Thesium humifusum

Thesium humifusum is a species of hemiparasitic flowering plant in the family Santalaceae found in western Europe and north-western Africa, known as bastard-toadflax.

Thesium humifusum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Thesium
Species:
T. humifusum
Binomial name
Thesium humifusum

Distribution

Within continental Europe, Thesium humifusum is found throughout France,[1] Spain[2] and Italy.[3] In the Netherlands, it is very rare, being now restricted to a single dune system near Katwijk aan Zee.[4] In Belgium, it can be found in coastal dunes in Flanders, and perhaps one site in Wallonia.[5] It is the only species of Thesium in Great Britain,[6] and is there considered 'scarce'.[7] Thesium humifusum may also occur in parts of North Africa.[8]

Ecology

Thesium humifusum is a hemiparasitic plant that steals nutrients from hedge bedstraw (Galium album) or lady's bedstraw (Galium verum).[4] Although it can be abundant in appropriate habitats, its low growth habit and inconspicuous flowers mean that it is often overlooked.[7] In Great Britain, it is restricted to downlands over chalk or oolitic limestone in southern England.[9] Elsewhere, it may also grow in sand dune systems.[4]

Description

Thesium humifusum usually grows flat along the ground, only occasionally producing more erect flowering stems. Its leaves are a yellowish green colour and are strap-shaped and up to 25 mm (1 in) long, with a single central vein. The flowers are also yellowish, and only 2–3 mm (0.08–0.1 in) long. They have five tepals, five stamens, and a single ovary with three ovules and one style.[6][4]

Taxonomy

Thesium humifusum was first described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in the 1815 third edition of his Flore Française.[8] In English, it is known simply as 'bastard-toadflax'.[6]

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References
  1. "Thesium humifusum". eFlore: L'encyclopédie botanique collaborative. Tela Botanica. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  2. J. Pedrol & M. Laínz (1997). "Thesium L.". In Santiago Castroviejo Bolibar (ed.). Haloragaceae–Euphorbiaceae. Flora Iberica. 8. Madrid: Real Jardín Botánico. pp. 152–159. ISBN 84-00-07654-0.
  3. "Thesium humifusum DC". Flora Italiana. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  4. Niko Buiten & René van Moorsel (2015). "Thesium humifusum DC., liggend bergvlas". FLORON Verspreidingsatlas. NDFF. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  5. K. M. Dijkstra. "Liggend bergvlas – Thesium humifusum". Wilde planten in Nederland en België. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  6. Clive A. Stace (2019). "Santalaceae – bastard-toadflax family". New Flora of the British Isles (4th ed.). C&M Floristics. pp. 451–452. ISBN 978-1-5272-26302.
  7. T. C. E. Wells (1994). "Thesium humifusum". In A. Stewart; D. A. Pearman; C. D. Preston (eds.). Scarce Plants in Britain. Peterborough, UK: JNCC. ISBN 978-1873701669.
  8. "Thesium humifusum DC". The Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem. 2006. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  9. "Thesium humifusum". Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Biological Records Centre. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
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