Calligonum is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with about 41 species native to Northern Africa, Western, South, and Central Asia, and central China.

Description

Plants of the genus Calligonum are shrubs, diffusely but irregularly branched, with flexuous woody branches. Leaves are simple, opposite, nearly sessile, linear or scale-like, sometimes absent or very small, linear or filiform, distinct or united with short membranous ochreae. Flowers are bisexual, solitary or in loose axillary inflorescences. Flowers have persistent, 5-parted perianths not accrescent in fruit, and 10-18 stamens with filaments connate at the base. The ovary is tetragonous.

Taxonomy

The genus Calligonum was first published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is placed in the subfamily Polygonoideae, tribe Calligoneae, along with its sister genus, Pteropyrum.

Species

41 species are accepted.

• Calligonum acanthopterum I.G.Borshch.

• Calligonum alatosetosum Maassoumi & Kazempour

• Calligonum aphyllum (Pall.) Gürke

• Calligonum arborescens Litv.

• Calligonum azel Maire

• Calligonum babakianum Godw.

• Calligonum bakuense Litv.

• Calligonum × barsukiense

• Calligonum bucocladum Bunge

• Calligonum bykovii Godw.

• Calligonum × calcareum

• Calligonum calvescens Maire

• Calligonum caput-medusae Schrenk ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.

• Calligonum comosum

• Calligonum crinitum Boiss.

• Calligonum crispum Bunge

• Calligonum cristatum Bunge

• Calligonum × densum

• Calligonum × dissectum

• Calligonum × dubianskyi

• Calligonum ebinuricum N.A.Ivanova ex Soskov

• Calligonum eriopodum Bunge

• Calligonum inerme

• Calligonum jeminaicum

• Calligonum junceum (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Litv.

• Calligonum klementzii Losinsk.

• Calligonum laristanicum Rech.f. & Schiman-Czeika

• Calligonum leucocladum (Schrenk) Bunge

• Calligonum litwinowii Drobow

• Calligonum macrocarpum I.G.Borshch.

• Calligonum matteianum Drobow

• Calligonum microcarpum I.G.Borshch.

• Calligonum mongolicum Turcz.

• Calligonum murex Bunge

• Calligonum × paletzkianum

• Calligonum polygonoides L.

• Calligonum rubicundum Bunge

• Calligonum santoanum Korovin

• Calligonum schizopterum Rech.f. & Schiman-Czeika

• Calligonum setosum (Litv.) Litv.

• Calligonum spinosetosum Maassoumi & Batooli

• Calligonum × spinulosum

• Calligonum × squarrosum

• Calligonum taklimakanense B.R.Pan & K.M.Shen

• Calligonum tetrapterum Jaub. & Spach

• Calligonum trifarium Z.M.Mao

• Calligonum triste Litv.

• Calligonum turbineum Pavlov

• Calligonum zakirovii

References