Gillenia
| Gillenia | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Gillenia stipulata illustration from Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada (1913) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rosaceae |
| Subfamily: | Amygdaloideae |
| Genus: |
Gillenia Moench |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
Porteranthus (Britton ex Small) (nom. superfl.)
Gillenia (syn. Porteranthus) is a genus of two species of perennial herbs in the Rosaceae family. Common names for plants in this genus include: Bowman's root, Indian-physic, American ipecac. This genus is endemic to dry open woods with acidic soils in eastern North America. Both plants are subshrubs with exposed semi-woody branches and serrated leaves; the larger lower leaves are divided into palmately arranged leaflets. Plants bloom in May, June, or July; blooms are composed of five slender white petals which are loosely arranged and typically appear slightly twisted and limp as if they were wilted. The flowers mature into small capsules. These plants are often planted as ornamentals and used medicinally as an herbal remedy.
Traditionally this genus is considered to be related to Spiraea, but it became apparent that it comes from the lineage which leads to tribe Maleae (which arose from within subfamily Amygdaloideae).
Gillenia has a haploid chromosome number of 9, while Maleae have a haploid chromosome number of 17 (which was probably produced from a Gillenia-like ancestor by doubling the genome and then losing a chromosome). Flower structure and fossil evidence also point to Gillenia sharing distinctive features with the Maleae. Another similarity between Gillenia and Maleae is susceptibility to Phragmidium fungus. Differences between Gillenia and Maleae include the chromosome number and the latter being solely woody pome bearing plants, while Gillenia is herbaceous and has a dry follicular fruit.
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