Calicotome

Calicotome is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. It may be synonymous with Cytisus. All species of the genus are thorny shrubs. The ancient Greeks believed that tyrants in Hades were punished by being beaten with the thorny calycotomes.

Calicotome
Calicotome villosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Genisteae[1]
Genus:	Calicotome Link
Species
5; see text

Species

Calicotome comprises the following species:[2][3][4]

Image	Scientific name	Distribution
	Calicotome infesta (C. Presl) Guss.	Europe
	Calicotome ligustica (Burnat) Fiori	Europe
	Calicotome rigida (Viv.) Maire & Weiller	North Africa
	Calicotome spinosa (L.) Link	Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Algeria
	Calicotome villosa (Poir.) Link	eastern Mediterranean region, Europe

References

1. Cardoso D, Pennington RT, de Queiroz LP, Boatwright JS, Van Wyk BE, Wojciechowski MF, Lavin M (2013). "Reconstructing the deep-branching relationships of the papilionoid legumes". S Afr J Bot. 89: 58–75. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2013.05.001.
2. "ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Calicotome". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
3. USDA; ARS; National Genetic Resources Program. "GRIN species records of Calicotome". Germplasm Resources Information Network—(GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
4. "The Plant List entry for Calicotome". The Plant List. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden. 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2014.

External links