Beesia
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| Beesia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Beesia deltophylla | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Subfamily: | Ranunculoideae |
| Tribe: | Cimicifugeae |
| Genus: | Beesia Balf.f. & W.W.Sm. |
| Species[1] | |
Beesia is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family. It was named in 1915[2] after the plant nursery firm Bees of Chester, who financed the plant hunting trips of George Forrest and Frank Kingdon-Ward in China.[3]
Description
Morphology
Beesia is an evergreen perennial and grows as a dense basal rosette of heart-shaped leaves with delicate serrated edges. Leaves are soft and waxy; new growth of B. deltophylla flushes dark green to black, while B. calthifolia is a lighter shade of green. Small white flowers bloom mid-summer off an upright spike. Flowers are star-like: although Beesia flowers do not have petals,[7] they do have 5 elliptic, petal-like sepals.[8] Flowers also have many stamens.[8]
Phytochemistry
A class of organic molecules termed beesiosides have been isolated from Beesia plants.[9][10] Beesiosides are cycloartane glycosides (a type of triterpene that forms a sugar and a non-sugar upon hydrolysis).[9][11][12]
Phylogeny
Anemonopsis, a monotypic genus in the Ranunculaceae native to Japan,[13] is a sister group to Beesia.[14][15] Eranthis and Actaea are also closely related to Beesia.[16]
