genus descriptions: SSTAs

Procris

Comm. ex Juss.
Description:
Perennial herbs, often epiphytic or epilithic, monoecious or dioecious by abortion, without stinging hairs; stems juicy or succulent. Leaves distichous, opposite and heteromorphous with one leaf of each pair reduced in size, or leaves apparently alternate, with one in each pair completely reduced; lamina crenate or serrate, rather fleshy, penninerved, with linear cystoliths; stipules intrapetiolar, fused. Inflorescences unisexual, pedunculate, in axils of existing or fallen leaves; male inflorescences: flowers in small pedunculate glomerules; female inflorescences capitate with fleshy receptacles on short fleshy peduncles. Male flowers pedicellate, pentamerous (rarely tetramerous), with rudimentary pistilode. Female flowers sessile with a persisting perianth of 4 or 5 free tepals; ovary erect, symmetrical, with a penicillate stigma. Achene ovoid, surrounded at base by accrescent perianth.
Distribution:
Species +/- 10, mostly in humid habitats in Old World tropics; 1 in sthn trop. Afr.: Procris crenata C.B.Rob., Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Lecanthus

Wedd.
Description:
Annual or short-lived perennial herbs, monoecious or apparently dioecious, without stinging hairs; cystoliths elongated. Leaves opposite, petiolate; stipules intrapetiolar, fused. Inflorescences single in leaf axils, unisexual, rarely bisexual, pedunculate; receptacles surrounded by fused bracts. Male inflorescences usually small, +/- bell- or cup-shaped, usually with less than 10 male flowers; male flowers 4- or 5-merous, with rudimentary ovary. Female inflorescences larger, with many flowers on a flat, disc-shaped receptacle; flowers (3)4-merous, tepals +/- markedly cucullate, ovary erect, stigma penicillate, staminodes present. Achene ovoid, verrucose.
Distribution:
Monotypic, very polymorphic, mountains of Old World tropics: Lecanthus peduncularis (Royle) Wedd.; sthn trop. Afr.: Malawi.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Elatostema

J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.
Description:
Erect, annual and perennial, monoecious herbs, without stinging hairs; stems prostrate and ascending; cystoliths linear. Leaves distichous, alternate, sessile or very shortly petiolate, asymmetric; stipules fused, intrapetiolar (presence of 2 pairs of stipules indicates that genus has opposite leaves but one leaf of each pair is rudimentary or totally reduced). Inflorescences unisexual, axillary, sessile, consisting of very densely clustered flowers and surrounded by almost free bracts in male inflorescences or by somewhat fused bracts in female inflorescences. Male flowers 4- or 5-merous; tepals generally with a horn-like dorsal appendage; rudimentary ovary absent or indistinct. Female flowers with 3-5 very reduced tepals and 3 scale-like staminodes, sometimes sterile. Ovary ovoid with penicillate stigma. Achene ovoid, small, ejected by reflexed staminodes.
Distribution:
Species +/- 200, often very polymorphic, in the tropics of the Old World; sthn trop. Afr. 3: Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Boehmeria

Jacq.
Description:
Shrubs or small trees, sometimes woody-based herbaceous perennials, monoecious or dioecious, usually +/- pubescent, stinging hairs absent; cystoliths dot-like. Leaves opposite, petiolate, lamina triplinerved, equal- or unequal-sided, dentate, sometimes lobed; stipules lateral, free or +/- connate. Inflorescences axillary, usually spike-like, with flowers gathered in unisexual glomerules along inflorescence axis (rarely sessile and globular); bracts small, deciduous. Male flowers (3)4(5)-merous with membranaceous tepals; rudimentary ovary present or absent. Female flowers with tubular perianth, constricted and 2-4-toothed at apex, completely enclosing ovary; style filiform, not articulated, with one-sided filiform stigma. Achene completely enclosed in and partly adnate to persistent perianth.
Distribution:
Species +/- 50, pantropical and in warm temperate regions; Africa, including sthn trop. Afr. 1: Boehmeria macrophylla Hornem., Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Stapfiella

