Frantzia
Frantzia is a genus of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae containing around 6 species of herbaceous climbers with tuberous roots. All members grow in forest and secondary scrub in Central America where tacaco (Frantzia tacaco) is a widely cultivated vegetable.
| Frantzia | |
|---|---|
_tacaco_-_Costa_Rica.jpg.webp) | |
| Frantzia tacaco | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cucurbitoideae |
| Tribe: | Sicyoeae |
| Genus: | Frantzia Pittier |
| Species | |
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Description
Frantzia species can reach several meters long. Flowers are small and monoecious with male flowers produced in racemes and female flowers either solitary or in groups of 2-5. Leaves are simple, long-petiolate, with palmately lobed or angulate blade.[1]
Taxonomy
The accepted species according to the Catalogue of Life are:[2]
- Frantzia panamensis Wunderlin
- Frantzia pittieri (Cogn.) Pittier
- Frantzia tacaco (Pittier) Wunderlin
- Frantzia talamancensis Wunderlin
- Frantzia venosa L. D. Gómez
- Frantzia villosa Wunderlin
Frantzia is placed in the Sicyoeae tribe.[1]
Phylogenetics
Frantzia is sister to the Echinopepon genus within the Sicyoeae tribe. Phylogenetic studies suggest these relationships:[1][3]
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References
- "Frantzia | Cucurbitaceae". The Cucurbit Website. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- "COL | Frantzia Pittier". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- "Radiation following long-distance dispersal: The contributions of time, opportunity and diaspore morphology in Sicyos (Cucurbitaceae)". Journal of Biogeography. 39 (8): 1427–1438. 2012. doi:10.2307/23258814.