Uncarina ankaranensis
| Uncarina ankaranensis | ||||||||||||
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| Uncarina ankaranensis | ||||||||||||
| Ihlenf. |
Uncarina ankaranensis is a species of plant from the genus Uncarina in the sesame family (Pedaliaceae).
description
Uncarina ankaranensis grows as a shrub and forms prostrate main shoots with ascending side shoots. It is up to 2 meters high. Furthermore, several thickened roots are formed.
The undivided leaf blades are 5 to 9 inches long and wide. They are heart-shaped at the base and with entire margins to slightly lobed with 5 to 6 lobes on each side. The larger nerve tracts on the upper side of the leaf are sunk and correspondingly arched out on the lower side. On the top and bottom, tapering hairs of different lengths, from 30 to 300 micrometers, are arranged at regular intervals and end in a very small head. The mucous hairs typical of the genus are missing on the upper side, but on the lower side they appear lengthways in rows and along the nerve tracts. These rows trace the course of the smaller nerve tracts.
The yellow flowers are numerous in the axils of the younger leaves. The flower diameter is 30 millimeters and the narrow tube, dark purple on the inside, is up to 40 millimeters long. A white ring is arranged at the transition to the horizontally arranged corolla tube. This is suspected to have a juice mark . The coronet is raised by a curve above the tube so that a potential pollinator has to fly to the flower from above.
The species forms a very characteristic, only slightly woody capsule fruit. This is about 7 × 7 centimeters in size. The part of the fruit containing the seeds is 3.5 to 4 inches long and 2 to 2.5 inches wide. A triangular sterile beak is formed above, which becomes 1.5 centimeters long. The fruit is strongly flattened in the side view. The hooked spines typical of the genus are found on the fruit. Longer spines with hooks and shorter ones without hooks are formed. They stand in 8 longitudinal rows of 6 to 8 each and are widened lengthways at the base. Characteristic of the species, a lot of hooked spines are formed at the base of the fruit, which point downwards and are forked or branched at the tip. The formation of "pseudo-wings" at the bases of the middle rows of spines is also characteristic.
The black and heart-shaped seeds are 10 millimeters long and 9 millimeters wide. A broad and more or less transparent wing is formed on the seed, which merges into a deep incision at the upper end of the seed.
Distribution and systematics
Uncarina ankaranensis is endemic to Madagascar , in the south of the Antsiranana province in the Tsingy formation of the Massif de l'Ankarana.
The species was first described in 2004 by Hans-Dieter Ihlenfeldt .
literature
- Hans-Dieter Ihlenfeldt: Uncarina ankaranensis (Pedaliaceae), a new species from northwest Madagascar . In: Cacti and other succulents . 55th year (2004), issue 6, p. 148 f.
