Aizoaceae

Aizoaceae
The Aizoaceae, or fig-marigold family, is a large family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1800 species. They are commonly known as ice plants or carpet weeds. They are often called vygies in South Africa and New Zealand. Highly succulent species that resemble stones are sometimes called mesembs.
Description
The family Aizoaceae is widely recognised by taxonomists. It once went by the botanical name "Ficoidaceae", now disallowed. The APG II system of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998) also recognizes the family, and assigns it to the order Caryophyllales in the clade core eudicots. The APG II system also classes the former families Mesembryanthemaceae Fenzl, Sesuviaceae Horan. and Tetragoniaceae Link under the family Aizoaceae.
The common Afrikaans name "vygie" meaning "small fig" refers to the fruiting capsule, which resembles the true fig. Glistening epidermal bladder cells give the family its common name "ice plants".
Most species (96%, 1782 species in 132 genera) in this family are endemic to arid or semiarid parts of Southern Africa in the Succulent Karoo. Much of the Aizoaceae's diversity is found in the Greater Cape Floristic Region, which is the most plant-diverse temperate region in the world. A few species are found in Australia and the Central Pacific area.
Most fig-marigolds are herbaceous, rarely somewhat woody, with sympodial growth and stems either erect or prostrate. Leaves are simple, opposite or alternate, and more or less succulent with entire (or rarely toothed) margins. Flowers are perfect in most species (but unisexual in some), actinomorphic, and appear singularly or in few-flowered cymes developing from the leaf axils. Sepals are typically five (3–8) and more or less connate (fused) below. True petals are absent. However, some species have numerous linear petals derived from staminodes. The seed capsules have one to numerous seeds per cell and are often hygrochastic, dispersing seeds by "jet action" when wet.
Evolution
The radiation of the Aizoaceae, specifically the subfamily Ruschioideae, was one of the most recent among the angiosperms, occurring 1.13–6.49 Mya. It is also one of the fastest radiations ever described in the angiosperms, with a diversification rate of about 4.4 species per million years. This diversification was roughly contemporaneous with major radiations in two other succulent lineages, Cactaceae and Agave.
The family includes many species that use crassulacean acid metabolism as pathway for carbon fixation. Some species in the subfamily Sesuvioideae instead use carbon fixation, which might have evolved multiple times in the group.
Taxonomy
Because of the hyperdiversity of the Aizoaceae and the young age of the clade, many generic and species boundaries are uncertain.
Subfamily Acrosanthoideae
Genera:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomygenuslist?id=3270&type=subfamily |title=GRIN Genera of Aizoaceae subfam. 'Acrosanthoideae |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |access-date=2022-11-10 }}</ref>
Acrosanthes Eckl. & Zeyh.
Subfamily Aizooideae
Genera:
Aizoanthemopsis Klak
Aizoanthemum Dinter ex Friedrich
Aizoon L.
Gunniopsis Pax
Tetragonia L.
Subfamily Mesembryanthemoideae
Genera:
Subfamily Ruschioideae
Genera:
Tribe Ruschieae
Acrodon N.E.Br
Aloinopsis Schwantes
Amphibolia L.Bolus ex A.G.J.Herre
Antegibbaeum Schwantes ex C.Weber
Antimima N.E.Br
Arenifera A.G.J.Herre
Argyroderma N.E.Br
Astridia Dinter
Bergeranthus Schwantes
Bijlia N.E.Br
Braunsia Schwantes
Brianhuntleya Chess. et al.
