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Stayneria (or 'White-flowered Mesemb'[2][3]) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Aizoaceae.[4] It just contains one species, Stayneria neilii (L.Bolus) L.Bolus[4] It is in the Subfamily of Ruschioideae and Tribe of Ruschieae.[5]

Stayneria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Aizoaceae
Genus:	Stayneria L.Bolus
Synonyms[1]
Ruschia neilii L.Bolus Stayneria littlewoodii L.Bolus

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]

References

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