Lepidobotrys is a flowering plant genus in the family Lepidobotryaceae. It contains only one species, Lepidobotrys staudtii.[2] L. staudtii is a small African tree, ranging from Cameroon eastward to Ethiopia.[3]
| Lepidobotrys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lepidobotrys staudtii, from Vegetation der Erde (1915) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Celastrales |
| Family: | Lepidobotryaceae |
| Genus: | Lepidobotrys Engl. |
| Species: | L. staudtii |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepidobotrys staudtii Engl. | |
The tannin 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid is found in L. staudtii.[4]
Taxonomic history
Lepidobotrys staudtii was named and described by Adolf Engler in 1902 and placed by him in the family Linaceae.[5] It was regarded as somewhat of an anomaly and during the 20th century, was assigned to various families by different authors. Hans G. Hallier[6] and Reinhard Knuth[7] put it in Oxalidaceae. In 1950, Jean Leonard became the first to put it in a family by itself, which he thought to be close to Linaceae.[8] Arthur Cronquist, agreeing with Hallier and Knuth, put it in Oxalidaceae.[9] Adding to the confusion was the lack of any strong basis for placing these and related families into orders.
Etymology
Lepidobotrys is derived from Greek, meaning 'scale-cluster'. The name is in reference to the cone-like arrangement of its bracts, which extend under the flowers.[10]
References
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