Cytinaceae A. Rich.

Family Description

Distribution Map

List of Genera

Photographs

Bdallophytum americanum

(= B. bambusorum). Also being spelled Bdallophyton

• Immature and mature inflorescences and young inflorescences emerging from excavated host root. Near Juigalpa, Nicaragua. Photo by Job Kuijt.
• Male plant and female plant parasitic on roots of Bursera, Centro de Investigaciones Costeras La Mancha, Veracruz, Mexico. Photo by José G. García-Franco.
• Photos. Staminate and carpellate flowers.  Nicaragua. Photos by Olga Martha Montiel, voucher by Stevens (20527). Link goes to TROPICOS.
• Bdallophytum americanum. Infructescence. August 1990. Photo by J. Mauseth.
• Photos Chiapas. Mexico.  Link goes to Flora of the World.
  

Bdallophytum caesareum

• This plant was originally published as a new genus and species, Sanguisuga caesarea: Fernández-Alonso, J. and H. Cuadros-Villalobos. 2012. Sanguisuga, un género nuevo neotropical de Cytinaceae y una conexión sudamericana en la familia. Caldasia 34: 291-308. Having carefully reviewed the manuscript, I (DLN) indicated this would better be placed in the genus Bdallophytum. The authors did not agree, hence the publication above. In February 2018 the self-publication by Plant Gateway entitled "The Global Flora: A practical flora to the vascular plant species of the world" came out. Under no. 244 we read "We do not think the parasitic species found in Colombia in 2012 morphologically differs enough from the Central American Bdallophytum Eichler to warrant generic status." With this short justification they then made the combination Bdallophytum caesareum (Fern.Alonso & H.Cuadros) Byng & Christenh. It is unfortunate that no molecular data were obtained to support this taxonomic decision.
• Photos of the plant can be found HERE on PhytoImages.

Cytinus baronii

• Photo.  Flowers in tight inflorescence emerging from host (Croton) bark.  Masoala peninsula, West coast, Andranobe, Madagascar.  Photo by S. Malcomber (voucher 2804A).  Link goes to TROPICOS.

Cytinus capensis

• Photos by Nina Hobbhan. Link goes to Biodiversity Explorer: The Web of Life in Southern Africa.
• Old flowers, forming fruits, growing at the base of host plant, Diosma hirsuta (Rutaceae). South Africa. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."
• Inflorescence. Portions of plant exposed to light become colored. South Africa. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."

Cytinus hypocistis

• Plant parasitic on Cistus ladenifer, Spain. Photograph by Iñigo Sanchez.
• Plant parasitic on Cistus, Spain. Photograph by Peter Phillipson.
• Plants with flower buds and plants in flower. Fango River, Corsica, France. From Plant Image Gallery by Thomas Schoepke.
• Close-up of flowers. Spain. Photo by Willem Meijer.
• Photos from everyone. Link goes to Flickr.
• Photos. Plant in flower. Spain, Almeria Cabo de Gata. Link goes to Flora of the World.

Cytinus ruber

• Inflorescence, excavated, attached to host root, inflorescence L.S., young floral buds on inflorescence emerging from the soil, inflorescence with opening flower buds, close-up of flower. Greece (Samos). Photos by Th. Fabbro and Th. Zumbrunn. See the Botanical Image Database.
• Inflorescence close-up.  Photo by W. Barthlott March 1986.
• Plant in flower,  close-up of flower. Bachas, Mallorca, Spain. Photos from Plant Image Gallery by Thomas Schoepke.
• Fruits. Plant cultivated at the Bonn Botanical Garden. Photograph by D. L. Nickrent.
• Plants cultivated on Cistus by Rafael Govaerts (no. 9900023) at Kew Botanical Garden. Photo by R. Govaerts (fall 2001).
• One and two closer views of the Cytinus shoots emerging from the soil at the base of the host plant. Photos by R. Govaerts.
• Photos from everyone. Link goes to Flickr.

Cytinus sanguineus

• Photos of male plants (this species is dioecious). This species is considered by some to be conspecific with C. capensis (hence C. sanguineus a synonym of C. capensis). Photos by Meredith Cosgrove in South Africa. Link goes to PhytoImages.
• Flowers emerging from host roots. South Africa. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."
• Flowers emerging in a series along the host root. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."
• Close-up of interior of flower. Birds are usually implicated as the main pollinators owing to the bright red coloration and the presence of floral cavities (each containing ca.300 µl of nectar) surrounded by glandular hairs on the yellow rim. Visser hypothesizes that ants may also assist in pollination. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."
• One view and a second of the fruits. At the foot of dunes on the beach near Sedgefield (between George and Knysna), South Africa. "SOPHY" : Banque de données Botaniques et Ecologiques. Présentation de photographies de plantes d’Afrique du sud et Namibie. Photo by Henry Brisse.

Cytinus visseri

• Flowers. Plant (at this time unnamed) from Northern Transvaal. Photo from J. Visser (1981), "South African Parasitic Flowering Plants."
• Habit of plant. Photo 1 and photo2. This new species, recently named by Smithies and Burgoyne in honor of Dr. JohannVisser. Long Tom Pass, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Photos by Mark Mort.
• Dissected flowers, on light background and dark background. Same location as above. Photos by Mark Mort.
• The flowers of Cytinus visseri are visited by elephant shrews, guided their by the smell. The volatile compounds are being explored by Stefan Dötteri at the University of Bayreuth. His work is described on this PAGE (in German); check out the video near the bottom of the page showing the shrew pollinating Cytinus!

Cytinus species novum (possibly)

• Unopened flower bud and opened flower bud. Madagascar, Prov. Antsiranana, Masoala Peninsula. Photograph by George E. Schatz [no. 3697, Schatz et al. 17 Nov 1996].
• Female flower.  This is possibly the same species as Schatz 3697 (above). Marojejy National Park, Madagascar.  Photo by Erik Patel.

Phylogeny

References