Muiria hortenseae
| Muiria hortenseae | ||||||||||||
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Muiria hortenseae |
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| Muiria | ||||||||||||
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| Muiria hortenseae | ||||||||||||
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Muiria hortenseae is the only plant of monotypic genus Muiria from the family of aizoaceae (Aizoaceae). The botanical name of the genus honors the South African plant collector John Muir . The epithet of the species honors his daughter Hortense.
description
Muiria hortenseae is a compact, perennial succulent plant that has one to seven short branches, each with a single pair of leaves. The leaves are fused with one another over almost their entire length and form spherical to egg-shaped bodies with only a small gap at their tip. Their smooth epidermis is made up of cells that are elongated into long, thin hair , giving the plants a velvety appearance. The outer epidermal wall is not very thick. During the dormant period, it transforms into a dry shell that protects the next growing pair of leaves.
The solitary flowers appear at the top of the body. There are six elongated sepals . The white to pale pink petals become shorter from the outside in. The nectarium is formed by six to seven ring-like glands, which are almost completely fused together to form a ring. Your gynoeceum is rounded and balloon-shaped. Muiria hortenseae blooms in their homeland in November and December. The flowers open during the day.
The mostly sixfold capsule fruits are similar to those of the genus Delospermia . The brown seeds are smooth.
The chromosome number is 2n = 18.
Systematics and distribution
The range of Muiria hortenseae is limited to a small area on the southern edge of the Little Karoo north of Riversdale in the South African province of Western Cape . It grows in the rain shadow of the Langeberg Mountains on quartz plains. The annual rainfall is around 200 millimeters, with the majority falling in the months of March and November.
The first description of the genus and species was published by Nicholas Edward Brown in 1927 .
At the site, the species forms wild hybrids with Gibbaeum album , which are called Muirio-gibbaeum muirioides .
proof
literature
- Anja Jainta, Harald Jainta: Muiria hortenseae - "mouse heads" in the Little Karoo (South Africa) . In: Cacti and other succulents . Volume 58, No. 8, pp. 206-208, 2007
- Heidrun EK Hartmann : Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants: Aizoaceae FZ , Springer Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York 2001, p. 179, ISBN 3-540-41723-0
- Gideon Smith et al. a .: Mesembs of the World: Illustrated Guide to a Remarkable Succulent Group . Briza Publications 1998, pp. 118-119. ISBN 1-875093-13-3
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gardeners' Chronicle . Series 3, volume 81, p. 116, London 1927
- ↑ Aizoaceae The midday flowers of South Africa. Jaarsveld, Pienaar, Ulmer Verlag 2004, page 159 ISBN 3-8001-4186-8
