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Image Title: Monophyllaea horsfieldii R.Br., Cultivated at the Botanical Garden Vienna
Image Credit: Anton Weber, University of Vienna
AJB Editor: Karl Niklas, Cornell University
Intended End User: Teacher, Student
License Details: BSA - Terms for Image Use
Copyright held by: BSA,
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About the Image

Monophyllaea horsfieldii R.Br., cultivated at the Botanical Garden Vienna (HBV), grown from seeds collected by Dr. Kwiton Jong at Batu Caves, Selangor, West Malaysia. The plant represents a giant seedling, with the stem corresponding to the hypocotyl and the single leaf to an enormously enlarged cotyledon. As flowers and fruits are produced in the seedling stage, Monophyllaea provides a perfect example of neoteny in the plant kingdom. The genus belongs to the morphologically and biogeographically noteworthy tribe Epithemateae of Gesneriaceae.

Link to the AJB Abstract for the article:

Phylogenetic position and generic differentiation of Epithemateae (Gesneriaceae) inferred from plastid DNA sequence data

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