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Petrosavia family
Petrosaviaceae
サクライソウ科
A small family of achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophic plants growing on forest floors in tropical to subtropical East and Southeast Asia. Petrosavia sakuraii is known from Japan. Under the APG system, it constitutes Petrosaviales, an early-diverging lineage within monocots.
Key Characteristics
- ●Achlorophyllous mycoheterotrophic (saprophytic) plants
- ●Leaves reduced to scales, non-photosynthetic
- ●6 tepals and 6 stamens
- ●Grows on dim forest floors in tropical to subtropical regions
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
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
6 petals
Petal fusion
Free
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Petrosaviales > Petrosaviaceae
Divergence Era
Cretaceous (early divergence within monocots, ca. 120 Ma onwards)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Transition to mycoheterotrophy through loss of chlorophyll
- ・Persistence as an early-diverging lineage at the base of monocots
Plants in Petrosavia family on this site
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