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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Scrophulariaceae
Myoporum

Citation: Sol. ex Forster f., Fl. Insul. Aust. Prod. 44 (1786).

Derivation: Greek myd, I close; poros, pore; alluding to the closed appearance of the leaf glands.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Myoporums.

Description:
Shrubs or small trees with vegetative and/or floral parts glabrous or rarely hairy; leaves alternate or rarely opposite, sessile or with a petiole-like base, entire or toothed.

Flowers 2-11, rarely 1 in axils; sepals 5, free or connate at the base, valvate or imbricate, equal or subequal; corolla almost actinomorphic, campanulate, lobes spreading, almost equally spaced or more or less a 2:3 arrangement, as long as the tube or longer; stamens 4, exserted, filaments straight or slightly curved, anthers reniform; ovary 2-celled or becoming 4-celled by 2 intruding septal placentas, with 1 or 2 ovules per cell; style straight.

Fruit drupaceous, succulent or rarely dry and laterally compressed, with 2-4 cells each with 1 seed although rarely all develop.

Distribution:  About 31 species in Australia, Pacific, south-east Asia and Mauritius; at least 15 in Australia, but the distinction between some species is uncertain. In Australia the genus is largely confined to southern and eastern temperate and semi-arid regions, with only a few species widespread in the arid areas or the tropical northern regions.

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: All S.Aust. species are very variable in vegetative and floral characters.

Key to Species:
1. Mat-like or low growing decumbent shrubs; leaves obtuse, less than 30 mm long
 
2. Branches prostrate and creeping or some shortly erect; corolla bearded inside; lobes at least as long as the tube
M. parvifolium 4.
2. Branches decumbent or erect; corolla glabrous inside; lobes one-half to two-thirds the tube's length
M. brevipes 2.
1. Erect shrubs; leaves acute or obtuse, usually greater than 30 mm long but if shorter fruits white
 
3. Branches smooth or obscurely tuberculate
 
4. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, distinctly petiolate, margins serrulate. M. viscosum 6
 
4. Leaves variable in shape, petiole absent or leaf gradually tapering to the base, margins entire, serrate or dentate
 
5. Sepals valvate; leaves thin
 
6. Leaves entire; fruit succulent, subglobular, purple
M. acuminatum 1.
6. Leaves dentate in distal half; fruit dry, distinctly flattened.
M. platycarpum 5.
5. Sepals imbricate; leaves thick and fleshy
 
7. Leaves 3.5-28 mm long, oblong, obovate to oblanceolate or linear-subterete, obtuse, entire or rarely irregularly toothed; fruit white
M. brevipes 2.
7. Leaves 30-70 mm long, lanceolate to oblanceolate or very rarely obovate, acute or obtuse, serrulate in the distal half or more rarely entire; fruit purple
M. insulare 3.
3. Branches prominently tuberculate
 
8. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, distinctly petiolate, acute, margins serrulate
M. viscosum 6.
8. Leaves not as above
 
9. Leaves linear-lanceolate, acuminate, dentate in the distal half; sepals valvate; fruit dry, flattened, pale-yellow
M. platycarpum 5.
9. Leaves oblong, obovate to oblanceolate or linear-subterete; sepals imbricate; fruit succulent, globular, white
M. brevipes 2.

Author: Not yet available


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