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

Proteaceae - Proteoideae - Diastella Salisb. ex Knight

Description :

  • Undershrubs, erect, sprawling, or decumbent
  • Leaves alternate, imbricate, oblong, ovate, orbicular, or acicular-terete, usually entire, rarely with apical teeth
  • Inflorescence a solitary, sessile, globose capitulum (very rarely several axillary capitula); involucral bracts equalling or exceeding length of perianth, 1-3-seriate, ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, papyraceous
  • Flowers bisexual, regular
  • Perianth cylindric, straight in bud; tube very short; claws filiform, sericeous; limbs filiform to linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, glabrous or sericeous
  • Anthers linear, acute, arising from base of perianth limb
  • Ovary ovoid, pubescent with 1 ovule; style terete, filiform, glabrous or proximally pubescent, curved before anthesis becoming straight later; pollen presenter cylindric, filiform
  • Hypogynous scales usually 0
  • Fruit an ovoid to cylindric achene, introrse at base, glabrous to puberulous

Nomenclature:

  • Diastella Salisb. ex Knight
    • Knight: 61 (1809)
    • Stapf et al.: 650 (1912)
    • Rourke: 185 (1976)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Southern Africa : Species 7, Western Cape

References:

  • KNIGHT, J. 1809. On the cultivation of the plants belonging to the natural order of PROTEEAE . W. Savage, London
  • ROURKE, J.P. 1976. A revision of Diastella ( Proteaceae ). Journal of South African Botany 42
  • STAPF, O, PHILLIPS, E.P. & HUTCHINSON, J. 1912. Proteaceae . Flora capensis 5,1