Rutheopsis
{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Rutheopsis herbanica
| image = Rutheopsis herbanica.jpg
| taxon = Rutheopsis
| authority = A.Hansen & G.Kunkel
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
- Rutheopsis herbanica {{small|(Bolle) A.Hansen & G.Kunkel}}
- Rutheopsis tortuosa {{small|(Webb & Berthel.) Frank., Reyes-Bet., Reduron & Spalik}}
| synonyms =
- Canaria {{small|Jim.Mejías & P.Vargas}}
- Gliopsis {{small|Rauschert, nom. superfl.}}
- Ruthea {{small|Bolle, nom. illeg.}}
}}
Rutheopsis is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apiaceae. It contains two species, Rutheopsis herbanica and Rutheopsis tortuosa, which are endemic to the Canary Islands.{{cite web |title=Rutheopsis A.Hansen & G.Kunkel {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:40475-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |access-date=16 May 2025|language=en}}
The genus name of Rutheopsis is in honour of Johann Friedrich Ruthe (1788–1859), a German teacher (Oberlehrer), botanist and entomologist.{{cite book | last=Burkhardt | first=Lotte | title=Verzeichnis eponymischer Pflanzennamen – Erweiterte Edition |trans-title=Index of Eponymic Plant Names – Extended Edition | publisher=Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin | year=2018 | isbn=978-3-946292-26-5 | url=https://doi.org/10.3372/epolist2018 |format=pdf |language=German |location=Berlin | doi=10.3372/epolist2018 |access-date=1 January 2021}} The genus has 3 known synonyms; Canaria {{small|Jim.Mejías & P.Vargas}}, Gliopsis {{small|Rauschert}} and Ruthea {{small|Bolle}}. The Latin specific epithet of herbanica refers to being herbaceous.{{cite book | last=Harrison |first=Lorraine | title=RHS Latin for Gardeners | year=2012 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley | location=United Kingdom | isbn=978-1845337315 }}
It was first described and published in Cuad. Bot. Canaria Vol.26-27 on page 61 in 1976.
Both species in the genus are descended from a common ancestor that dispersed from north-western Africa to the Canary Islands. Both plants species are endemic to the Canary Islands and are glabrous perennials with yellow flowers and glabrous, ovoid to oblong fruits with thickened ribs. Rutheopsis herbanica is only found in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Whereas Rutheopsis tortuosa inhabits El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. They do differ somewhat in leaf division and the shape of the leaf lobes but generally they are morphologically similar. Rutheopsis tortuosa was previously placed in the monotypic genus Canaria as Canaria tortuosa. It was renamed Rutheopsis tortuosa in 2021 when Canaria was synonymized with Rutheopsis.{{cite journal |last1=Frankiewicz |first1=Kamil E. |last2=Banasiak |first2=Łukasz |last3=Oskolski |first3=Alexei |last4=Reduron |first4=Jean-Pierre |last5=Reyes-Betancort |first5=Jorge Alfredo |last6=Alsarraf |first6=Mohammed |last7=Trzeciak |first7=Paulina |last8=Spalik |first8=Krzysztof |title=Long-distance dispersal events rather than growth habit and life-history traits affect diversification rate in tribe Apieae (Apiaceae) |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |date=14 June 2021 |volume=198 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.1093/botlinnean/boab032|doi-access=free }}