genus descriptions: SSTAs

Pogostemon

Desf.
Description:
Amphibious or aquatic perennial herbs with spreading rhizome or polycephalic rootstock; stem weak, terete or angular; with 4-celled hairs. Leaves in opposite pairs, petiolate, ovate or elliptic, base cuneate, apex acute, margin serrate or dentate; hairs 3- or 6-celled. Inflorescence a dense terminal spike, simple or branched, with 2- or 4-celled hairs. Calyx campanulate, 5- or 10-veined, densely hairy to +/- glabrous outside; teeth 5, ciliate, hairy within. Corolla 4-lobed, 3 lobes forming upper lip, lower lip single-lobed. Stamens 4, all exserted; filaments bearded with dense moniliform hairs towards middle, arising at different heights in corolla tube; anthers 1-thecous. Style exserted; stigma 2-lobed. Nutlets 4, +/- ellipsoid, reticulate-foveate.
Distribution:
Species 90-100, essentially Asian, with 2 species in W trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2, Angola.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Geniosporum Wall. ex Benth. in part; Hiern: 854 (1900).

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Rotheca

Raf.
Description:
Shrubs, subshrubs, or pyrophytic herbs, sometimes scandent or decumbent, rarely small trees. Leaves usually verticillate, sessile or shortly petiolate, often distinctly crenate or coarsely serrate, sometimes entire. Inflorescence cymose, usually leafy, mostly lax, terminal and/or axillary. Calyx campanulate to subspherical, divided for half its length or often less, frequently red or purple; lobes 4-6, rounded to narrowly triangular, acute to rounded at apex. Corolla irregular, pale to deep blue or a mixture of both, occasionally partly white or yellow; tube 6-12 mm long; basally saccate in front, deeply divided behind at apex; lobes very unequal, forming a +/- 2-lipped limb, anterior lip larger and curved. Ovary glabrous, glandular or hairy; placentas not furcate.
Distribution:
Species +/- 35, tropical and sthn Afr.; sthn trop. Afr. 16, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, and sthn Afr.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Clerodendrum L. subgen. Cyclonema (Hochst.) B.Thomas: 1 (1936); Verdcourt: 86 (1992).

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Symphostemon

Hiern
Description:
Minutely glandular herbs. Leaves opposite, subopposite, subternate and subalternate. Inflorescences terminal racemes; pedicels alternate, opposite and subternate, spreading; bracteate at or near base. Calyx subbilabiate, obliquely campanulate, gibbous at back of base, 5-cleft, somewhat accrescent in fruit and usually pendulous; teeth unequal, posterior one broadly ovate and obtuse or apiculate, other teeth narrower and acute. Corolla bilabiate; tube exserted, shortly cylindric to funnel-shaped, slightly curved and gibbous at back near base, throat wide, scarcely oblique; posterior lip shortly 4-lobed, anterior one longer, boat-shaped, entire, enfolding stamens and style. Stamens 4, didynamous, declinate, all fertile, slightly shorter than anterior lip; filaments widening at base and united in a short lamina arising in throat of corolla at base of anterior lip; anthers roundish. Disc fleshy, produced into 4 thick obovoid glands beside base of nutlets. Ovary 4-partite; style shortly exceeding corolla tube; stigma emarginate at apex. Nutlets obovoid, compressed.
Distribution:
Species 1 (2 fide Mabberley 1997: 693), Angola.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Plectranthus L

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Beilschmiedia

Nees
Description:
Trees or shrubs. Leaves alternate, occasionally subopposite towards ends of branches, subsessile or petiolate, papyraceous to coriaceous, pinnately nerved. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, panicles or racemes or paniculate cymes, few- to many-flowered; bracts +/- pubescent, caducous. Flowers bisexual; receptacle shortly tubular or cup-shaped. Tepals 6(8) in 2 whorls on rim of receptacle, subequal, deciduous. Stamens in 4 whorls, 2 outer whorls each of 3(4) fertile stamens with anthers dehiscing introrsely; inner (third) whorl with anthers dehiscing extrorsely or laterally and with a gland on either side at base of filaments, or inner (third) whorl anthers sometimes sterile; innermost (fourth) whorl reduced to 3 staminodes. Ovary subglobose to narrowly ellipsoid, sessile, +/- immersed in receptacle; narrowed above into a slender style with an obscure stigma. Fruit a 1-seeded drupe, subglobose to ovoid or ellipsoid, naked.
Distribution:
Species +/- 200, pantropical, +/- 80 species in Africa and Madagascar. Robyns & Wilczek (1950) recognise 77 species in tropical continental Africa. However, Verdcourt (1996) suggests that there are probably fewer than this, pointing out that only 2(3) species are recorded from East Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 5, Angola (Cabinda), Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Napoleonaea

