Leptochiton (plant)

Leptochiton is a genus of South American plants in the Amaryllis family.

There are 2 known species, native to Ecuador and Peru:
 * Leptochiton helianthus (Ravenna) Gereau & Meerow - Peru (Cajamarca)
 * Leptochiton quitoensis (Herb.) Sealy - Ecuador (Guayas, Loja), Peru

Generative characteristics
Leptochiton has phytomelanous seeds, which is unique among the tribe Hymenocallideae.

Cytology
The diploid chromosome count is 2n = 24 or 2n = 34.

Phylogeny
It is closely related to Ismene, to which it shared a common ancestor 26.14 million years ago. It is the sister group to Hymenocallis, from which it separated 24.46 million years ago.