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Curculigo
Curculigo capitulata
クルクリゴ
A perennial herb native to Southeast Asia, found wild in forests of the Ryukyu Islands and cultivated in greenhouses as an ornamental. Its striking clumping habit with large iris-like leaves is eye-catching. Classified near Arecales or Zingiberales, its phylogenetic placement remains debated even under the APG system.
Identification Points
- ✓Large linear to elliptical leaves in basal tufts
- ✓Parallel venation with plicate (folded) leaf blades
- ✓Small yellow flowers clustered in heads near the leaf base
Habitat
Forest edges and understory of the Ryukyu Islands; greenhouses as an ornamental
Season
Year-round (evergreen)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Herb
Leaf shape
Linear
Venation
Parallel
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Petal count
4 petals
Plant sex
Monoecious
Compound type
Palmate
Phylogenetic Positionパナマソウ科 →
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Monocots > Pandanales > Cyclanthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Cyclanthaceae was formerly considered related to Hypoxidaceae in Amaryllidales, but its placement has fluctuated under the APG system. It represents the phylogenetic diversity of monocots.
View on evolution timeline →Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification