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

Verbenaceae - Phyla Lour.

Description :

  • Creeping, perennial herbs, with slender, angular, often purplish stems rooting at nodes, with moderately dense, adpressed, medifixed, silvery white hairs
  • Leaves opposite, obovate, cuneate, entire in basal half, dentate towards apex, sparsely to densely pubescent
  • Flowers sub-bilabiate; in dense, subglobose to cylindric, pedunculate, often purplish, densely bracteate spikes
  • Calyx deeply 2-lobed, compressed, membranous; lobes acuminate, ciliate
  • Corolla white, obscurely puberulous, sub-bilabiate; tube short; upper lip erect, bifid; lower larger, obscurely 3-lobed, with middle lobe oblong
  • Stamens 4, included
  • Ovary 2-locular
  • Fruit of 2 nutlets enveloped by persistent calyx
  • x = 6 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Phyla Lour.
    • Loureiro: 66 (1790)
    • Greene: 45 (1899)
    • Friedrich-Holzhammer: 8 (1967)
    • Moldenke & Moldenke: 235 (1983)
    • Verdcourt: 25 (1992)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 11, in warm and tropical areas
  • Southern Africa : 1 species: Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene, widespread

References:

  • FRIEDRICH-HOLZHAMMER, M. 1967. Verbenaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 122
  • GREENE, E.L. 1899. Neglected generic types. 1. Phyla. Pittonia 4
  • LOUREIRO, J. DE. 1790. Flora cochinchinensis . Academy, Lisbon
  • MOLDENKE, H.N. & MOLDENKE A.L. 1983. Verbenaceae . Flora of Ceylon 4
  • VERDCOURT, B. 1992. Flora of tropical East Africa . Verbenaceae