A caudex (plural: caudices)
is a form of stem morphology appearing as a persistent,
spheroid enlargement (frequently woody, and non-photosynthetic)
of the root crown or stem axis of an otherwise herbaceous
stem. Caudices may extend below ground. This structure commonly
appears in (but is not limited to) plants adapted to xeric
environments, and functions as a water storage organ. Some
trees, such as Eucalyptus
camaldulensis, also have a caudex, as an adaptation to ecosystems
where periodic (natural) fires are common.
Caudiciform describes
plants having a caudex. Some notable caudiciformic genera:
Adenia (family Passifloraceae), Beaucarnea (family
Ruscaceae), Jatropha (family Euphorbiaceae) and Pachyrhizus
(family Fabaceae).
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Appius Claudius
Caudex
Appius Claudius Caudex
(f. 264 BC) was a patrician member of the Claudii. He was
the grandson of Appius Claudius Caecus through his father
Gaius Claudius, and served as consul in 264 BC.
In that year, he drew
Rome into conflict with Carthage over possession of Sicily.
In 265 BC, Hiero II of Syracuse had attacked Messina in
an
attempt to capture it from the Mamertines, mercenaries from
Campania who had taken it some years before. The Mamertines
allied with a
nearby Carthaginian fleet and held off the Syracusans, but
when the Carthaginians did not leave, the Mamertines appealed
to Rome in 264 BC.
Some senators were opposed
to helping them, but Appius Claudius persuaded the citizens
to support them. He led a force to Messina and,
as the Mamertines had convinced the Carthaginians to withdraw,
he met with only a symbolic resistance. The Mamertines handed
the city
over to Appius Claudius, but the Carthaginians returned
to set up a blockade. The Syracusans, meanwhile, were also
stationed outside the
city. Claudius tried to send ambassadors to both the Carthaginians
and the Syracusans, but he was ignored. He then led his
troops outside
the city, defeated the Syracusans in battle, and Hiero retreated
back to Syracuse. The next day Claudius also defeated the
Carthaginians.
This dispute was one
of the immediate causes of the First Punic War.
His son was Publius
Claudius Pulcher, consul in 249 BC.
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