Cytinus

Cytinus
Cytinus
Cytinus ruber from Sardinia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Cytinaceae
Genus: Cytinus
L.
Species

See text.

Cytinus is a genus of parasitic flowering plants. Species in this genus do not produce chlorophyll, but rely fully on its host plant. Cytinus only parasitizes Cistus and Halimium, two genera of plants in the Cistaceae family.

Several species are found in the Mediterranean Region, South Africa, with a possibly undescribed species from Madagascar[1].

Contents

Biology

C. capensis and C. sanguineus are dioecious, while C. hypocistis is monoecious[2].

C. hypocistis has been shown to infect mainly Halimium halimifolium and Cistus monspeliensis in Portugal[3].

Systematics

The genus Cytinus was previously included in the parasitic family Rafflesiaceae, but is now put into the family Cytinaceae[2] (order Malvales), together with the genus Bdallophytum with four species.

Cytinus ruber is no longer considered a separate species, but is now a subspecies of C. hypocistis.

Uses

The flower of C. hypocistis

The young C. hypocistis is cooked as an Asparagus substitute, and an extract has been used in treating dysentery, throat tumors and as an astringent[4]. C. ruber is also edible, and was used in folk medicine as an emmenagogue.[5]

Species

  • Cytinus capensis — South Africa
  • Cytinus hypocistis — Mediterranean from Morocco to southern France and Turkey
  • Cytinus ruber - Mediterranean (sometimes listed as C. hypocistis ssp. clusii)
  • Cytinus sanguineus — South Africa
  • Cytinus visseri — South Africa

Footnotes

  1. ^ parasiticplants.siu.edu: Cytinaceae
  2. ^ a b Nickrent et al. 2004
  3. ^ Thorogood & Hiscock 2007
  4. ^ Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases: Cytinus hypocistis
  5. ^ The University of Reading: Cytinus hypocistis

References

  • Govaerts, R. & Nickrent, D.L. (2010): 658. Cytinus ruber Cytinaceae. Bot. Mag. 26(4): 314-321.
  • Nickrent, Daniel L.; Blarer, Albert; Qiu, Yin-Long; Vidal-Russell, Romina & Anderson, Frank E. (2004): Phylogenetic inference in Rafflesiales: the influence of rate heterogeneity and horizontal gene transfer. BMC Evolutionary Biology 4: 40. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-4-40
  • Thorogood, C.J. & Hiscock, S.J. (2007): Host Specificity in the Parasitic Plant Cytinus hypocistis. Research Letters in Ecology. doi:10.1155/2007/84234 (with link to full text PDF)

Further reading

  • Burgoyne, P.M. (2006): A new species of Cytinus (Cytinaceae) from South Africa and Swaziland, with a key to the Southern African species. Novon 16(3): 315-319. Abstract

External links


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cytĭnus — (C. L.), Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Cytineae, Monocle, Monadelphie L.; Art: C. hypocistis, Schmarotzerpflanze, auf den Wurzeln des Cistus monspeliensis u.a. Arten von Cistus sitzend, in Portugal, Spanien, Frankreich, mit spannhohem, mit… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Cytĭnus — L. (Hypocist), Gattung der Rafflesiazeen, niedrige, gefärbte, auf Wurzeln schmarotzende Gewächse mit kurzem Stengel, schuppenförmigen Blättern, monözischen oder diözischen Blüten in traubigem Blütenstand und beerenartigen Früchten. Von den zwei… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cytinus — Cytĭnus L., Pflanzengattg. der Rafflesiazeen, auf Wurzeln schmarotzende Gewächse der Mittelmeerländer. Von C. hypocistis L. [Abb. 384] diente der Saft der Beeren (Hypozistensaft) früher als adstringierendes Mittel …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Cytinus — Cytinelle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cytinus — Cytinelle Cytinelle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cytinus hypocistis — Cytinelle Cytinelle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cytinus hypocistus — Cytinelle Cytinelle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cytinus hypocistis — Gelber Zistrosenwürger Gelber Zistrosenwürger (Cytinus hypocistis) Systematik Klasse: Dreifurchenpollen Zweikeimblättrige …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cytinus hypocistis — Hypocist Hyp o*cist, n. [Gr. ? a plant growing on the roots of the Cistus.] An astringent inspissated juice obtained from the fruit of a plant ({Cytinus hypocistis}), growing from the roots of the {Cistus}, a small European shrub. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cytinus — cyt·i·nus …   English syllables

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