Re: Goatweed and Lysimachia

> <<  I was surprised to learn that Lysimachia
>  nummularia and L. punctata are in same family!
>  
>  Nummularia is low-growing "creeping jenny" and Punctata
>  is tall, yellow-flowering, "Loosestrife". 
>  Would someone explain
>  how these two could be related? >>
> 
> If you think these two are different, you should see  Lysimachia clethroides,
> Gooseneck Loosestrife.  (Great plant, by the way.) These three seemingly very
> diverse plants are in the same genus because they share characteristics which
> must be obvious only to taxomonists.   Similar flowers and fruits are most
> widely used  used to classify plants.  It can also be roots, stems, leaves,
> etc.  The leaves of these three are very different.  It is probably some
> similarity of the reproductive structures, but in this case, whatever it is
> escapes me.   Are there any taxonomists out there?  I would like to know the
> answer to this, too.  --Janis

Well, Lysimachia is in the Primulaceae family which is descended from
Magnoliophya -> Magnoliopsida -> Dilleniidae -> Primulales.

Primulaceae includes the genera Cyclamen, Soldanella, Cortusa, Primula,
Dodecatheon, Anagallis, and Lysimachia.

These plants all exhibit the same floral/reproductive characteristics.
Unlike other plants in the Dilleniidae, these have a sympetalous 
corolla and a few stamens together with an ovary with free-center
placentation (corolla fused into a single "unit" with ovaries 
attached to a single axis without any supporting carpel tissue 
(somehow I don't think that my parenthetical notes are helping make
this more English-like)).  On plants in this family, the corolla 
tube is usually so short that the petals still look distinct. 
There are usually 5 carpels (the innermost parts of a complete flower),
and they're wholly connate with unlobed stigma (think of the
pointy part of a shooting star (i.e.  

   http://www.mallorn.com/pom/May97/

)).  

From within Primulaceae proper, Lysimachia is distinguished from the
other genera (generally speaking :) by its non-umbellate inflorescence,
cauline leaves that are opposite or whorled, and (most importantly)
the longitudinally dehiscent capsules.

Does that answer your question?  :)

Derived with a little bit of help from Walters & Keil's "Vascular
Plant Taxonomy" and Swink & Wilhelm's "Plants of the Chicago Region."

Chris (a taxonomist wannabe)
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