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

Nyctaginaceae - Pisonia L.

Description :

  • Trees, shrubs, or somewhat scandent, with or without axillary spines; dioecious, rarely monoecious or flowers bisexual
  • Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes alternate or whorled, entire, petiolate
  • Inflorescences paniculate cymes, axillary or terminal, dense or lax, subsessile or pedunculate
  • Flowers unisexual (occasionally bisexual), small; bracts 2-4, not involucrate
  • Male flower : perianth infundibuliform, campanulate, urceolate or tubular, 5-10-lobed or -toothed; tube with viscid glands on ribs; lobes or teeth induplicate-valvate, erect, spreading or reflexed; stamens usually 5-10, mostly exserted; filaments connate below into a tube or ring
  • Female flower : perianth similar to male, but tube usually enlarged at base; stamens rudimentary; ovary sessile or stipitate, elongate; style filiform, included or exserted; stigma capitellate or peltate, pedicellate, multifid
  • Fruit enclosed in hardened, elongated, oblong or clavate, smooth or 4- or 5-angled perianth base (anthocarp); anthocarp coriaceous, with longitudinal rows of viscid stipitate glands
  • Seed with straight embryo
  • x = 8 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

  • Pisonia L.
    • Linnaeus: 1026 (1753)
    • Linnaeus: 451 (1754)
    • Jussieu: 91 (1789)
    • Brown: 422 (1810)
    • Choisy: 440 (1849)
    • Hooker: 9 (1880)
    • Heimerl: 29 (1889)
    • Baker & Wright: 8 (1909)
    • Cooke: 397 (1910)
    • Heimerl: 126 (1934)
    • Stemmerik: 457 (1964a)
    • Stemmerik: 275 (1964b)
    • Meikle & Hewson: 16 (1984)
    • Stannard: 25 (1988)
    • Bittrich & Kühn: 482 (1993)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species ± 50, cosmopolitan in tropical and subtropical regions, predominantly of America and SE Asia, with a few species in Africa and Australia
  • Southern Africa : Species 1: Pisonia aculeata L., N KwaZulu-Natal

References:

  • BAKER, J.G. & WRIGHT, C.H. 1909. Nyctagineae . Flora of tropical Africa 6,1
  • BITTRICH, V. & KÜHN, U. 1993. Nyctaginaceae . In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
  • BROWN, R. 1810. Nyctagines Juss. Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae van-Diemen 1. Johnson & Co., London
  • CHOISY, J.D. 1849. Nyctagineae . In A. de Candolle, Prodromus 13,2. V. Masson, Paris
  • COOKE, T. 1910. Nyctagineae . Flora capensis 5,1
  • HEIMERL, A. 1889. Nyctaginaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,1b
  • HEIMERL, A. 1934. Nyctaginaceae . Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien , edn 2, 16c
  • HOOKER, J.D. 1880. Nyctaginaceae . In G. Bentham & J.D. Hooker, Genera plantarum 3,1. Lovell Reeve & Co., London
  • JUSSIEU, A.L. DE. 1789. Nyctagines, les Nictages. Genera plantarum secundum ordines naturales disposita . Herissant & Barrois, Paris
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1753. Species plantarum , edn 1. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1754. Genera plantarum , edn 5. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • MEIKLE, R.D. & HEWSON, H.J. 1984. Nyctaginaceae . Flora of Australia 4
  • STANNARD, B.L. 1988. Nyctaginaceae . Flora zambesiaca 9,1
  • STEMMERIK, J.F. 1964a. Nyctaginaceae . Flora Malesiana , Ser. 1, Vol. 6,3
  • STEMMERIK, J.F. 1964b. Florae Malesianae Precursores 38. Notes on Pisonia L. in the Old World ( Nyctaginaceae ). Blumea 12

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