Scheuchzeriaceae

Scheuchzeriaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes two genera, Scheuchzeria and Pleuricospora, both of which are native to South America. The family is named after the Swiss botanist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, who first described the plants in the 18th century. Scheuchzeriaceae is a small family, with only about 15 known species, all of which are herbaceous and perennial.

Scheuchzeria is the larger of the two genera, with 14 species, all of which are native to the Andes region of South America. The plants are characterized by their simple, alternate leaves and small, white or pink flowers that are arranged in clusters at the ends of the stems. The flowers are typically less than 1 cm in diameter and have five petals and five sepals.

Pleuricospora, on the other hand, is a monotypic genus with a single species, Pleuricospora buxifolia. This plant is native to the southern Andes and is characterized by its large, leathery leaves that are arranged in a spiral pattern around the stem. The leaves are typically 10-20 cm long and 5-10 cm wide, and they have a distinctive buxus-like appearance. The flowers of Pleuricospora are small, white, and arranged in clusters at the ends of the stems, similar to those of Scheuchzeria.

Scheuchzeriaceae is a relatively obscure family of plants, and little is known about their biology and ecology. However, they are of interest to botanists due to their unique morphology and their distribution in the Andes region. The family is not currently recognized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, but it is included in some other classification systems, such as the APG III system.