e-Key <span id="jodit_selection_marker_1710510306959_9798520588094608" data-jodit_selection_marker="start" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>v3 - L<span id="jodit_selection_marker_1710510306959_15139637655156224" data-jodit_selection_marker="end" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>imeum
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Molluginaceae - Limeum L.

Description:

  • Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, glabrous or with glandular hairs
  • Leaves alternate to subopposite, linear, subulate, lanceolate or orbicular; stipules 0
  • Inflorescence cymose, lax or glomerulate
  • Flowers small
  • Sepals 5, greenish or whitish
  • Petals 0 or 5, adnate to staminal tube, whitish
  • Stamens (5-)7(-10); filaments broadened below
  • Ovary pseudomonomerous, 2-locular; ovule 1 per locule; style 1; stigmas 2
  • Fruit separating into two woody indehiscent mericarps; mericarps 1-seeded, suborbicular or reniform, often auricled at base, outer surface reticulate, rugose, ridged, spinescent or smooth, wingless or sometimes broadly membranous-winged
  • x = 9

Nomenclature:

  • Limeum L.
    • Linnaeus: 994 (1759)
    • Sonder: 152 (1860)
    • Hutchinson & Dalziel: 113 (1927)
    • Phillips: 283 (1951)
    • Keay: 134 (1954)
    • Friedrich: 133 (1956)
    • Jeffrey: 6 (1961)
    • Friedrich: 9 (1966)
    • Gonçalves: 525 (1978)
    • Endress & Bittrich: 419 (1993)
    • Gilbert: 107 (1993)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global: Species ± 26, mostly in southern Africa, with a few species reappearing in the Sudan, Ethiopia and S Asia
  • Southern Africa: Species 18, widespread

References:

  • ENDRESS, M.E. & BITTRICH, V. 1993. Molluginaceae. In K. Kubitzki, J.G. Rohwer & V. Bittrich, The families and genera of vascular plants - dicotyledons 2. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
  • FRIEDRICH, H.C. 1956. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Molluginaceen. Revision der Gattung Limeum L. Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung München 2
  • FRIEDRICH, H.C. 1966. Molluginaceae. Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika 26
  • GILBERT, M.G. 1993. Molluginaceae. Flora of Somalia 1
  • GONÇALVES, M.L. 1978. Molluginaceae. Flora zambesiaca 4
  • HUTCHINSON, J. & DALZIEL, J.M. 1927. Molluginaceae. Flora of west tropical Africa 1
  • JEFFREY, C. 1961. Aizoaceae. Flora of tropical East Africa. Aizoaceae
  • KEAY, R.W.J. 1954. Molluginaceae. Flora of west tropical Africa, edn 2, 1,1
  • LINNAEUS, C. 1759. Systema naturae, edn 10. Laurentius Salvius, Stockholm
  • PHILLIPS, E.P. 1951. The genera of South African flowering plants, edn 2. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 25
  • SONDER, O.W. 1860. Caryophylleae. Flora capensis 1