e-Key v3 - Lophiocarpus
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Phytolaccaceae - Microteoideae - Lophiocarpus Turcz.

Description :

  • Herbs, sometimes suffrutescent at base
  • Leaves linear
  • Inflorescences slender spikes, bracteate, in clusters of (2)3
  • Flowers bisexual, regular, small
  • Tepals 4 or 5, sometimes unequal
  • Stamens 4, included or slightly exserted; filaments free; anthers 2-thecous, elongate
  • Ovary subglobose; ovule solitary on short, basal funicle; styles 4, very short, usually connate below; stigmas 4
  • Fruit an achene, subglobose, enclosed in persistent perianth, muricate, warty, or ridged
  • Seed with membranous testa; endosperm present; embryo curved

Classification Notes:

  • Different authorities have placed this genus either in the family Chenopodiaceae (Cronquist 1981) or Phytolaccaceae (Nowicke 1968, 1969; Rohwer 1993)

Nomenclature:

  • Lophiocarpus Turcz.
    • Turczaninow: 56 (1843)
    • Heimerl: 163 (1934)
    • Nowicke: 353 (1968)
    • Eckardt: 13 (1974)
    • Nowicke: 288 (1969)
    • Schreiber: 1 (1969)
    • Stannard: 169 (1988)
    • Rohwer: 513 (1993)
  • Microtea Sw.
    • Swartz: 53 (1788) in part
    • Hill: 455 (1912) in part
  • Wallinia Moq.
    • Moquin-Tandon: 143 (1849)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 4, confined to Africa, all in southern Africa
  • Southern Africa : Mainly arid regions, Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, N KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape.

References:

  • ECKARDT, T. 1974. Vom Blütenbau der Centrospermen-Gattung Lophiocarpus Turcz. Phyton (Austria) 16
  • HEIMERL, A. 1934. Phytolaccaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien , edn 2,16c
  • HILL, A.W. 1912. Phytolaccaceae . Flora capensis 5,1
  • MOQUIN-TANDON, C.H.B.A. 1849. Salsolaceae . In A.P. de Candolle, Prodromus 13,2. Treuttel & Würtz, Paris
  • NOWICKE, J.W. 1968. Palynotaxonomic study of the Phytolaccaceae . Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 55, 3
  • NOWICKE, J.W. 1969. Supplementary notes on the Phytolaccaceae 1. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 56
  • ROHWER, J.G. 1993. Phytolaccaceae . In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
  • SCHREIBER, A. 1969. Phytolaccaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 24
  • STANNARD, B.L. 1988. Phytolaccaceae . Flora zambesiaca 9,1
  • SWARTZ, O. 1788. Microtea . Nova genera & species plantarum seu Prodromus . M. Sweder, Stockholm
  • TURCZANINOW, N.S. VON. 1843. Decas generum plantarum hucusque non descriptorum. Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou 16

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