Lennoa Explained

Lennoa is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Boraginaceae.^[1] It only contains one known species, Lennoa madreporoides Lex. ^[2] It is within the subfamily of Lennoaceae.^[3]

Its native range is Mexico to Venezuela. It is found in the countries of Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela. It is found on hillside elevations from 1000- above sea level.^[4]

It has the common name of Flor de tierra (or “flower of the earth”).^[4] It is a root parasite,^[4] usually found growing on roots of the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). The oval mushroom-like stem is 5- tall and is covered at maturity with small round,^[4] or star-like flowers, which are lavender,^[4] or violet with yellow throats.^[5] They bloom in the fall (autumn).^[4]

The genus name of Lennoa is in honour of Joaquín Leño, a Mexican independence fighter.^[6] It has one known synonym Corallophyllum .^[1] The species has the Latin specific epithet of madreporoides which refers to the genus Madrepora (which in Latin means "mother of pores") and the Greco-Roman suffix -oides ("similar to"), due to its resemblance to this genus of corals.

Both the genus and the species were first described and published in P.de La Llave & J.M.de Lexarza, Nov. Veg. Descr. Vol.1 on page 7 in 1824.^{[1] [2]}

Other sources

• Breedlove, DE 1986. Flora of Chiapas. Florist Listings. Mexico 4: i - v, 1–246.
• CONABIO. 2009. Taxonomic catalog of Mexican species. 1. In Capital Nat. Mexico. CONABIO, Mexico City.
• Davidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2012. Verbenaceae. 4 (2): 453–473. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang * * Cabrera (eds.) Fl. Mesoamer .. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
• Gibson, DN 1970. Lennoaceae. In Standley, PC & LO Williams (eds.), Flora of Guatemala - Part IX, Numbers 1 and 2. Fieldiana, Bot. 24 (9 / 1–2): 96–99.
• Grayum, MH 2007. Lennoaceae. In: Manual of Plants of Costa Rica. Vol. 6. BE Hammel, MH Grayum, C. Herrera & N. Zamora (eds.). Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 111: 187-188.
• Hokche, O., PE Berry & O. Huber. (eds.) 2008. New Cat. Fl. Vasc. Venezuela 1–860. Botanical Institute of Venezuela Foundation, Caracas.
• Stevens, WD, C. Ulloa Ulloa, A. Pool & OM Montiel Jarquín. 2001. Flora of Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: i-xlii,.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lennoa Lex. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 16 May 2021 . en.
2. Web site: Lennoa madreporoides Lex. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 16 October 2021 . en.
3. Yatskievych . George . Mason, Jr. . Charles T. . A Revision of the Lennoaceae . Systematic Botany . October–December 1986 . 11 . 4 . 531–548. 10.2307/2419032 . 2419032 .
4. Paul Schultz Martin (Editor)
5. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1998
6. Book: Burkhardt, Lotte . Verzeichnis eponymischer Pflanzennamen – Erweiterte Edition . Index of Eponymic Plant Names – Extended Edition . Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin . 2018 . 978-3-946292-26-5 . pdf . German . Berlin . 10.3372/epolist2018 . 1 January 2021.