Shrublets or shrubs, ericoid, pubescent or tomentose when young
Leaves
decussate, concave or closely involute, lined with woolly hairs
Flowers
in terminal spikes or heads, subtended by bracts usually broader than leaves
Calyx
4-lobed; tube flask-shaped or subcylindric; lobes spreading, shorter than tube
Petals
0
Stamens
8, unequal in length, up to length of calyx lobes; 2-thecous, extrorse, opening lengthwise by slits; anemophilous; pollen globose, usually polyforate, pollen wall with a secondary reticulum
Scales
0
Disc
0
Ovary
ovoid, 1-locular, with a solitary ovule; style lateral; stigma mop-like, filling mouth of calyx tube
Fruit
enclosed in persistent base of calyx tube, with membranous or fleshy pericarp
Seeds
with black, crustaceous testa and curved, beak-like micropyle
Nomenclature:
Passerina
L.
Linnaeus: 559 (1753)
Wikström: 319 (1818)
Meisner: 561 (1857)
Wright: 9 (1915)
Thoday: 146 (1924)
Domke: 108 (1934)
Peterson: 630 (1958)
Peterson: 214 (1959)
Friedrich-Holzhammer: 3 (1968)
Bond & Goldblatt: 432 (1984)
Hilliard & Burtt: 182 (1987)
Chymococca
Meisn.
Meisner: 565 (1857)
Distribution & Notes:
Global
: Species ± 20, mostly southern Africa, 2 extending into Zimbabwe along the eastern escarpment and
Passerina montana
Thoday, rare on mountain tops in Namibia and North-West
Southern Africa
: Mainly in Western and Eastern Cape,
Passerina montana
Thoday rare on mountain tops in Namibia and North-West
References:
BOND, P. & GOLDBLATT, P. 1984.
Thymelaeaceae
. Plants of the Cape Flora.
Journal of South African Botany
, Supplementary vol. 13
DOMKE, W. 1934. Untersuchungen über die systematische und geographische Gliederung der Thymelaeaceen.
Bibliotheca Botanica
27,3
FRIEDRICH-HOLZHAMMER, M. 1968.
Thymelaeaceae
.
Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika
86
HILLIARD, O.M. & BURTT, B.L. 1987.
Thymelaeaceae
. The botany of southern Natal Drakensberg.
Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens
, Vol. 15
LINNAEUS, C. 1753.
Species plantarum
. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
MEISNER, C.F. 1857.
Thymelaeaceae
. In A. de Candolle,
Prodromus
14. Victor Masson, Paris
PETERSON, B. 1958. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Flora von Süd-Rhodesia X.
Botaniska Notiser
111
PETERSON, B. 1959. Notes sur les Thyméléacées de Mozambique.
Boletim da Sociedade Broteriana
33,2
THODAY, D. 1924. A revision of
Passerina
.
Kew Bulletin
4
WIKSTRÖM, J.E. 1818. Granskning af de till Thymelaearum växtordnung hörande slägten och arter.
Kungliga Svenska vetenskapsakademiens handlingar
4
Copyright of the content hosted by this website remains with the
South African National Biodiversity Institute
(SANBI), unless stated otherwise.
Material from this site may be used in other media, provided that SANBI is acknowledged by the name
South African National Biodiversity Institute
(SANBI) or refer to the '
How to cite this resource
' paragraph on the Home page.
Liability disclaimer: Visitors use this site at their own risk and SANBI is not liable for any of the consequences resulting therefrom.
Welcome to Biodiversity Advisor 2.0!
Biodiversity Advisor, developed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and its Data Partners, is a system that will provide integrated biodiversity information to a wide range of users who will have access to geospatial data, plant and animal species distribution data, ecosystem-level data, literature, images and metadata.
The integrated information comes from our much-loved Botanical Database of Southern Africa (BODATSA) also known as Plants of Southern Africa (POSA), Zoological Database of Southern Africa (ZODATSA), Biodiversity Geographic Information System (BGIS), SANBI's institutional repository (Opus) and others.
The system is still under development, so you may find a few bugs/issues. If you do, please report it via the error reporting button available in various sections of the website or provide us with any useful feedback you may have via the ‘Give us feedback’ option available in the sidebar menu. You can create a free account for yourself by clicking on the user profile icon which will take you through to the login page. Here you can choose the ‘Create an account’ option or simply fill in your details if you have an account already. Having an account on Biodiversity Advisor will provide users with free access to biodiversity resources.
In future, Team SANBI will be able to log in using their day-to-day login details, BGIS users will be able to use their existing accounts and details, and general users will be able to log in using their LinkedIn profile, but for now you will need to create an account.
