Heliophila
Heliophila is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae. Members of this genus are either annuals or perennials and some are popular as ornamental plants. Endemic to southern Africa, the majority of the approximately 80 species grow in South Africa, particularly the Cape Floristic Region, while a few extend into the Namib Desert.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderBrassicales
- FamilyBrassicaceae
Native toCape Provinces, Eswatini, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Namibia, Northern Provinces
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Taxonomic history
- Distribution
- Description and habit
- Species
- References
Heliophila is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae. Members of this genus are either annuals or perennials and some are popular as ornamental plants. Endemic to southern Africa, the majority of the approximately 80 species grow in South Africa, particularly the Cape Floristic Region, while a few extend into the Namib Desert.
==Taxonomic history== The first recognised published description of Heliophila appears in the second edition of Species Plantarum by Carl Linnaeus, printed in 1763. He attributes his description, however, to Nicolaas Laurens Burman, a Dutch botanist. The generic name Heliophila is Latin but originally derived from the Ancient Greek words hēlios (ἥλιος), meaning "sun", and phílos (φίλος), meaning "dear" or "beloved", and refers to the blooms opening in sun and closing at night or in overcast conditions, a habit of many of the species within the genus.