Rhytidocaulon

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Diaphoretickes
Cladus: CAM
Cladus: Archaeplastida
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Gentianales

Familia: Apocynaceae
Subfamilia: Asclepiadoideae
Tribus: Ceropegieae
Subtribus: Stapeliinae
Genus: Rhytidocaulon
Species: R. arachnoideum – R. baricum – R. ciliatum – R. elegantissimum – R. fulleri – R. macrolobum – R. mccoyi – R. molamatarense – R. paradoxum – R. piliferum – R. pseudosubscandens – R. richardianum – R. sheilae – R. specksii – R. splendidum – R. subscandens – R. tortum
Name

Rhytidocaulon P.R.O.Bally, Candollea 18: 335. (1963), nom. cons.

Type species: Rhytidocaulon subscandens P.R.O.Bally, Candollea 18: 337. (1963)

Synonyms

Homotypic
Ceropegia sect. Rhytidocaulon (P.R.O.Bally) Bruyns, S. African J. Bot. 112: 414. (2017)

Note: A possible synonym of Ceropegia s.l. (Bruyns et al., 2017 & Hassler, 2022 c.f. Govaerts et al., 2022).
References
Bally, P.R.O. 1963. Candollea; Organe du Conservatoire et du Jardin Botaniques de la Ville de Genève 18: 335.
Bruyns, P.V., Klak, C. & Hanáček, P. 2017. A revised, phylogenetically-based concept of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae). South African Journal of Botany 112: 399–436. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2017.06.021 Open access Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Rhytidocaulon in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 Mar. 13. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2022. Rhytidocaulon. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 Mar. 14. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Rhytidocaulon. Published online. Accessed: Mar. 13 2022. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2022. Rhytidocaulon. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 13 Mar. 2022. Reference page.

Rhytidocaulon is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae, first described in 1962.[1][2] It is native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula

Species

Species accepted by the Plants of the World Online as of February 2023:[3]

Rhytidocaulon arachnoideum T.A.McCoy
Rhytidocaulon baricum Thulin
Rhytidocaulon ciliatum Hanácek & Ricánek
Rhytidocaulon elegantissimum Hanácek & Ricánek
Rhytidocaulon fulleri Lavranos & Mortimer
Rhytidocaulon macrolobum Lavranos
Rhytidocaulon mccoyi Lavranos & Mies
Rhytidocaulon molamatarense T.A.McCoy & Plowes
Rhytidocaulon paradoxum P.R.O.Bally - Ethiopia
Rhytidocaulon piliferum Lavranos - Somalia
Rhytidocaulon pseudosubscandens T.A.McCoy
Rhytidocaulon richardianum Lavranos - Somalia
Rhytidocaulon sheilae D.V.Field
Rhytidocaulon specksii T.A.McCoy
Rhytidocaulon splendidum T.A.McCoy
Rhytidocaulon subscandens P.R.O.Bally - Somalia, Ethiopia
Rhytidocaulon tortum (N.E.Br.) M.G.Gilbert - Arabia

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic studies have shown the genus to be monophyletic, and most closely related to the genus Echidnopsis which inhabits the same region. Marginally more distantly related is a sister branch comprising the genus Pseudolithos and the widespread Caralluma stapeliads of North Africa.[4]
References

Bally, Peter René Oscar. 1962. Candollea 18: 335
Tropicos, genus Rhytidocaulon
"Rhytidocaulon P.R.O.Bally". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
P. Bruyns, C. Klak, P. Hanacek: Evolution of the stapeliads (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae) - repeated major radiation across Africa in an Old World group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 2014. v. 77, no. 1, p. 251--263. ISSN 1055-7903.