Family: Asteraceae
Pluchea
Citation:
Cass., Bull. Soc. Philom. 1817:31 (1817).
Derivation: After N. A. Pluche, 1688-1761, a French teaching abbot and author of a popular natural history work.
Synonymy: Eyrea F. Muell., Linnaea 25:403 (1853).
Common name: None
Description:
Perennial herbs, shrubs and undershrubs, glabrous to glandular-pubescent; leaves cauline, alternate, sessile, toothed, flat.
Capitula shortly pedunculate in terminal cymes, heterogamous, discoid; involucres hemispherical to ovoid, ultimately spreading; bracts ovate to narrowly lanceolate, herbaceous with scarious margins, unequally 3-4-seriate; receptacle flat to slightly convex, naked or with minute upgrowths; outer florets female, fertile, multisetlate, filiform; corollas 2- or 3-toothed; style branches filiform, glabrous.
Achenes slightly compressed-fusiform, smooth; pappus of free uniseriate capillary bristles; disk florets fewer, bisexual, sterile, tubular, 4- or 5-merous; anthers tailed at the base with ovate terminal appendages; style entire or 2-lobed at the apex, papillose; achenes abortive; pappus of free capillary bristles.
Distribution:
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About 50 species in temperate and tropical regions of the world; about 5 in Australia.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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1. Leaf bases decurrent to form narrow wings along the branchlets |
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P. rubelliflora 2. |
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1. Leaf bases not forming decurrent wings |
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2. Capitula numerous in dense leafless cymes; involucral bracts ovate, closely imbricate |
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P. tetranthera 3. |
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2. Capitula 1-4 in loose leafy cymes; involucral bracts narrowly lanceolate, loosely imbricate |
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P. dentex 1. |
Author:
Not yet available
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