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Electronic Flora of South Australia
Electronic Flora of South Australia
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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Campanulaceae
Lobelia

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 929 (1753).

Derivation: After Mathias de Lobel, 1538-1616, physician to William of Orange and then botanist to James I of England.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Lobelias.

Description:
Inflorescence cymose to raceme-like, with bracts leaf-like or reduced; pedicels shorter to longer than the bracts; calyx with a short tube, persistent; corolla with tube split above, 2-lipped with the upper lip consisting of 2 often much shorter lobes and the lower one of 3 lobes; stamens fused in a column around the style; anthers consisting of 3 slightly longer upper ones with or without hairs and 2 shorter lower ones with terminal hairs; ovary inferior, 2-celled, the style topped by 2 broadly obovate stigma branches eventually protruding above the anther-column.

Fruit a capsule dehiscing mainly loculicidally.

Distribution:  Over 300 species, cosmopolitan, but well represented in tropical and subtropical regions.

Biology: Not Applicable

Key to Species:
1. Branches prostrate, decumbent to suberect, much-branched
 
2. Stems angled to winged; fruits obconical; plants decumbent to suberect
 
3. Pedicels hairy in flower; inflorescence spike-like
L. alata 1.
3. Pedicels glabrous; inflorescence loosely cymose
L. erinus 2.
2. Stems terete or slightly ridged; fruit obovoid
 
4. Branches with stout adventitious roots; apex of lower anthers with longer hairs
L. pratioides 5.
4. Branches without adventitious roots; apex of all anthers with long hairs
L. rhombifolia 6.
1. Branches stiffly erect, 1 to few
 
5. Fruits subglobose; seeds with membranous wings
L. heterophylla 4.
5. Fruits obliquely obovoid; seeds ridged
 
6. Seeds c. 0.2 mm long; lower side of throat of corolla with scattered hairs
L. gibbosa 3.
6. Seeds c. 0.45 mm long; throat of the corolla glabrous
L. simplicicaulis 7.

Author: Not yet available


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