Kadua knudsenii
| Kadua knudsenii | ||||||||||||
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| Kadua knudsenii | ||||||||||||
| Hillebr. |
Kadua knudsenii is a plant from the genus Kadua in the family of the Rubiaceae (Rubiaceae). It is endemic to Hawaii .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Kadua knudsenii grows as a climbing or hanging shrub with trunks of 0.1 to 0.4 meters in length. The internodes have a sharp longitudinal furrow.
The constantly against arranged on the branches leaves are divided into a petiole and leaf blade. The leaf stalk is 0.4 to 0.7 inches long. The simple, paper-like leaf blade is 6 to 10 centimeters long and 2.5 to 7 centimeters wide, from broadly ovoid to elliptical to broadly elliptical, more rarely also broadly ovoid-heart-shaped. The top of the leaf blade is glabrous, while the underside is sparsely hairy, especially along the leaf veins . The base of the blade is wedge-shaped or rounded, sometimes also heart-shaped, the tip of the blade is tapered or tapered and the edge of the blade is entire. Several pairs of side veins branch off from each side of the central leaf vein and the higher-order leaf veins form a striking, net-like pattern. The stipules are similar to the deciduous leaves, are fused with the base of the petiole and thus form a spiky and strongly keeled leaf sheath . The triangular leaf sheath is 0.3 to 0.4 centimeters long and has a 0.06 to 0.15 centimeter long spike tip.
Generative characteristics
The panicle-like , zymous inflorescences are terminal and stand on an inflorescence stalk. The inflorescences are sparsely to moderately hairy. The inflorescences contain several single stalked flowers. The bare or sparsely hairy flower stalks can be between 0.1 and 0.2 centimeters long.
The four-fold flowers are radial symmetry . The jar-like, top-shaped flower cup is sparsely hairy and 0.1 to 0.12 centimeters long. The sepals are fused together to form a calyx tube. The calyx lobes are elongated at a length of around 0.1 centimeters and have a blunt tip. The fleshy, green petals are fused together like a saucer. The reddish purple corolla tube reaches a length of 0.7 to 0.9 centimeters and has a square cross-section. The four corolla lobes reach lengths of 0.3 to 0.5 centimeters and have a ruler-shaped appendage up to 0.15 centimeters long. The bilobe pen dense coat the bottom.
The capsule fruits are approximately spherical in shape with a length of 0.28 to 0.33 centimeters and a thickness of 0.35 to 0.4 centimeters. The endocarp is lignified. Each of the fruits contains several dark brown seeds. They are irregularly wedge-shaped or almost shield-shaped and the seed coat has a finely warty and pitted surface.
Occurrence
The natural range of Kadua knudsenii is on the Hawaii island of Kaua'i .
Taxonomy
The first description as Kadua knudsenii was in 1888 by Wilhelm Hillebrand in Flora of the Hawaiian Islands .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Kadua knudsenii. In: Flora of the Hawaiian Islands. www.botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora, accessed on January 29, 2017 (English).
- ↑ Kadua knudsenii at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed January 29, 2017.