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

Ranunculaceae - Knowltonia Salisb.

Description :

  • Perennial herbs with erect to horizontal rhizome
  • Leaves basal, spirally arranged, ternate to triternate, rarely simple; petiole base sheathing; leaflets ovate to trullate, ternately or pinnately incised to simple, lateral leaflets often oblique
  • Flowers bisexual, in congested cymes resembling compound, irregular umbels, umbel and umbellules surrounded by involucres of compound or simple bracts
  • Sepals 8-23, quincuncial, white, yellow or green, often tinged pink or wine-red outside, colour, form and hairiness of outer ones differing slightly from inner ones
  • Petals 0
  • Stamens many
  • Carpels many, each with 1 pendulous ovule
  • Fruitlets clustered drupelets; exocarp coriaceously fleshy; endocarp fibrous
  • x = 8 (polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Knowltonia Salisb.
    • Salisbury: 372 (1796)
    • Harvey: 4 (1860)
    • Exell & Milne-Redhead: 97 (1960)
    • Rasmussen: 16 (1979)
    • Bond & Goldblatt: 379 (1984)
    • Tamura: 576 (1993)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 8, Africa
  • Southern Africa : Species 8, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape, with Knowltonia transvaalensis Szyszyl. extending into central Africa as far north as Tanzania

References:

  • BOND, P. & GOLDBLATT, P. 1984. Ranunculaceae . Plants of the Cape Flora: a descriptive catalogue. Journal of South African Botany , Supplementary No. 13
  • EXELL, A.W. & MILNE-REDHEAD, E. 1960. Ranunculaceae . Flora zambesiaca 1
  • HARVEY, W.H. 1860. Ranunculaceae . Flora capensis 1
  • RASMUSSEN, H. 1979. The genus Knowltonia ( Ranunculaceae ). Opera Botanica 53
  • SALISBURY, R.A. 1796. Prodromus stirpium in horto ad Chapel Allerton vigentium . London
  • TAMURA, M. 1993. Ranunculaceae . In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin