaria, Mossia, Muiria, Namaquanthus, Namibia, Nananthus, Nelia, Neohenricia, Octopoma, Oophytum, Orthopterum, Oscularia, Ottosonderia, Pleiospilos, Polymita, Psammophora, Rabiea, Rhinephyllum, Rhombophyllum, Ruschia, Ruschianthemum, Ruschianthus, Schlechteranthus, Schwantesia, Scopelogena, Smicrostigma, Stayneria, Stoeberia, Stomatium, Tanquana, Titanopsis, Trichodiadema, Vanheerdea, Vanzijlia, Vlokia, Wooleya, Zeuktophyllum
Ruschia, Hartmann: Acrodon (5), Arenifera (4), Astridia (8), Ebracteola (4), Khadia (6), Marlothistella (2), Polymita (2), Ruschia (c. 220), Stayneria (1)
Eberlanzia, Hartmann: Amphibolia (5), Eberlanzia (8), Stoeberia (6)
Uncertain: Brianhuntleya (3)
Rest: Acrodon, Arenifera, Bolusanthemum, Carpobrotus, Circandra, Dicrocaulon, Didymaotus, Disphyma, Dracophilus,Hartmanthus, Imitaria, Knersia, Muiria, Ruschianthemum, Scopelogena, Wooleya,
LiteratureKlak, Cornelia & Bruyns, Peter V. & Hanácek, Pavel; A phylogenetic hypothesis for the recently diversified Ruschieae (
Aizoaceae) in southern Africa; Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 69, pages 1005–1020; 2013.