[FWTA]
Crassulaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954
- Morphology General Habit
- Herbs and undershrubs, usually succulent; leaves opposite or alternate, exstipulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers actinomorphic, hermaphrodite, usually cymose
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals free or united into a tube, often 4 or 5
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals the same number as the sepals, free or variously connate, hypogynous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens as many or twice as many as the petals, if few then alternate with the petals, slightly perigynous; filaments free; anthers 2-celled, introrse, dehiscing longitudinally
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Hypogynous scales present within the stamens
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Carpels superior, the same number as the petals free or united at the base, 1-celled; ovules many or rarely few, inserted on the adaxial suture; styles short or elongated
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit follicular, membranous or leathery, often surrounded by the persistent membranous corolla, opening on the adaxial side
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds mostly minute, usually with fleshy endosperm; embryo straight
- Distribution
- Widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions, especially in mountainous districts, rare in South America and Australasia
[NTK]
Hind, D.J.N. (2009). Neotropical Crassulaceae.
- Morphology
-
Description
Perennial herbs, rarely annual or biennial , rarely small shrubs, usually stem and/or leaf succulents. Leaves opposite or alternate , rarely verticillate , exstipulate , usually simple , usually glabrous , often glaucous , rarely with glands in leaf surface, sometimes pubescent , hairs either unicellular or multicellular and glandular - capitate or eglandular, margins usually entire , sometimes serrate , crenate or dentate , rarely coarsely lobed . Flowers usually in terminal cymose inflorescences, less often in spikes or racemes or solitary in leaf-axils, with or without bracts, regular, hermaphrodite , rarely unisexual and dioecious , mostly (3-)4-5 (-± 30)- merous ; sepals 4-5 (-6), free or united into tube, persistent ; petals same number as sepals, free or variously connate ; stamens hypogynous or epipetalous, as many as petals or twice as many, in one whorl (Crassula-lineage) or more usually two whorls (Sedum-lineage), frequently obdiplostemenous, with outer whorl alternate and free from petals and inner whorl adnate to petals; filaments free or adnate to petals; anthers dorsifixed, bithecous, introrse, opening by a longitudinal slit; nectaries scale-like and usually present between the stamens and carpels. Carpels superior , equal in number to petals, free or slightly connate at base, unilocular; ovules (few-) many, inserted on adaxial suture, submarginal or proximally axile ; styles short or elongated, stigmatic surface on inner side of apex . Fruit usually of separate follicles, rarely a capsule , follicles membranous or leathery, often surrounded by persistent membranous corolla , opening on adaxial side. Seed minute, glabrous , testa variously striate and sometimes ornamented with ridges or papillae; endosperm usually present and sparse; embryo straight.
- Distribution
-
Distribution in the Neotropics
- Largest genus is Sedum L. with about 500 species in total.
- Echeveria DC. is the largest in the Western hemisphere with c. 150 species.
- Sedum follows Echeveria with c. 110 spp. in the Neotropics.
- Crassula L. has c. 11 spp. in the Neotropics.
- Villadia Rose contains c. 10 in Peru.
- General Description
-
Number of genera
- There are four native genera (Sedum, Echeveria, Crassula and Villadia) and one cultivated (Kalanchoe).
- Main areas of speciation include Africa (dry areas), Madagascar, Macaronesia and Mexico.
- Up to six subfamilies are recognized but following DNA analysis only two main lineages are seen clearly - the Crassula-lineage and the Sedum-lineage.
- Mostly plants of dry, rocky habitats, usually terrestrial but rarely epiphytic and very rarely aquatic.
- Diagnostic
-
Useful tips for generic identification
- Crassula spp. are usually prostrate or aquatic herbs, typically with isostemonous flowers.
- Echeveria spp. have obovatefleshy leaves, usually arranged in a rosette, and lateral racemose inflorescences
- Sedum spp. have paniculate cymes; both genera have free or basally connate petals.
- There are several species of Kalanchoe that are cultivated, some naturalized; they are best recognized by flowers with (4) fused petals forming a tube, and many species have lobed, crenate or serrate margined leaves. A number of species of Kalanchoe , formally in the genus Bryophyllum , have plantlets on the leaf margins.
- Literature
-
Important literature
Bywater, M. & G. E .Wickens. (1984). New World species of the genus Crassula. Kew Bull. 39(4): 699-728.