Gilg
Description:
Much branched undershrubs or shrubs; young branches densely leafy, with yellowish, antrorse hairs. Leaves petiolate, usually elliptic and serrate at margin, frequently glandular-punctate; stipules 0. Flowers in terminal and axillary panicles or racemes. Calyx connate below middle, with 5 tubercles within. Petals arising at mouth of calyx tube, eligulate, white, whitish or nearly translucent. Stamens: filaments filiform, arising at mouth of calyx tube. Ovary 1-locular, 1-ovulate; ovule basal; stigmas fringed. Capsule ellipsoid or clavate, shortly rostrate, dehiscing septicidally into 3 valves from apex downwards. Seed obovoid, straight, longitudinally striate-reticulate.
Distribution:
Species 5, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Stapfiella zambesiensis R.Fern., Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Hyalocalyx

Rolfe
Description:
Annual herbs covered with long, +/- appressed yellowish hairs; stem erect, usually much branched from base. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, petiolate; stipules 0. Flowers solitary in axils of upper, very closely arranged leaves, heterostylous. Sepals hyaline-membranous, connate in lower half. Petals and stamens adnate to base of calyx tube, falling off with calyx and stamens after pollination. Stamens: filaments linear, flattened below; anthers cordate-ovate. Ovary ovoid, with 3 parietal placentas; styles 3, filiform, straight, with laciniate-flabellate stigmas. Capsule 3-valved, opening loculicidally from apex. Seeds oblong-obovoid, curved, with rigid, reticulate-alveolate testa; aril entire; albumen abundant, oily.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus from Madagascar, SE and E Africa: Hyalocalyx setifer Rolfe; sthn trop. Afr.: Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Tropaeolum

L.
Description:
Description as for family.
Distribution:
Sthn trop. Afr. 1: *Tropaeolum majus L. is reported from Angola, but it is doubtful whether it is naturalised there. Sparre & Andersson (1991) state that
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Synaptolepis

Oliv.
Description:
Small shrubs or woody climbers; branches slender, often twining; bark lenticellate. Leaves alternate or opposite, petiolate, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, membranous to coriaceous, glabrous, lateral nerves parallel, spreading, prominent beneath, margin thickened. Inflorescences: terminal cymes or axillary. Flowers 5-merous, solitary or fascicled in leaf axils, bracteate; pedicel sometimes glandular. Calyx: tube cylindric, glabrous. Petals forming an erect, entire or lobed, often ciliate ring at base of calyx lobes. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls in upper part of calyx tube, episepalous whorl usually slightly exserted. Disc minute, +/- deeply lobed. Ovary 1-locular, shortly stipitate; style slender; stigma capitate, papillate. Fruit dry, ovoid, enclosed in persistent base of calyx tube. Seeds without endosperm; embryo with fleshy cotyledons.
Distribution:
Species 5, trop. Africa and 1 in Madagascar; sthn trop. Afr. 3, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Dicranolepis

Planch.
Description:
Shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, 2-ranked, shortly petiolate, obliquely ovate, caudate-acuminate. Flowers bisexual, usually solitary in axils of leaves, +/- sessile; receptacle tube slender, dilated at base; Sepals 5, oblanceolate-oblong, spreading or reflexed, pubescent on both surfaces. Petals opposite calyx lobes, and +/- as long as these, entire or variously divided. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls in throat of receptacle tube, +/- exserted. Disc cup-shaped. Ovary shortly pedunculate, 1-locular; style slender; stigma capitate. Fruit drupaceous, surrounded by persistent, +/- fleshy base of receptacle tube. Seeds without endosperm; testa thin, +/- fused with pericarp; cotyledons large.
Distribution:
Species 15, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. ?2: Dicranolepis angolensis S.Moore (perhaps synonymous with D. baertsiana De Wild. & T.Durand), and D. grandiflora Engl., Angola.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith
Craterosiphon

Engl. & Gilg
Description:
Erect shrubs, lianes or small trees; young branches red-brown with prominent corky lenticels. Leaves opposite or alternate, petiolate, coriaceous, ovate to narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, glabrous, margin recurved. Flowers bisexual, in 3(4)-flowered, almost sessile axillary clusters; pedicels slender. Calyx: receptacle tube funnel-shaped, not contracted above ovary; calyx lobes 5 or 6, ovate-oblong. Petals minute, scale-like, arising at throat of receptacle between filaments. Stamens twice as many as sepals, alternately long and short, in a single series at mouth of receptacle tube; filaments slender, decurrent down receptacle tube; anthers oblong. Disc cup-shaped, lobed. Ovary 1-locular, sessile; style filiform; stigma capitate. Fruit drupaceous with sclerified pericarp, inside persistent receptacle tube. Seed without endosperm; cotyledons thick.
Distribution:
Species 9, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola, Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 15:34 -- Emily Smith

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