P.Beauv.
Description:
Shrubs, evergreen, with woody rootstock. Leaves entire. Flowers solitary. Calyx 5-lobed, lobes valvate, sometimes with 2(3) marginal glands at apex; tube obconical. Petals 0, but outer series of staminodes sometimes considered to be a corolla (Takhtajan 1997). Stamens and antherless staminodes many, united at base and arranged in 4 series: outermost forming a radiate or cup-shaped pseudocorolla with 20-40 pleats; second of many narrowly ligulate staminodes free or partly united; third of staminodes connate for more than lower half and forming a 20-60-lobed cup with lobes inflexed; fourth connate with third and composed of intermixed staminodes and fertile stamens; anthers 1-thecous, dorsifixed. Ovary 5-locular; ovules 2-6 per locule; style short, expanded into a broad, peltate stigma. Fruit a drupe, resembling a pomegranate. Seeds few.
Distribution:
Species 8, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 2 or 3, Angola, Zambia.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Petersianthus

Merr.
Description:
Tall trees. Leaves bunched at ends of branches, +/- obovate, obscurely irregularly crenate, glabrous underneath, often with large hairy pits in axils of lateral nerves; petiole short, puberulous when young. Flowers several in short terminal panicles. Calyx: lobes 4, rounded and shortly ciliate. Petals 4, hooded, glabrous. Stamens fused at base; filaments filiform; anthers 2-thecous, appearing 4-lobed due to divergent thecae, basifixed. Ovary 2-locular, 4-ridged to 4-winged; ovules many in 2 rows in each locule; style filiform. Fruit broadly 4-winged (as in Combretum), almost orbicular, emarginate. Seeds 1(-4), fusiform.
Distribution:
Species 2, Philippines, W Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Petersianthus macrocarpus (Beauv.) Liben, Angola.
Source:
SSTA
Synonym(s):
Combretodendron Chev.: 151 (1909); Knuth: 60 (1939); Keay: 242, figure 97 (1954).Petersia Welw. ex Benth.; Greves: 176 (1928).

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Leea

L.
Description:
Description as for family.
Distribution:
Species 34, Old World tropics; sthn trop. Afr. 1: Leea guineensis G.Don, Angola, Zambia, Malawi.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Radiola

Hill
Description:
Herbs, annual, +/- spreading, glabrous; stem often purplish red. Leaves opposite, sessile, elliptic or lower ones obovate, entire, 1-nerved; stipules absent. Flowers in terminal, regularly dichotomous dichasia, homostylic. Sepals (2)3(4)-fid, united at base, persistent. Petals 4, white, united with stamen filaments to form a very short tube, very shortly unguiculate. Stamens 4, with filaments united at base only; staminodes usually absent; nectaries obscure. Ovary 4-locular, each locule with 2 pendulous ovules and partially divided by a false septum; styles 4, free; stigmas capitate. Fruit a 4-locular, 8-valved capsule with 2-seeded locules; seeds in each locule partially separated by an enlarged false septum. Seeds small, with scanty endosperm; embryo straight.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Radiola linoides Roth, Europe, temperate Asia, trop. African mountains; in sthn trop. Afr.: N Malawi. Closely related to Linum.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Emelianthe

Danser
Description:
Aerial, hemiparasitic shrubs 0.5-2 m, with a single haustorial attachment, glabrous, fibrous at fractures. Leaves mostly alternate and also crowded on short shoots, penninerved. Flowers 2-4, umbellate on a short peduncle or clustered on short shoots of generally leafless branches, shortly pedicellate; bract ovate-triangular from a saucer-shaped base. Calyx cupular. Corolla joined +/- halfway, 4-lobed, radially symmetrical, with fluted vents opening at top of tube, not or scarcely explosive, lobes recurving. Stamens arising above base of corolla lobes, remaining weakly attached to style tip by a conspicuous bifid connective appendage; anthers 4-thecous.
Distribution:
Monotypic genus: Emelianthe panganensis (Engl.) Danser, E and NE Africa; sthn trop. Afr.: Zambia [fide Phiri (Unpublished)].
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith
Englerina

Tiegh.
Description:
Aerial, hemiparasitic shrubs, +/- 0.5-2 m high with a single haustorial attachment, glabrous or shortly hairy with simple or slightly branched hairs. Leaves opposite or subopposite, sessile to generally petiolate; lamina usually thin but sometimes coriaceous, penninerved. Inflorescence a 2-20-flowered pedunculate umbel with flowers standing up like candles from horizontal branches; bract unilaterally developed from a generally shallow cupular base, not or scarcely exceeding calyx. Calyx annular or cup-shaped, sometimes 4-lobed or lacerate. Corolla 4-lobed, joined one-fifth to two-thirds, red, yellow, orange or pink and white; buds generally 4-angular, generally slightly swollen over anthers; tube split unilaterally with V-split extending halfway to almost to base. Filaments arising at or near base of corolla lobes, free part tapered upwards, involutely curved or coiled at anthesis, produced into a tooth in front of anther; anther 4-thecous. Style filiform, 4-angular; stigma obovoid to globular. Berry obovoid to urceolate, with persistent calyx, usually red. Seed orange or yellow.
Distribution:
Species 25, trop. Africa; sthn trop. Afr. 11, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique. Close to Agelanthus which has 5-merous flowers.
Source:
SSTA

Mon, 2009-03-23 13:08 -- Emily Smith

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