Specimen image via iDigBio · BY
Balanophora
Sign in to saveBalanophora is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Balanophoraceae distributed from tropical Africa and Madagascar, through South and Southeast Asia, Japan, Queensland and the islands of the western Pacific. There are over 20 accepted species. Many species emit an odour which possibly attracts pollinators in the same way that pollinators are attracted to Rafflesia. The tiny flowers produce some of the smallest seeds known, weighing as little as 7 micrograms each.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderSantalales
- FamilyBalanophoraceae
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 230
- With media
- 150
- Family
- Balanophoraceae
- Collections
- MICH, US, CAS, A, YPM, MO
- Recorded in
- Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar
~2 min read
Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Species
- Ecology
- Use
- References
Balanophora is a genus of parasitic flowering plants in the family Balanophoraceae distributed from tropical Africa and Madagascar, through South and Southeast Asia, Japan, Queensland and the islands of the western Pacific. There are over 20 accepted species. Many species emit an odour which possibly attracts pollinators in the same way that pollinators are attracted to Rafflesia. The tiny flowers produce some of the smallest seeds known, weighing as little as 7 micrograms each.
==Taxonomy== The genus was first described in 1775 by Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster in Characteres Generum Plantarum. The name is derived from the ancient Greek words (), meaning "acorn" and (), meaning "to carry".
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Balanophora” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.