Tiquilia is a genus of approximately 28 species of flowering plants in the family Ehretiaceae, order Boraginales. Plants in this genus are collectively known as crinklemats, a name reflecting the characteristically textured, often densely hairy leaves and low, mat-forming growth habit shared by many members. The genus was first formally described by Persoon in 1805 (Syn. 1: 157).
All species are native to the Western Hemisphere, with the genus centered in the arid and semi-arid regions of the Americas. Members are predominantly desert-adapted plants, occurring across the deserts and dry shrublands of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and the Atacama and coastal deserts of South America, with isolated species on the Galápagos Islands.
Notable species include Tiquilia canescens (woody crinklemat) of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, Tiquilia greggii (plumed crinklemat), Tiquilia plicata (plaited crinklemat) of the Mojave and Great Basin, Tiquilia atacamensis from the extreme Atacama Desert of South America, and Tiquilia gossypina (Texas crinklemat). Many species are adapted to sandy or gravelly substrates in full sun, and several have been recorded as early colonizers of disturbed desert soils.
Distribution
Tiquilia is native to the Western Hemisphere, with species distributed across the deserts and dry shrublands of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and the Pacific coastal and Atacama deserts of South America; T. galapagoa and T. nesiotica occur on the Galápagos Islands.
Ecology
Species of Tiquilia are adapted to xeric environments, typically growing on sandy, gravelly, or rocky desert soils in full sun. Their dense pubescence (hairs) is characteristic of plants that reduce water loss and reflect intense solar radiation in arid habitats.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was described by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon in 1805 and is placed in the family Ehretiaceae, order Boraginales. It was formerly included in Boraginaceae sensu lato by some authors. GBIF records 35 descendant taxa under the accepted backbone entry (Tiquilia Pers.).
