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

Capparaceae - Thilachium Lour.

Description :

  • Shrubs, small trees or scramblers
  • Leaves alternate, simple or 3-foliolate, petiolate; stipules often caducous
  • Flowers in corymbose racemes, terminal or axillary
  • Calyx closed in bud, later rupturing transversely, 'cap' often remaining attached on one side
  • Petals 0
  • Stamens many, on a columnar androphore
  • Ovary on a well-developed gynophore, 1-locular, appearing multilocular owing to development of spurious dissepiments from 6-10 placentas, multiovulate; stigma sessile
  • Fruit ellipsoid or oblong, with 8-10 longitudinal ribs
  • Seeds many

Nomenclature:

  • Thilachium Lour.
    • Loureiro: 342 (1790)
    • Pax & Hoffmann: 201 (1936)
    • Wild: 213 (1960)
    • Elffers et al.: 81 (1964)
    • Killick: 175 (1970)
    • Thulin: 53 (1993)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 10, East African coast and Madagascar
  • Southern Africa : Species 1: Thilachium africanum Lour., Mpumalanga, Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal

References:

  • ELFFERS, J., GRAHAM, R.A. & DE WOLF, G.P. 1964. Capparidaceae . Flora of tropical East Africa . Capparidaceae
  • KILLICK, D.J.B. 1970. Capparaceae (in part). Flora of southern Africa 13
  • LOUREIRO, J. DE. 1790. Thylachium . Flora Cochinchinensis
  • PAX, F. & HOFFMANN, K. 1936. Capparidaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien , edn 2, 17b
  • THULIN, M. 1993. Capparaceae . Thilachium . Flora of Somalia 1
  • WILD, H. 1960. Capparidaceae . Flora zambesiaca 1