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Diapensia family
Diapensiaceae Lindl.
イワウメ科
A small family of about 15 species distributed in alpine and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In Japan, Diapensia, Shortia, and Schizocodon grow on rocky slopes and grasslands of alpine zones. Many species grow as prostrate mats in harsh environments.
Key Characteristics
- ●Evergreen dwarf herbs or subshrubs
- ●Adapted to alpine, rocky, and arctic tundra habitats
- ●Flowers are pentamerous, white to pale pink
- ●Some species have 5 fertile stamens and 5 staminodes
- ●Fruit is a capsule
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate / Dentate / Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Ericales > Diapensiaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 45 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Dwarfing and prostrate growth adaptation to harsh alpine and arctic environments
- ・Disjunct distribution across the Northern Hemisphere (North America, Himalayas, Japan, Arctic)
Plants in Diapensia family on this site
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