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

Caryophyllaceae - Paronychioideae - Polycarpeae - Polycarpon L.

Description :

  • Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, glabrous, diffusely or dichotomously branched; stems usually scabridulous
  • Leaves opposite or in whorls of 4, obovate to suborbicular, flat, sometimes fleshy, ± petiolate; stipules silvery-membranous, scarious
  • Inflorescences crowded, terminal or axillary, many-flowered cymes with scarious bracts
  • Flowers bisexual, subperigynous, small
  • Sepals 5, free, keeled or winged with scarious margin
  • Petals 5, small, entire, hyaline, shorter than sepals
  • Stamens 5, arising on a perigynous disc, episepalous; filaments shortly connate at base
  • Ovary 1-locular; ovules many on a free-central placenta; style connate below, 3-fid above
  • Fruit a capsule, dehiscent almost to base into 3 spirally twisting valves
  • Seeds many, ovoid or lenticular, sometimes postulate; embryo curved or nearly straight
  • x = 7, 8, 9 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Polycarpon L.
    • Linnaeus: 881 (1759)
    • Jussieu: 299 (1789)
    • Kunth: 40 (1823)
    • Candolle: 376 (1828)
    • Sonder: 133 (1860)
    • Pax: 86 (1889)
    • Burtt Davy: 152 (1926)
    • Adamson: 396 (1950)
    • Wild: 339 (1961)
    • Chater: 153 (1964)
    • Henderson & Anderson: 132 (1966)
    • Podlech: 3 (1967)
    • Wild, Hooper & Diniz: 3 (1973)
    • Meikle: 277 (1977)
    • Bittrich: 221 (1993)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 16, in Europe and the Mediterranean, 2 in S America
  • Southern Africa : Species 2: Polycarpon prostratum (Forssk.) Aschers. & Schweinf. and P. tetraphyllum (L.) L. cosmopolitan in warm and temperate situations, scattered in Namibia, Botswana, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern, Western and Eastern Cape

References:

  • ADAMSON, R.S. 1950. Caryophyllaceae . In R.S. Adamson & T.M. Salter, Flora of the Cape Peninsula . Juta, Cape Town
  • BITTRICH, V. 1993. Caryophyllaceae . In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
  • BURTT DAVY, J. 1926. Caryophyllaceae . A manual of the flowering plants and ferns of the Transvaal with Swaziland 1. Longmans, London
  • CANDOLLE, A.-P. DE. 1828. Paronychieae . Prodromus 3. Treuttel & Würtz, Paris
  • CHATER, A.O. 1964. Caryophyllaceae . Subfamily Paronychioideae . Polycarpon . Flora europaea 1
  • HENDERSON, M.D. & ANDERSON, J.G. 1966. Common weeds in South Africa. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 37
  • JUSSIEU, A.L. DE. 1789. Caryophylleae , les caryophyllées. Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita . Herissant & Barrois, Paris
  • KUNTH, C.S. 1823. Paronychieae St. Hil. In A. de Humboldt, A. Bonpland & C.S. Kunth, Nova genera et species plantarum 6. Libraria Graeco-Latino-Germanica, Paris
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1759. Systema naturae , edn 10. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • MEIKLE, R.D. 1977. Caryophyllaceae . Flora of Cyprus 1
  • PAX, F. 1889. Caryophyllaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,1b
  • PODLECH, D. 1967. Caryophyllaceae . Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 31
  • SONDER, O.W. 1860. Caryophylleae . Flora capensis 1
  • WILD, H. 1961. Caryophyllaceae . Flora zambesiaca 1
  • WILD, H., HOOPER, S.S. & DINIZ, M.A. 1973. Caryophyllaceae . Flora de Moçambique 19

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