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Vaccaria Wolf

This name is not current. Find out more information on related names.

Reference
Gen.Sp.Pl. 234 (1816)
Name Status
Not Current
Image

Scientific Description

Family Caryophyllaceae.

Subfamily Caryophylloideae, Tribe Caryophylleae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs; non-laticiferous and without coloured juice. ‘Normal’ plants. Leaves well developed. Plants with roots; non-succulent; unarmed. Annual; to 0.6 m high. Self supporting. Mesophytic. Not heterophyllous. Leaves medium-sized; not fasciculate; opposite; with blades; sessile; simple; not peltate. Leaf blades entire; flat; ovate. Mature leaf blades adaxially glabrous (glaucous); abaxially glabrous. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire; flat. Leaf anatomy. Hairs absent; glandular hairs absent.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Floral nectaries absent.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’. Inflorescence many-flowered, or few-flowered. Flowers in cymes. Inflorescences compound. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences terminal. Flowers pedicellate; bracteate. Bracts scarious with green midrib. Flowers small; regular; tetracyclic. Floral receptacle with neither androphore nor gynophore (but developing an anthophore). Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk present. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; lobed. Calyx lobes markedly shorter than the tube. Calyx glabrous; valvate; inflated below. Epicalyx absent. Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; polypetalous; dextrorsely contorted, or imbricate (rarely); pink, or purple. Petals dentate or notched; clawed. Corolla members entire. Androecium present. Fertile stamens present. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 10. Androecial members all equal; free of one another; 2 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 10; diplostemonous (obdiplostemonous); oppositisepalous. Anthers separate from one another; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; bilocular; tetrasporangiate. Fertile gynoecium present. Gynoecium 1 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious; superior. Ovary unilocular (almost 2-locular at the base); 1 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 2; free; simple. Stigmas 2; 1 - lobed. Placentation free central, or basal. Ovules campylotropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit dehiscent; a capsule. Dispersal unit the seed. Perisperm present. Seeds minute, or small.

Geography, cytology, number of species. Holarctic. Adventive. Not endemic to Australia. Australian states and territories: Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania. 2n=24?, 30, 60. A genus of 1 species, or 4 species; 1 species in Western Australia; Vaccaria hispanica (Mill.) Rauschert; 0 endemic to Western Australia.