Species of flowering plant
Stayneria (or 'white-flowered mesemb'[2][3]) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Aizoaceae.[4] It contains a single species, Stayneria neilii.[4] It is in the subfamily Ruschioideae and the tribe Ruschieae.[5]
It is native to the Cape Provinces of the South African Republic.[4] It grows on acid, quartzitic sandstone soil among rocks with taller shrubby vegetation.[6]
Conservation status
It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Data List due to habitat loss caused by the expansion of nearby vineyards.[6]
Description
Stayneria neilii is a stout woody shrub of up to 1.5 m in height, bearing reddish brown stems with persistent hardened remains of old leaves. The stem-clasping leaves are dark green, three-sided with a sharp bottom edge and smell like berries. Fragrant leaves in the Aizoaceae family are uncommon and therefore this is an almost unique characteristic rarely found in other genera. Small daisy-like white to pink flowers are arranged in terminal groups of three to seven and borne during the winter and early spring (July to September in the southern hemisphere).[6]
Taxonomy
The genus name of Stayneria is in honour of Frank J. Stayner (1907–1981), a South African horticulturist and specialist in succulents. He was also the curator at the Karoo botanical garden.[7][8] The Latin specific epithet of neilii refers to the 20th century South African dairy farmer and nurseryman Mr Neil.[6] The genus was first described and published in J. S. African Bot. Vol.27 on page 47 in 1960.[4] The species was published in J. S. African Bot. Vol.33 on page 306 in 1967.[1]
The genus is recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service, but they do not list any known species.[9]
