Ceropegia manderensis
| Ceropegia manderensis | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ceropegia manderensis | ||||||||||||
| Masinde |
Ceropegia manderensis is a species of the subfamily of the silk plants (Asclepiadoideae). The species is in a very small area in northeast Kenya endemic .
features
Vegetative characteristics
Ceropegia manderensis is an herbaceous , leafy, finely downy hairy, wiry, twisting plant that can reach a height of 1.5 m. The milky juice is unknown. The flattened, rounded tuber reaches a diameter of up to 25 mm. The herbaceous shoots are slender and 1.5 mm in diameter. The internodes are 60 to 200 mm long. The leaf blade measures 30 to 70 mm in length and 15 to 40 mm in width. It is spread out and herbaceous, narrow to broadly elliptical. The base of the blades is heart-shaped, rounded or wedge-shaped. The spreading apex is pointed, the margins entire and ciliate. The top is hairy densely, the underside is hairy less densely, but clearly paler. The nerve stands out clearly; it is much more hairy than the rest of the leaf surface.
Inflorescence and flowers
The sessile, inconsistent inflorescence is an umbel-shaped pleiochasium (umbel) that is formed near the leaf axil. The inflorescence has one to five flowers, with up to three flowers can be open at the same time. The support leaves (bracts) are pfriemlich hairy fluffy with a length of about 1 mm on the bottom. The zygomorphic , hermaphrodite flowers are five-fold and provided with a double flower envelope. The sepals are sub-shaped, pointed and measure about 2.5 mm in length and 0.7 mm in width (at their base). They are densely hairy or scaly on the outside with a fine down. The slender flower stalks are 5 to 15 mm long; they are also dense and finely hairy or scaly.
The five hairless sepals, which are only fused at their base, are linear-lanceolate with a length of 2.75 mm. The corolla is 11 to 15 mm high. The five petals are fused in the lower part to a straight, outside bare corolla tube with a length (height) of 6 mm. The diameter of the corolla tube is about 2 mm, at the base ("kettle") it is inflated in the shape of an urn. Here the diameter is 3.5 mm. Above the corolla basin, the tube widens only very moderately. The outside of the corolla tube is whitish and bald. It is also completely bare inside, including the cauldron. The corolla lobes are cylindrical-linear, 4 to 6 mm long and thus about the same length as the corolla tube. They are gently curved outwards along the longitudinal axis without forming a keel. They are cylindrical with an ear-shaped base. Adjacent petal tips are separated from one another by deep indentations. The tips of the corolla lobes are connected to each other, the corolla lobes thus form an elliptical cage-like structure with a diameter of about 6 mm. The tips of the petals are dense and hairy on the inside and outside. They are colored chocolate brown to almost black. The secondary crown is clearly stalked, the stalk is 2.5 mm high and measures 1.5 to 2 mm in diameter. The interstaminal (or outer) corolla lobes are expanded and form five flat, saucer-shaped pockets, 0.3 mm deep and 0.7 mm wide. The top edges are cut off. The staminal (or inner) minor corolla lobes are spatulate and erect. They are fused at the tips, but the tips can also be free. They are 1.8 mm high and 0.2 mm in diameter. The anthers are approximately square, higher than the stylus head and incline above the head. The gynostegium, pollinia, and sliding rails are clearly visible. The slide rails are 300 μm long. The pollinia are elliptical and 200 μm and 160 μm high. They are light yellow when illuminated.
Fruits and seeds
Fruits and seeds are not yet known.
Similar species
Ceropegia manderensis is related to Ceropegia stenoloba Hochst. ex Chiov. However, it differs in that the petal lobes are completely bent back along the longitudinal axis. These are cylindrical and ear-shaped at the base. The petal lobes are not sharply folded along the longitudinal axis, but gently curved; the longitudinal axis therefore does not form a keel. The numerous morphological forms of Ceropegia stenoloba do not have petal lobes that are so completely bent back along the longitudinal axis. In addition, they are not cylindrical and do not have an ear-shaped base. Usually the petal lobes are splayed out, i. that is, they do not form a cage-like structure. The corolla of Ceropegia manderensis is also similar to the corolla of Ceropegia sobolifera NE Br. Var. Nephroloba H. Huber. Ceropegia stenoloba is a species that is widespread in East Africa and is also very variable.
Geographical distribution and ecology
The species has so far only been known from the type locality: Road from Ramut to Banissa, around 68 km from the bend to Banissa, Mandera County , Kenya (3 ° 53 'N 40 ° 31' E). The location is 810 m above sea level.
The species grows in a semi-arid acacia commiphora woodland at an altitude of 810 m.
Systematics and taxonomy
The species was first described in 2004 by Patrick Siro Masinde . So far it is only known from the type locality, and so far there are no further finds from this locality.
supporting documents
- Patrick Siro Masinde: Two New Ceropegia (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae) Species from Kenya. In: Kew Bulletin. 59 (2). 2004: 241-245 abstract .