Leaves narrow, sessile, opposite, linear to oblong-lanceolate; stipules 0
Inflorescences few-flowered lax cymes, or flowers sometimes solitary; bracts white-margined
Flowers bisexual, shortly perigynous, erect
Sepals 4(5), free, with broad membranous margins
Petals 4(5), entire or retuse, ± half as long as sepals, white
Stamens 4(5) or 8(10)
Ovary ovoid; styles (3)4 or 5
Fruit an ovoid capsule, opening by 8 teeth at top
Seeds many, reniform, papillose
x = 9, 19 (polyploidy)
Nomenclature:
*Moenchia Ehrh.
Ehrhart: 177 (1788) name conserved
Pax: 81 (1889)
Pax & Hoffmann: 322 (1934)
Adamson: 393 (1950)
Clapham: 145 (1964)
Bittrich: 227 (1993)
Distribution & Notes:
Global: Species 3, West and Central Europe, Mediterranean
Southern Africa: Species 1, introduced: *Moenchia erecta (L.) Gaertn. & Scherb., Western 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
EHRHART, J. F. 1788. Beiträge zur Naturkunde 2. Christian Ritscher, Hannover
PAX, F. 1889. Caryophyllaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 3,1b
PAX, F. & HOFFMANN, K. 1934. Caryophyllaceae. Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien II,16c
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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.
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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.
