Editing Smilax sect. Nemexia

{{Short description|Group of flowering plants}}
{{Redirect|Nemexia|the game|Nemexia (video game)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Smilax lasioneura kz02.jpg
| image_caption = ''Smilax lasioneura''
| taxon = Smilax sect. Nemexia
| authority = (Raf.) A.DC. & C.DC.
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = ''[[Smilax biltmoreana]]'' Small
* ''[[Smilax ecirrhata]]'' (Engelman.) S. Wats.
* ''[[Smilax herbacea]]'' L.
* ''[[Smilax hugeri]]'' Small
* ''[[Smilax lasioneura]]'' (Hook.) Rydb.
* ''[[Smilax pseudochina]]'' L.
* ''[[Smilax pulverulenta]]'' (Michx.) Small
}}

'''''Smilax'' sect. ''Nemexia''''' is a [[section (botany)|section]] of [[plant]]s in the family [[Smilacaceae]]. It consists of the [[herbaceous]] plants within the genus ''[[Smilax]]''. ''Smilax'' species fall into two groups with distinctive morphologies: one group has woody [[perennial plant|perennial]] stems with thorns and a vining habit, while the other group has herbaceous stems that die back to the ground each winter. ''S.''&nbsp;sect. ''Nemexia'' is the [[taxon]] that comprises the herbaceous species. In the past it was often a genus of its own under the name '''''Nemexia''''' and taxonomists still need further study of the species of ''Smilax'' to determine its proper rank.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&issn=0007-196X&volume=056&issue=02&page=0166 | title=Brittonia }}</ref><ref name="Fu 2005">Fu, C., H. Kong, Y. Qiu, K. M. Cameron. 2005. [http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/427200 Molecular phylogeny of the East Asian-North American disjunct ''Smilax'' sect. ''Nemexia'' (Smilacaceae).] ''International Journal of Plant Sciences'', 166(2): 301-309.</ref> However the widely accepted [[plant taxonomy|taxonomic]] system of the ''[[Flora of North America]]'' does not recognize ''Nemexia'', nor does the [http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/welcome.html AP-site]. Thus ''Nemexia'' is not currently considered an accepted genus [[taxon]] by most plant taxonomists.<ref>[http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/synonyms.asp?plantID=3965 ISB: Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The plants in ''Smilax'', are called [[carrion flower]]s for their malodorous [[flower]]s and those plants included in section ''Nemexia'' also have flowers that smell like rotten meat.  The herbaceous species have greenish-yellow flowers and bloom in spring, they are [[fly]] pollinated.

==Phylogenetic relationships==
Cladistic analysis among several members of the section was carried out in 2005 on several gene sequences, including the [[plastid]] ''trnL-F'' and ''rpl16'' sequences and the nuclear [[internal transcribed spacer]]. The eastern North American species in the morphologically variable ''S.&nbsp;herbacea'' complex form a sister group to the western North American ''S.&nbsp;jamesii''. The analysis did not conclusively clarify whether the ''S.&nbsp;herbacea'' complex should be recognized as different species. The two East Asian species, ''S.&nbsp;riparia'' and ''S.&nbsp;nipponica'', formed two well-defined clades. It is hypothesized that the ancestor of this section evolved in Asia and spread to North America via the [[Beringia|Bering Strait land bridge]].<ref name="Fu 2005" />

{{cladogram|align=left|width=350|caption=A summary of the consensus of 10,000 [[Occam's razor|parsimonious]] [[cladistics|cladograms]] based on the combination of ''trnL-F'', ''rpl16'', and [[internal transcribed spacer]] sequences from the [[taxon|taxa]] used in the analysis. ''[[Heterosmilax japonica|Heterosmilax&nbsp;japonica]]'' and ''[[Smilax tsinchengshanensis|S.&nbsp;tsinchengshanensis]]'' were used as the [[Outgroup (cladistics)|outgroup]]. Some species were represented by multiple populations; '''*''' indicates a species that appears twice, suggesting [[polyphyly]].<ref name="Fu 2005" />
|clades={{clade|style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%
|1={{clade
  |1={{clade
    |1={{clade
      |1={{clade
        |1={{clade
          |1=&nbsp;''[[Smilax biltmoreana|S.&nbsp;biltmoreana]]''
          |2=&nbsp;''[[Smilax pulverulenta|S.&nbsp;pulverulenta]]''
          }}
        |2={{clade
          |1=&nbsp;''[[Smilax herbacea|S.&nbsp;herbacea]]''&nbsp;'''*'''
          |2=&nbsp;''[[Smilax hugeri|S.&nbsp;hugeri]]''
          }}
        |3=&nbsp;''[[Smilax herbacea|S.&nbsp;herbacea]]''&nbsp;'''*'''
        |4=&nbsp;''[[Smilax lasioneuron|S.&nbsp;lasioneuron]]''
        }}
      |2=&nbsp;''[[Smilax jamesii|S.&nbsp;jamesii]]''
      }}
    |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
        |1=&nbsp;[[Smilax riparia|''S.&nbsp;riparia''&nbsp;var.&nbsp;''riparia'']]
        |2=&nbsp;[[Smilax riparia|''S.&nbsp;riparia''&nbsp;var.&nbsp;''acuminata'']]
        }}
      |2=&nbsp;''[[Smilax nipponica|S.&nbsp;nipponica]]''
      }}
    }}
  |2=&nbsp;''[[Smilax tsinchengshanensis|S.&nbsp;tsinchengshanensis]]''
  }}
|2=&nbsp;''[[Heterosmilax japonica]]''
}}
}}
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
:* [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/www/smilacac.htm Smilacaceae] in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). ''[http://delta-intkey.com/angio/ The families of flowering plants]: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval.'' Version: 9 March 2006. http://delta-intkey.com.
:* [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=10827 Smilacaceae in ''Flora of North America'']
:* [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gateway_family?fam=Smilacaceae links at CSDL, Texas]

The current entry states "The two East Asian species, S. riparia and S. nipponica, formed two well-defined clades."  But according to the abstract of reference 2 (Fu et al. 2005) "Results strongly  support a clade of two well-defined East Asian species, Smilax riparia and S. nipponica."  Thus, the entry should read:

"The two East Asian species, S. riparia and S. nipponica, formed a clade."

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3338007}}

[[Category:Smilacaceae]]
[[Category:Plant sections]]