Echidnopsis (Genus)
A group of succulent plants in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1871 (Hooker 1871). They are native to eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra Island.
There are about 34 species with accepted names in the genus (Anonymous 2018). The genus is considered to be monophyletic, which means its members are decedents of a common ancestor (Bruyns, Klak, and Hanáček 2014).
The genus name means “viper-like” referring to the snake-like shape of its member species.
Species of Echidnopsis on this website:
References:
Anonymous. 2018. The Plant List 1.1.. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Echidnopsis [accessed 19 October 2018]
Bruyns PV, C. Klak, P. Hanáček. 2014. Evolution of the stapeliads (Apocynaceae–Asclepiadoideae) – repeated major radiation across Africa in an Old World group. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 77:251-63. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790314001225DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.03.022.
Hooker JD. 1871. Botanical Magazine. V97, Plate 5930. http://www.botanicus.org/page/439845 [accessed 20 October 2018].
Page last updated 20 October 2018.