Hexapterella steyermarkii
| Hexapterella steyermarkii | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hexapterella steyermarkii | ||||||||||||
| Maas & H. Maas |
Hexapterella steyermarkii is a mykoheterotrophic , leaf-green-free plant species of the genus Hexapterella fromthe Burmanniaceae family .
description
Hexapterella steyermarkii is an upright and herbaceous species and reaches heights of between 12 and 21 centimeters. It does not perform photosynthesis , but lives parasitically on fungi and is completely dependent on them for its nutrition. The leaves are narrowly triangular to triangular-ovate, 2 to 4 millimeters long and 0.8 to 2 millimeters wide.
The flower stalks are purple and mostly unbranched, only occasionally they branch out at the base of the stem. The upper part of the stem is papillate , the papillae are approximately 0.02 millimeters long.
The inflorescences are 8 to 25 millimeters long, forked coils with 2 to 6 flowers or terminal single flowers. The bracts are 1.8 to 3.5 millimeters long and 0.6 to 1.9 millimeters wide. The flower stalks are 2 to 4 millimeters, the flowers 6.5 to 9.5 millimeters, the flower tubes 2.5 to 4.9 millimeters long. The flowers are white to purple. Six wings run along the flower tube to the ovary . The perianth is persistent, so the flowers do not fall off after pollination. In contrast to the sister species Hexapterella gentianoides , the stamens are missing .
The capsule fruits are round to obliquely broad-elliptical, 1.5 to 3.2 millimeters long and have a diameter of 2 to 3.5 millimeters. The seeds are brown, irregularly round to ovoid, 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters long and 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters wide.
distribution
Hexapterella steyermarkii is only native to the Venezuelan region of Guiana, the Territorio Federal Amazonas and the Estado Bolivar . There it can be found on rivers or on dry rocky outcrops at altitudes of 1100 to 1800 m.
etymology
The generic name refers to the six wings of the flower, which are a characteristic and diagnostic feature, the epithet honors the American botanist Julian Steyermark . The species was first described in 1989.
proof
- PJM Maas, H. Maas: Hexapterella steyermarkii P. Maas & H. Maas, sp. nov. , in: Julian A. Steyermark; Bruce K. Holst (Ed.): Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana VII. Contributions to the Flora of the Cerro Aracamuni, Venezuela . In: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden . Volume 76, Number 4, 1989, pp. 956-958.