Distephanus

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = African veined white 2017 07 02 0194.jpg |image_caption = ''D. angulifolius'' flowers being pollinated by the African veined white butterfly |display_parents = 3 |parent_authority = (S.C.Keeley & H.Rob.) H.Rob. & V.A.Funk (2024) |taxon = Distephanus |authority = Cass. (1819) |type_species = ''Distephanus populifolius'' |type_species_authority = (Lam.) Cass.<ref name="ingdistephanus">''Distephanus'' At: Index Nominum Genericorum In: Regnum Vegetabile. (see ''External links'' below).</ref> |synonyms_ref = <ref>[https://archive.today/20141119010238/http://dixon.iplantcollaborative.org/CompositaeWeb/default.aspx?Page=NameDetails&TabNum=0&NameId=0febf4f4-3161-480e-b85f-068426c96b32 Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist ]</ref> |synonyms = * ''Antunesia'' O.Hoffm. (1893) * ''Gongrothamnus'' Steetz (1864) * ''Newtonia'' O.Hoffm. (1892), nom. illeg. }}

'''''Distephanus''''' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.<ref name="robinson2007">Harold E. Robinson. 2007. "Vernonieae" pages 149-174. In: Klaus Kubitzki (series editor); Joachim W. Kadereit and Charles Jeffrey (volume editors). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' volume VIII. Springer-Verlag: Berlin; Heidelberg, Germany. {{ISBN|978-3-540-31050-1}}</ref> It is described by American botanist Harold E. Robinson as having over 40 species <ref name="robinson2007"/> and by David Mabberley as having only 34 species.<ref name="mabberley2008">David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. {{ISBN|978-0-521-82071-4}}</ref> These sources differ sharply in their description of the range of the genus. Robinson has it ranging throughout Africa and occurring also in India and China. Mabberley has it restricted to southeast Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius. ''Plants of the World Online'' accepts 44 species native to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and south-central China.<ref name = powo>{{cite web|url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:8653-1 |title=''Distephanus'' Cass. |website = |accessdate=30 May 2024}}</ref>

The genus ''Distephanus'' consists of trees, shrubs, and vines. The leaves are often trinervate. The flowers are in terminal inflorescences and are usually yellow. The anthers have an appendage called a tail. The base of the style is enlarged.

The name ''Distephanus'' is derived from Greek and means "two crowns", a reference to the two whorls of bristles that form the pappus.<ref name="quattrocchi2000">Umberto Quattrocchi. 2000. ''CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names'' volume II:822. CRC Press: Boca Raton; New York; Washington, DC;, USA. London, UK. {{ISBN|978-0-8493-2676-9}}. (vol. 2). (see ''External links'' below).</ref>

The genus ''Distephanus'' was established by Alexandre de Cassini in 1817.<ref name="cassini1817">Alexandre H.G. de Cassini. 1817. ''Bulletin des Sciences, par la Société Philomatique de Paris''. (1817):151.</ref> Cassini described the type species, ''Distephanus populifolia'' in 1819.<ref name="cassini1819">Alexandre H.G. de Cassini. 1819. ''Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles, ... Strasbourg. edition 2. (F. Cuvier).'' 19:361.</ref> This species had originally been named ''Conyza populifolia'' by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1786.<ref name="lamarck1786">Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. 1786. ''Encyclopedie Methodique. Botanique ... Paris''. 2(1):87.</ref>

''Distephanus'' has usually been placed in the tribe Vernonieae, but the results of some molecular phylogenetic studies of DNA sequences have cast doubt upon this placement. In one classification of Asteraceae, it was placed in a tritomy consisting of ''Distephanus'', Moquinieae, and Vernonieae.<ref name="funk2009">Vicki A. Funk, Alfonso Susanna, Tod F. Stuessy, and Randall J. Bayer. 2009. ''Systematics, Evolution and Biogeography of the Compositae''. IAPT (International Association for Plant Taxonomy). {{ISBN|978-3-9501754-3-1}} (see ''External links'' below).</ref> In 2024 Gostel ''et al.'' concluded that the genus belonged in its own tribe, '''Distephaneae'''.<ref>M R Gostel, Benoit Loeuille, Mariana Henriques Santana, Carol L Kelloff, Raymund Chan, Ana Rita Giraldes Simões, Isabel Larridon, Vicki A Funk, Molecular phylogenetics of Distephanus supports the recognition of a new tribe, Distephaneae (Asteraceae), ''Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society'', 2024;, boae025, https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae025</ref>

