Crossopetalum, commonly known as Christmas-berries or maiden berries, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Celastraceae. It comprises about 30-40 species.
Description Crossopetalum taxa are shrubs or trees, with opposite or whorled persistent leaves with petiole and stipules. Inflorescences are axillary, regrouping white, pale green, reddish, or purplish radially symmetric flowers, with four sepals, four petals, and a four-carpellate pistil. Intrastaminal nectaries are annular and fleshy. Fruits are red drupes, with one-two seeds per fruit. It blooms and fruits all year long.
Etymology The etymology of the genus name Crossopetalum derives from the two Ancient Greek words (), meaning "fringe", and (), meaning "leaf of a flower". It alludes to the fimbriate petals of the type species (C. rhacoma).
The synonym name Myginda is a taxonomic anagram derived from the name of the confamilial genus Gyminda. The latter name is a taxonomic patronym honoring Franz von Mygind (1710 - 1789), a Danish-Austrian court official, who traveled to Barbados, collected plants with herbarium specimens hosted in the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest, and was a friend of Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin.
Systematics According to Plants of the World Online, 36 species are recognized.
Crossopetalum aquifolium (Griseb.) Hitchc. Crossopetalum bokdamii Breteler & Buerki Crossopetalum coriaceum Northr. Crossopetalum cristalense Borhidi Crossopetalum decussatum (Baill.) Lourteig Crossopetalum densiflorum Lundell Crossopetalum ekmanii (Urb.) Alain Crossopetalum enervium Hammel Crossopetalum filipes (Sprague) Lundell Crossopetalum gaumeri (Loes.) Lundell Crossopetalum glabrum Lundell Crossopetalum gomezii Lundell Crossopetalum ilicifolium (Poir.) Kuntze Crossopetalum lanceifolium (Lundell) Lundell Crossopetalum lobatum Lundell Crossopetalum macrocarpum (Brandegee) Lundell Crossopetalum managuatillo (Loes.) Lundell Crossopetalum minimiflorum Lundell Crossopetalum mossambicense I.Darbysh. Crossopetalum orientale Mory Crossopetalum oxyphyllum (S.F.Blake) Lundell Crossopetalum panamense Lundell Crossopetalum parviflorum (Hemsl.) Lundell Crossopetalum parvifolium L.O.Williams Crossopetalum pungens (C.Wright) Rothm. Crossopetalum rhacoma Crantz Crossopetalum riparium (Lundell) Lundell Crossopetalum rostratum (Urb.) Rothm. Crossopetalum scoparium (Hook. & Arn.) Kuntze Crossopetalum serrulatum (Loes.) I.Darbysh. Crossopetalum shaferi (Britton & Urb.) Alain Crossopetalum standleyi (Lundell) Lundell Crossopetalum subsessile L.O.Williams Crossopetalum ternifolium (Urb.) Alain Crossopetalum theodes (Benth.) Kuntze Crossopetalum uragoga (Jacq.) Kuntze
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