Pitcairnia [SEP] parent taxon
Pitcairnia
Pitcairnia is a genus of plants in the family Bromeliaceae, subfamily Pitcairnioideae. It was named for Dr. William Pitcairn, English physician and gardener (1711-1791). The genus "Pitcairnia" ranks as the second most prolific of the bromeliad family (after "Tillandsia)." They are most abundant in Colombia, Peru and Brazil, but can also be found in areas from Cuba and Mexico south to Argentina. One species, "Pitcairnia feliciana" is found in tropical West Africa and is the only member
Taxon in disguise
In bacteriology, a taxon in disguise is a species, genus or higher unit of biological classification whose evolutionary history reveals has evolved from another unit of similar or lower rank, making the parent unit paraphyletic. This happens when rapid evolution makes a new species appear radically different from the ancestral group, so that it is not (initially) recognised as belonging to the parent phylogenetic group, leaving the latter an evolutionary grade.
While the term is from bacteriology, parallel examples are found throughout the tree of