Brachystelma

Brachystelma
Brachystelma caffrum
Systematics
Order : Enzianartige (Gentianales) Family : Dog poison family (Apocynaceae) Subfamily : Silk plants (Asclepiadoideae) Tribe : Ceropegieae Sub tribus : Stapeliinae Genre : Brachystelma
Scientific name
Brachystelma
Sims

Brachystelma is a plant genus that the subfamily of asclepiadoideae (Asclepiadoideae) within the family of Hundsgiftgewächse part (Apocynaceae). After the genus Ceropegia, Brachystelma isthe most species-rich genus within the tribe Ceropegiae. The generic name is derived from the Greek brachys for short and stelma for crown, garland, wreath and indicates the formation of a secondary crown.

description

Illustration of Brachystelma oianthum

Habit and leaves of Brachystelma barberae

Habit, leaves and flowers of Brachystelma tuberosum

Flowers of Brachystelma tuberosum

Appearance and leaves

The Brachystelma species are deciduous, root succulent , perennial herbaceous plants . These geophytes are characterized by the possession of small or large subterranean hypocotyl or root tubers or spindle-shaped, fleshy, thickened roots. The white or yellow fleshed tubers are edible in some species. During the growing season, one to several 2 to 100 cm long, mostly annual shoots arise from the mostly somewhat deepened apex of these tubers. The tiny to large leaves can be stalked or sessile. The leaf blades are linear to ovate and have entire margins. (Sub) succulent leaves are rarely formed. Minor leaf rudiments are usually also present.

Inflorescences and flowers

Terminally or laterally, the shabby inflorescences are formed over a short, but usually without inflorescence stem , which contain one to many flowers. The flowers often open in pairs or one at a time. The flower stalks are 3 to 50 mm long.

The hermaphrodite flowers are radially symmetrical and five-fold. The five sepals are ovate-lanceolate to subulate. The corollas have a diameter of 5 to 60 mm and vary in shape from flat, bell-shaped to cup-shaped. The five corolla lobes are mostly flat, wheel-shaped, rarely turned back. In some species, the corolla lobes stand upright or are connected at the tips and form a balloon-like structure. The seated or stalked secondary crown can be two-row or single-row. The staminal corolla lobes are mostly rectangular and lie on the anthers . The interstaminal corolla lobes are cup-shaped or bowl-shaped at the base and divided into five lobes at the top. The hairy tips are usually divided into two parts, rarely almost receded. The stamens, fused into a short tube at their base, are rectangular and rest on the stylus head, they rarely stand upright. The approximately square pollinia are egg or pear shaped.

Fruits and seeds

One or two follicles are formed per flower. If two fruits are formed, they can be almost opposite or run approximately parallel to one another. They are spindle-shaped, depending on the type between 30 and 200 mm long. The end is usually pointed or beaked. The surface is hairless and essentially smooth or has longitudinal furrows. The pericarp is thin, paper-like to thick-fleshed. The single fruit contains about 10 to 20 seeds. The black to brown seeds have distinct lateral wings. The white or cream-colored head of hair is 15 to 15 mm long.

Synecology

The flowers of the Brachystelma species often give off a carrion- like odor ( carrion flowers ) to attract blowflies , which pollinate the flowers .

Occurrence

The Brachystelma species mainly grow in dry areas in Africa . But they are completely absent in Madagascar , North Africa and Arabia. Some species have also been found in India and Sri Lanka , as well as in East Asia . A single species grows in Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia.

Systematics

The genus Brachystelma was in 1822 by John Sims in Botanical Magazine , Volume 49, Plate 2343 with the type species Brachystelma tuberosa , whose basionym Stapelia tuberosa Meerb. is set up .

For Brachystelma R.Br. There is a multitude of synonyms which are based on the incorporation of various other genera; Synonyms are: Aulostephanus Schltr. , Blepharanthera Schltr. , Brachystelmaria Schltr. , Craterostemma K.Schum. , Decaceras Harv. , Dichaelia Harv. , Eriopetalum Wight , Kinepetalum Schltr. , Lasiostelma Benth. , Macropetalum Burchell ex Decaisne , Micraster Harv. , Microstemma R.Br. , Siphonostelma Schltr. , Tapeinostelma Schltr. , Tenaris E. Meyer .

There are around 100 to 120 species in the genus Brachystelma . So far there is no revision for the complete genus Brachystelma . In 2007 Patrick Siro Masinde only revised the East African taxa . Ulrich Meve makes a rough classification of the species in the succulent lexicon based on the shape of the root succulence . A distinction is made between fleshy, cylindrical to spindle-shaped roots (1) and tuberous roots (2). The compilation of the species follows the Brachystelma Checklist with a few additions (species newly described since then).

swell

literature

• Urs Eggli, Heidrun EK Hartmann, Focke Albers, Ulrich Meve: Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Asclepiadaceae. ISBN 3-540-41964-0 .
• Focke Albers, Ulli Meve (ed.): Succulents Lexicon Volume 3 Asclepiadaceae (silk plants). Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3982-0 .
• Bingtao Li, Michael G. Gilbert & W. Douglas Stevens: Asclepiadaceae R. Brown Flora of China , Volume 16, Brachystelma , p. 265 , In: ZY Wu & Peter H. Raven, (Editor), Flora of China , Volume 16 (Gentianaceae through Boraginaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1995. ISBN 0-915279-33-9

On-line

• S. Liede-Schumann, & U. Meve, 2006: The Genera of Asclepiadoideae, Secamonoideae and Periplocoideae (Apocynaceae) Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: September 21st, 2000

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} First publication scanned at biodiversitylibrary.org .
2. ^ Brachystelma at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
3. ^ R. Siro Masinde: A revision of Brachystelma Sims (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae -Ceropegieae) in East Africa. In: Kew Bulletin , Volume 62, 2007, pp. 37-84, abstract at JSTOR
4. ↑ Ulrich Meve: Brachystelma Checklist A guide to alternative names used in recent Brachystelma classification. In: Dennis de Kock, Ulrich Meve: A Checklist of Brachystelma, Ceropegia and the genera of the Stapeliads. International Asclepiad Society 2007, pp. 115-125.
5. ^ AP Dold: Apocynaceae: a new species of Brachystelma from Eastern Cape, South Africa. In: Bothalia , Volume 32, Number 1, 2002, pp. 71-73. ( Brachystelma cummingii sp. Nov. , PDF )
6. ↑ Flora of China , Volume 16, Brachystelma kerrii on p. 265.
7. ^ PV Bryns: A new species of Brachystelma (Apocynaceae) from South Tropical Africa In: Novon . Volume 16, 2006, pp. 452-453.
8. ^ ^{A b c} Peter V. Bruyns: Three New Species of Brachystelma (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Ceropegieae) from South Tropical and Southern Africa. In: Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature , Volume 19 (1) 2009, pp. 18-22, doi: 10.3417 / 2007128
9. ↑ B. Ravi Prasad Rao, K. Prasad, B. Sadasivaiah, S. Khadar Basha, MV Suresh Babu, PV Prasanna: A New Species of Brachystelma R.Br. (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae - Ceropegieae) from India. In: Taiwania , Volume 56 (3), 2011, pp. 223-226. PDF

Web links

Commons : Brachystelma  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: carrion flower  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Images of various species from Martin Heigan
• Plant pictures at PicSearch
• Brief profile of the genus (Engl.)
• individual species in Pacific Bulb Society (Engl.)
• Profile of the genus. (engl.)
• Profile of the genus
• Images of various Brachystelma species