Cosmocalyx
Genus of flowering plants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cosmocalyx is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. The genus contains only one species, viz. Cosmocalyx spectabilis, which is found in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.[1]
| Cosmocalyx | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cinchonoideae |
| Tribe: | Hamelieae |
| Genus: | Cosmocalyx Standl. |
| Species: | C. spectabilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cosmocalyx spectabilis | |
Description
Cosmocalyx spectabilis is a slender tree, up to 15 m (49 ft) in height and 20 cm (7.9 in) in diameter (dbh). After anthesis, one of the four calyx lobes expands into a reddish, leaf-like structure called a calycophyll. These facilitate dispersal of the fruit by wind. The fruit is a cylindrical indehiscent bilocular capsule. Each locule contains one basally inserted seed. This combination of characters distinguishes Cosmocalyx from other genera in Rubiaceae.[2]
Systematics
Cosmocalyx was named by Paul Standley in 1930.[3] The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words, kosmos, meaning "order", and kalyx, "a calyx".[4]
Cosmocalyx is placed with Deppea, Hoffmannia, Hamelia and several other genera in the tribe Hamelieae. Relationships within this tribe are uncertain.[5]