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 | |
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| Frantzia tacaco | |
Scientific classification 
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| 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 edit
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 edit
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
Phylogenetics edit
Frantzia is sister to the Echinopepon genus within the Sicyoeae tribe. Phylogenetic studies suggest these relationships:[1][3]
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References edit
- ^ a b c "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.
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