''Distephanus'' differs from (other) genera in Vernonieae in having yellow flowers as well as in other characters that are less obvious.<ref name="robinson1986">Harold E. Robinson. 1986. "Trinervate leaves, yellow flowers, tailed anthers, and pollen variation in ''Distephanus'' Cassini (Vernonieae: Asteraceae)". ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' '''99'''(3):493-501.</ref>

==Species== 44 species are accepted.<ref name = powo/> {{div col}} * ''Distephanus ambongensis'' {{small|(Humbert) H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus angolensis'' (O.Hoffm.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus angulifolius'' (DC.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus anisochaetoides'' (Sond.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus antandroy'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus bakeri'' {{small|(Vatke) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus bara'' {{small|(Humbert) H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus biafrae'' (Oliv. & Hiern) H.Rob. * ''Distephanus capitatus'' {{small|Bojer ex DC.}} * ''Distephanus capuronii'' {{small|(Humbert) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus cloiselii'' (Moore) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus divaricatus'' (Steetz) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus eriophyllus'' (Drake) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus forrestii'' (Anthony) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus garnierianus'' (Klatt) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus glandulicinctus'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus glutinosus'' (DC.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus grevei'' {{small|(Drake) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus henryi'' (Dunn) H.Rob. * ''Distephanus ibityensis'' {{small|(Humbert) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus inhacensis'' {{small|(G.V.Pope) R.G.C.Boon & Glen}} * ''Distephanus lastellei'' (Drake) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus madagascariensis ''(Less.) H. Rob. & V.A. Funk<ref>H. Rob. & V.A. Funk. 2012. Taxon 61(2): 452</ref> * ''Distephanus mahafaly'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus majungensis'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus malacophytus'' (Baker) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus manambolensis'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus mangokensis'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus nummulariifolius'' {{small|(Klatt) H.Rob. & B.Kahn}} * ''Distephanus ochroleucus'' (Baker) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus plumosus'' {{small|(O.Hoffm.) Mesfin}} * ''Distephanus poissonii'' {{small|(Humbert) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus polygalifolius'' (Less.) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus populifolius'' (Lam.) Cass. * ''Distephanus qazmi'' N.Kilian & A.G.Mill.<ref name="kilian2000">Norbert Kilian and Anthony G. Miller. 2000. Studies in the Compositae of the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra - 5. ''Distephanus qazmi'' (Vernonieae, Gymnantheminae), a remarkable new species from the island of Socotra, Yemen. Willdenowia 30(1):83-91.</ref> * ''Distephanus quartziticola'' {{small|(Humbert) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus rhodopappus'' {{small|(Baker) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus rochonioides'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus spiciformis'' {{small|(Klatt) V.A.Funk & H.Rob.}} * ''Distephanus streptocladus'' (Baker) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus subluteus'' (Scott-Elliot) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus swinglei'' (Humbert) H.Rob. & B.Kahn * ''Distephanus trinervis'' Bojer ex DC. {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.botany.si.edu/ing/INGsearch.cfm?searchword=Distephanus ''Distephanus''] At: [http://www.botany.si.edu/ing/ Index Nominum Genericorum] At: [http://www.botany.si.edu/index.htm?references References] At: [http://www.botany.si.edu/index.htm NMNH Department of Botany] At: [http://www.mnh.si.edu/rc/ Research and Collections] At: [http://www.mnh.si.edu/ Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180055/http://www.compositae.org/pdf/CB_Classification Classification (compositae book, chapter 11] At: [https://web.archive.org/web/20180321193550/http://compositae.org/ The International Compositae Alliance] * [http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9780849326769 CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: D-L] At: [http://www.crcpress.com/ecommerce_product/browse_book_categories.jsf?category=LIF02A Botany & Plant Science] At: [http://www.crcpress.com/ecommerce_product/browse_book_categories.jsf?category=LIF Life Science] At: [http://www.crcpress.com/ CRC Press]

Category:Distephanus Category:Asteraceae genera Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Category:Taxa named by Henri Cassini