Sphaerocoma
{{Short description|Genus of plants}}
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| genus = Sphaerocoma
| parent_authority = T.Anderson
| species = hookeri
| authority = T.Anderson
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Sphaerocoma is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Caryophyllaceae. The only species is Sphaerocoma hookeri.{{cite web |title=Sphaerocoma T.Anderson {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:6470-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |access-date=12 February 2023 |language=en}}
Its native range is Egypt to Northeastern Tropical Africa (Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia), Sinai Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, southern Iran, and southwestern Pakistan.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:
- Sphaerocoma hookeri subsp. aucheri (Boiss.) Kool & Thulin – Arabian Peninsula, southern Iran, and southwestern Pakistan
- Sphaerocoma hookeri subsp. hookeri – Egypt, Eritrea, Sinai, Socotra, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen
Ecology
In the South Iran Nubo–Sindian desert and semi-desert ecoregion of southern Iran and southwestern Pakistan, Sphaerocoma hookeri subsp. aucheri in association with Euphorbia larica forms one of the ecoregion's typical plant communities.Takhtajan, A. L. (1986). Floristic Regions of the World. University of California Press, Berkeley. QK 101.T313 1986 ISBN 0-520-04027-9
References
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Category:Monotypic Caryophyllaceae genera
Category:Flora of the Arabian Peninsula