Family: Loganiaceae
Logania
Citation:
R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 454 (1810).
Derivation: After James Logan, botanist, 1674-1751, born in Ireland, emigrated to North America with William Penn in 1699, Governor of Pennsylvania 1736-1738; wrote a book on the sexuality of plants.
Synonymy: Euosma Andrews, Bot. Rep. 8:t. 520 (1808).
Common name: Loganias.
Description:
Shrubs or subshrubs; leaves opposite, entire, flat or margins recurved, sessile or petiolate, the bases of opposite leaves joined by a membrane.
Flowers either in cymes or axillary clusters, bisexual or unisexual and then with male and female flowers on separate plants; bisexual flowers with calyx dark-green to black and deeply 5-lobed; corolla campanulate to almost rotate, 5-lobed (in S.Aust. species), lobes imbricate in the bud, obtuse; stamens 5, inserted on the tube at the throat, anthers linear to ovate; disk papillose; ovary superior, 2-celled, with many ovules in each cell; style simple, slender, stigma oblong to obovoid; unisexual flowers similar, males with stamens inserted on the tube shortly below the middle, usually included; style slender, stigma capitate, oblong or ellipsoid; disk present; ovary undeveloped; females with staminodes inserted on the tube shortly below the middle; style short and broad, stigma ovoid to broadly ovoid or capitate.
Fruit a capsule, usually black, globular, woody, contracted towards the summit, dehiscing septicidally and loculicidally at the summit so that it appears to open by 4 teeth, the 2 carpels finally almost separating; placenta adnate to the central suture.
Distribution:
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About 25 species confined to Australia.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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1. Flowers unisexual with male and female flowers on separate plants; staminal filaments inserted on the tube just below the middle |
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2. Tube internally thickened at the top to form a rim (sometimes incompletely formed in L. insularis), glabrous except for hairs on the rim |
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3. Stems minutely pubescent |
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4. Leaves elliptic to obovate, 3-8 mm long, margins recurved |
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L. insularis 2. |
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4. Leaves linear to narrowly elliptic, 10-20 mm long, margins not recurved |
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L. linifolia 3. |
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3. Stems glabrous to minutely papillose |
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5. Leaves sessile and weakly stem-clasping, linear to narrowly ovate, margins recurved |
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L. recurva 6. |
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5. Leaves shortly petiolate to almost sessile, but not stem-clasping, blade ovate to broadly ovate or narrowly elliptic, margins not recurved |
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L. ovata 5. |
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2. Tube not internally thickened at the top, pubescent inside almost to the base |
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6. Stem glabrous; leaf blade concave |
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L. sp.b 8. |
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6. Stems scabridulous; leaf blade flat |
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7. Leaf blade narrowly obovate, margins scabridulous |
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L. sp.a 7. |
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7. Leaf blade obovate, broadly obovate or broadly elliptic, margins not scabridulous |
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L. crassifolia 1. |
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1. Flowers bisexual; staminal filaments inserted on the tube at the throat |
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L. nuda 4. |
Author:
Not yet available
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