Carpobrotus N.E.Br
Carruanthus (Schwantes) Schwantes
Cephalophyllum N.E.Br
Cerochlamys N.E.Br
Chasmatophyllum Dinter & Schwantes
Cheiridopsis N.E.Br
Circandra N.E.Br
Conophytum N.E.Br
Corpuscularia Schwantes
Cylindrophyllum Schwantes
Delosperma N.E.Br
Dicrocaulon N.E.Br
Didymaotus N.E.Br
Dinteranthus Schwantes
Diplosoma Schwantes
Disphyma N.E.Br
Dracophilus (Schwantes) Dinter & Schwantes
Drosanthemum Schwantes
Eberlanzia Schwantes
Ebracteola Dinter & Schwantes
Ectotropis N.E.Br
Enarganthe N.E.Br
Erepsia N.E.Br
Esterhuysenia L.Bolus
Faucaria Schwantes
Fenestraria N.E.Br
Frithia N.E.Br
Gibbaeum Haw. ex N.E.Br
Glottiphyllum Haw. ex N.E.Br
Hallianthus H.E.K.Hartmann
Hereroa (Schwantes) Dinter & Schwantes
Ihlenfeldtia H.E.K.Hartmann
Imitaria N.E.Br
Jacobsenia L.Bolus & Schwantes
Jensenobotrya A.G.J.Herre
Jordaaniella H.E.K.Hartmann
Juttadinteria Schwantes
Khadia N.E.Br
Lampranthus N.E.Br
Lapidaria (Dinter & Schwantes) N.E.Br.
Leipoldtia L.Bolus
Lemonanthemum Klak
Lithops N.E.Br
Machairophyllum Schwantes
Malephora N.E.Br
Malotigena Niederle
Marlothistella Schwantes
Mestoklema N.E.Br. ex Glen
Meyerophytum Schwantes
Mitrophyllum Schwantes
Monilaria (Schwantes) Schwantes
Mossia N.E.Br
Muiria N.E.Br
Namaquanthus L.Bolus
Namibia (Schwantes) Schwantes
Nananthus N.E.Br
Nelia Schwantes
Neohenricia L.Bolus
Octopoma N.E.Br
Odontophorus N.E.Br
Oophytum N.E.Br
Orthopterum L.Bolus
Oscularia Schwantes
Ottosonderia L.Bolus
Phiambolia Klak
Pleiospilos N.E.Br
Polymita N.E.Br
Psammophora Dinter & Schwantes
Rabiea N.E.Br
Rhinephyllum N.E.Br
Rhombophyllum (Schwantes) Schwantes
Roosia van Jaarsv.
Ruschia Schwantes
Ruschianthemum Friedrich
Ruschianthus L.Bolus
Sarcozona J.M.Black
Schlechteranthus Schwantes
Schwantesia Dinter
Scopelogena L.Bolus
Smicrostigma N.E.Br
Stayneria L.Bolus
Stoeberia Dinter & Schwantes
Stomatium Schwantes
Tanquana H.E.K.Hartmann & Liede
Titanopsis Schwantes
Trichodiadema Schwantes
Vanheerdea L.Bolus ex H.E.K.Hartmann
Vanzijlia L.Bolus
Vlokia S.A.Hammer
Wooleya L.Bolus
Zeuktophyllum N.E.Br
Subfamily Sesuvioideae
This subfamily includes a number of species.
Genera:
Anisostigma Schinz
Sesuvium L.
Trianthema L.
Tribulocarpus S.Moore
Zaleya Burm.f.
Unplaced genera
Include;
Hammeria
Peersia
Uses
Several genera are cultivated. Lithops, or "living stones", are popular as novelty house plants because of their stone-like appearance.
Some species are edible, including:
Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig, highway ice plant) has edible leaves and fruit.
Mesembryanthemum crystallinum has edible leaves.
Tetragonia tetragonoides ("New Zealand spinach") is grown as a garden plant in somewhat dry climates and used as an alternative to spinach in upscale salads.C. edulis'' was introduced to California in the early 1900s to stabilize soil along railroad tracks and has become invasive. In southern California, ice plants are sometimes used as firewalls; however, they do burn if not carefully maintained.
References
Further reading
External links
Aizoaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants
NCBI Taxonomy Browser
P. Chesselet (2004 onwards). Interactive Mesembs2
Plants of southern Africa (2005 onwards). SANBI
Aizoaceae of South Africa
Family Aizoaceae Flowers in Israel
Aizoaceae in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database
Caryophyllales families
Flora of South Africa
Fynbos
Succulent plants