Family: Boraginaceae
Amsinckia
Citation:
Lehm., Delect. Sem. Hort. Hamburg. 1831:7 (1831).
Derivation: In honour of W. Amsinck, 1752-1831, burgomaster of Hamburg; developed the botanical garden of that city.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Yellow burrweeds.
Description:
Annuals with coarse spreading hairs as well as fine ones, usually little to moderately branched; leaves constantly alternate, densely clustered in a more or less well developed basal rosette becoming widely spaced on stems.
Inflorescence a terminal thyrse, with 1 to few circinnate monochasia with sessile flowers more or less densely arranged in 2 rows with bracts rarely longer than the calyx; sepals scarcely connate basally, elongating after flowering; corolla regular, cylindrical, glabrous or with 5 hairy protrusions in the throat; stamens inserted in the throat or below the middle of the corolla tube, with anthers almost sessile and without appendages; ovary 4-lobed, with 4 broad ovules; style inserted at about the middle and with the capitate scarcely lobed stigma included.
Fruit with 4 hard mericarps splitting off the central gynobase; mericarps ovoid with the apex more or less constricted into a beak accentuated by a vertical ridge in the middle, tuberculate-rugose, with a small attachment scar on the inside.
Distribution:
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About 50 species in western North America and western temperate South America; 3 species naturalised in Australia.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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1. Stamens inserted in the corolla throat; hairy protrusions absent from the throat |
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A. calycina 1. |
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1. Stamens inserted below the middle of the corolla tube; hairy protrusions present in the throat |
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A. lycopsoides 2. |
Author:
Not yet available
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