Rahowardiana globifera
| Rahowardiana globifera | ||||||||||||
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| Rahowardiana globifera | ||||||||||||
| S.Knapp & D'Arcy |
Rahowardiana globifera is one of two plant species from the genus Rahowardiana withinthe nightshade family (Solanaceae). It was first described in 1993.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Rahowardiana globifera are tall, climbing shrubs with sturdy twigs that twist strongly as they dry. Hairiness can only be found on the underside of the leaves . It is made up of slim, erect, weak, collapsed, simple, single-row trichomes made up of three to five cells, the top cells of which become smaller. The almost leathery, monochrome leaf blades have a size of 15 to 30 × 10 to 21 cm, are rounded at the tip and blunt at the base. The leaf veins are only indistinctly visible on the upper side, but clearly emphasized on the lower side. On each side of the leaf there are four secondary veins, which form a loop about 5 to 10 mm from the leaf edge and open into one another. Smaller leaf veins are usually perpendicular to the larger veins. The leaf margins are slightly curved. The leaf stalks are 15 to 25 mm long and 5 mm thick, when they dry out they become darker and develop longitudinal edges that intersect with many transverse cracks.
Inflorescences and flowers
The inflorescences are on a spherical shape reduced grapes or umbels of 15 cm in length, the entire inflorescence ball has a diameter of up to cm 35th A peduncle is not clearly visible, the pedicels are strong and about 5 mm long. The flowers have a purple, tubular, strongly angled and leathery calyx that is about 7 to 8 cm long and 15 mm wide. It is irregularly lobed, the tips of the calyx lobes are green. The crown is colored white, the tips of the corolla lobes are purple on the back. The crown is about 6.5 cm long, the tips measure about 0.5 to 1 cm.
The five stamens have straight, hairless stamens , which are fixed at the base of the crown or slightly above and are about 15 mm long. The anthers have a length of 15 mm, a width of 2 to 3 mm, are oblong and yellow. The theca are fused at the top, they jump up longitudinally.
The ovary is light brown, conical, about 1 cm long, closely beaked and hairless. It is surrounded by distinct, slightly lighter, slightly wavy nectaries . The stylus, which is clearly different in color from the ovary, is white, straight and 5 to 6 mm long. The scar is strongly double-lobed, the lobes each about 1 mm long and finely papillary .
Fruits and seeds
The fruits are pale yellow, narrowly egg-shaped berries about 9.5 mm long, at the base the width is about 1 cm, but widens about 4 mm from the base to 2 cm and then tapers again to about 4 to 5 cm long beak. The seeds are bean-shaped, about 6 × 3.5 mm in size, brownish in color, the surface is finely grained.
Differentiation from other types
The species differs from the only other species of the genus Rahowardiana wardiana by the significantly larger inflorescences, stronger branches, shorter flower stalks, larger calyxes and the white instead of yellow flowers, as well as the larger fruits.
Occurrence and location
The type specimen of the species was found in the Las Orquídeas National Park ( Colombia ) at an altitude of about 890 m. The plant grew in the overgrowth of the foothills of the tropical rainforest , but could be reached by hand.
literature
- Sandra Knapp, William G. D'Arcy: Rahowardiana globifera (Solanaceae), a new Species from Colombia , In: Taxon , Volume 3, 1993. Pages 429-430.
Web links
- Herbarium evidence of the isotype specimen from the Missouri Botanical Garden