Family: Phrymaceae
Glossostigma
Citation:
Wight & Arn. ex Arn., Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 18:355 (1836).
Derivation: Greek glossa, tongue; stigma, stigma; referring to the single broad stigmatic lobe characteristic of this genus and its allies.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Mud-mats.
Description:
Small creeping ephemerals or ?short-lived perennials, rooting at the nodes; leaves opposite, sometimes clustered by suppression of internodes, entire, sometimes (G. elatinoides) obscurely gland-dotted.
Flowers small, solitary in leaf axils, sessile or pedicellate; bracteoles 0; sepals fused into a smooth tube with 4 or 3 short unequal lobes; corolla 2-lipped, the upper (adaxial) 2-lobed, the lower (abaxial) 3-lobed, rarely the lobes reduced to 4 or 3; stamens 4 in pairs of unequal length or 2, the anthers 1-celled; stigma with a single prominent broad flap covering the mouth and anthers, receptive above, when touched quickly bent back against the upper corolla lip.
Capsule thin-walled, dehiscing loculicidally into 2 valves; seeds many, reticulate.
Distribution:
|
4-6 species, all occurring in Australia; 3 of these extend to New Zealand, 1 also to India and Africa.
|
|
|
Biology:
No text
Taxonomic notes:
The relative conspicuousness of the mid-vein on the petiole and blade has been determined from spirit-preserved material.
Key to Species:
|
1. Calyx lobes 4; plants often hairy on leaves and the calyx; anthers 4 |
|
G. elatinoides 3. |
|
1. Calyx lobes 3; plants glabrous; anthers 4 or 2 |
|
|
|
2. Pedicels 0-0.5 mm long with the fruits downturned into the mud, rarely erect and 5-9 mm long; corolla rudimentary, the flowers cleistogamous; anthers 2 |
|
G. sp. A 4. |
|
2. Pedicels 2-70 mm long, always erect; corolla conspicuous; anthers 4-or 2 |
|
|
|
3. Anthers 2; leaves with the petiole 0.5-2 times the length of the blade, the blade almost as thin as the petiole, forward-directed with the mid-vein apparent below |
|
G. diandrum 1. |
|
3. Anthers 4; leaves with the petiole rarely 2, usually 3-5 times the length of the blade, the blade thickened, bent down and with the mid-vein obscure |
|
|
|
4. Pedicels 3-10 rarely 20 mm long; corolla 2-lipped with the limb spreading, white, blue or pink; stamens included in the corolla |
|
G. drummondii 2. |
|
4. Pedicels 20-70 mm long; corolla more or less regular with the limb recurved, white; stamens exserted above the corolla |
|
G. sp. B 5. |
Author:
Not yet available
|