Claussen, R. T. (1959). Sedum of North America north of the Mexican Plateau. An exposition of taxonomic methods. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, New York. pp. 380.
Freire Fierro, A. (2004). Crassulaceae. In: G. Harling & L. Andersson (eds), Flora of Ecuador 73: 3-16. Botanical Institute, Göteborg University.
Fröderström, H. (1936). The genus Sedum L. : a systematic essay. Part. IV. Acta Horti Gotoburgensis. 10, Appendix. 1-181 + pl. I-CXV.
Pilbeam, J. (2008). The genus Echeveria. The British Cactus & Succulent Society, Hornchurch. 333 pp.
Walther, E. (1972). Echeveria. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. pp. 426.
[FTEA]
Crassulaceae, G.E. Wickens. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, rarely small shrubs, usually succulent
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite or alternate, rarely verticillate, exstipulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers usually in terminal cymose inflorescences, less often in spikes or racemes or solitary in the leaf-axils, with or without bracts, regular, hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual and dioecious, mostly (3–)4–5(–±30)-merous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals free or united into a tube, persistent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals the same number as the sepals, free or variously connate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens hypogynous or epipetalous, as many as the petals or twice as many, and in 2 whorls, frequently obdiplostemonous; filaments free or adnate to the petals; anthers 2-thecous, introrse, opening by a longitudinal slit; scale-like nectaries usually present between the stamens and carpels
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Carpels superior, equal in number to the petals, free or slightly connate at the base, 1-locular; ovules (few–)many, inserted on the adaxial suture; style short or elongated, stigmatose on the inner side of the apex
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit follicular, membranous or leathery, often surrounded by the persistent membranous corolla, opening on the adaxial side
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds minute; endosperm usually present; embryo straight
[FZ]
Crassulaceae, R. Fernandes. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves opposite, verticillate or alternate, usually simple, sometimes compound, exstipulate, often ± thick and fleshy-succulent
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers (3)4-5(6-32)-merous, actinomorphic, usually bisexual, in axillary or terminal cymes often grouped in corymb- or panicle-like inflorescences, less often in racemes or spikes or solitary in the leaf-axil
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals free or ±: united at the base, sometimes in a ± long tube
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals as many as the sepals, free or ± connate, hypogynous
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium
- Stamens as many or twice as many as the petals; filaments free or more or less connate with the corolla-tube; anthers 2-celled, introrse, basifixed, dehiscing longitudinally
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
- Ovary superior; carpels equal in number to the petals, free or united (up to the middle); ovules many or few to one in each carpel, anatropous, inserted on the adaxial suture; styles short, sometimes nearly absent or ± elongate; stigmas capitate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit follicular, membranous or leathery, opening along the free part of the adaxial suture
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds mostly minute with smooth, rugose or tuberculate tegument and usually fleshy endosperm; embryo straight
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Hypogynous scales (scale-like nectaries) usually present, small, applied to the base of the outer face of the carpels
- Adromischus Lem.
- Aeonium Webb & Berthel.
- Afrovivella A.Berger
- Aichryson Webb & Berthel.
- Chaloupkaea Niederle
- Chiastophyllum (Ledeb.) A.Berger
- Cotyledon L.
- Crassula L.
- Cremnophila Rose
- Dudleya Britton & Rose
- Echeveria DC.
- Graptopetalum Rose
- Hylotelephium H.Ohba
- Hypagophytum A.Berger
- Kalanchoe Adans.
- Kungia K.T.Fu
- Lenophyllum Rose
- Meterostachys Nakai
- Monanthes Haw.
- Orostachys Fisch.
- Pachyphytum Link, Klotzsch & Otto
- Perrierosedum (A.Berger) H.Ohba
- Petrosedum Grulich
- Phedimus Raf.
- Pistorinia DC.
- Prometheum (A.Berger) H.Ohba
- Pseudosedum (Boiss.) A.Berger
- Rhodiola L.
- Rosularia (DC.) Stapf
- Sedum L.
- Sempervivum L.
- Sinocrassula A.Berger
- Thompsonella Britton & Rose
- Tylecodon Toelken
- Umbilicus DC.
- Villadia Rose
Crassulaceae J.St.-Hil. appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Expos. Fam. Nat. 2: 123. 1805 [Feb-Apr 1805] (as "Crassuleae") (1805)
Accepted by
- APG IV (2016) http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/boj.12385
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Neotropikey
Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0