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Restio family
Restionaceae
サンアソウ科
A family with its center of diversity in nutrient-poor sandy soils and grasslands of South Africa (Cape region) and Australia. Photosynthesis is performed by stems rather than leaves (leaves are reduced or scale-like). Not native to Japan, but some species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Key Characteristics
- ●Leaves are reduced; green stems perform photosynthesis
- ●Stems are slender and elongate, with bracts at internodes
- ●Wind-pollinated with spikelet-like inflorescences
- ●Adapted to nutrient-poor, dry sandy soils
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
Parallel
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Herb
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen / Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Present / Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
3 petals
Ovary position
Superior
Plant sex
Dioecious / Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Poales > Restionaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Specialized adaptation to nutrient-poor Southern Hemisphere soils (fynbos and scrub)
- ・Transfer of photosynthetic function from leaves to stems
Plants in Restio family on this site
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