Zygophyllum
| Zygophyllum | |
|---|---|
| Zygophyllum fabago | |
| Zygophyllum sp. flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Zygophyllales |
| Family: | Zygophyllaceae |
| Subfamily: | Zygophylloideae |
| Genus: | Zygophyllum L. |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
Zygophyllum is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν (zygon), meaning "double", and φυλλον (phyllon), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves, each of which have two leaflets.
The genus is distributed in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, central Asia, Australia, and North and South America. Molecular phylogenetic analysis suggested that as previously circumscribed, Zygophyllum was not monophyletic, and the genus was split among a number of other genera, including Augea, Fagonia, Roepera and Tetraena. As of February 2024, Plants of the World Online accepted only Roepera of these genera, regarding Augea, Fagonia and Tetraena as synonyms of Zygophyllum.