Hedbergia

Hedbergia is a monotypic genus of flowering plants, initially classified in Scrophulariaceae, and now within the broomrape family Orobanchaceae.[2] It contains a unique species, Hedbergia abyssinica.[1] It is an afromontane genus, widespread in grasslands and scrubs of the mountains of tropical Africa, and known from Ethiopia, Zaire, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Nigeria, and Cameroons.[2]

Hedbergia
Holotype of Hedbergia abyssinica (herbarium specimen).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Tribe:	Rhinantheae
Genus:	Hedbergia L.
Species:	H. abyssinica
Binomial name
Hedbergia abyssinica (Benth.) Molau
Synonyms[1]
Alectra abyssinica A.Rich. Alectra petitiana A.Rich. Bartsia abyssinica Benth. Bartsia abyssinica Hochst. ex A.Rich. Bartsia abyssinica var. nyikensis (R.E.Fr.) Hedberg & al. Bartsia abyssinica var. petitiana (A.Rich.) Hedberg & al. Bartsia elgonensis R.E.Fr. Bartsia mannii Hemsl. Bartsia nyikensis R.E.Fr. Bartsia petitiana (A.Rich.) Hemsl.

The genus name is a taxonomic patronym honoring the Swedish botanist Karl Olov Hedberg.

Description

Hedbergia abyssinica is a 1–2.5 feet (30–76 cm) high, very hispid perennial plant, with subsessile thick leaves, and densely crowded, white to pink or magenta flowers.[3][2]

Phylogeny

The phylogeny of the genera of Rhinantheae has been explored using molecular characters.[4][5] Hedbergia belongs to the core Rhinantheae. Hedbergia is closely related to Odontites, Bellardia, and Tozzia. In turn, these genera share phylogenetic affinities with Euphrasia, and then with Bartsia.

Genus-level cladogram of tribe Rhinantheae.

Rhinantheae               Melampyrum                     Rhynchocorys                   Lathraea       Rhinanthus         Core Rhinantheae               Bartsia sensu stricto (Bartsia alpina)                 Euphrasia                 Tozzia       Hedbergia   (including Bartsia decurva + B. longiflora)                 Bellardia                 Neobartsia (New World Bartsia)       Parentucellia           Odontites sensu lato   (including Bornmuellerantha   and Bartsiella)

The cladogram has been reconstructed from nuclear and plastid DNA molecular characters (ITS, rps16 intron and trnK region).[4][5]

References

1. "Hedbergia abyssinica (Benth.) Molau – The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
2. Molau, Ulf (1988). "Hedbergia, a new genus of Scrophulariaceae from Africa". Nordic Journal of Botany. 8 (2): 193–195. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1988.tb00500.x. ISSN 1756-1051.
3. "BARTSIA abyssinica Hochst. ex Benth. [family SCROPHULARIACEAE]". Global Plants. JSTOR. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
4. Těšitel, Jakub; Říha, Pavel; Svobodová, Šárka; Malinová, Tamara; Štech, Milan (2010-10-28). "Phylogeny, Life History Evolution and Biogeography of the Rhinanthoid Orobanchaceae". Folia Geobotanica. 45 (4): 347–367. doi:10.1007/s12224-010-9089-y. ISSN 1211-9520.
5. Scheunert, Agnes; Fleischmann, Andreas; Olano-Marín, Catalina; Bräuchler, Christian; Heubl, Günther (2012-12-14). "Phylogeny of tribe Rhinantheae (Orobanchaceae) with a focus on biogeography, cytology and re-examination of generic concepts". Taxon. 61 (6): 1269–1285. doi:10.1002/tax.616008.