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Rulingia R.Br.

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

Reference
Curtis's Bot.Mag. 48, Tab.2191 (1821)
Name Status
Not Current

Scientific Description

Family Sterculiaceae.

(Subfamily Byttnerioideae), Tribe Byttnerieae.

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs (with an indumentum of stellate hairs). To 0.3–4 m high. Mesophytic. Leaves small to medium-sized; alternate; petiolate; simple. Leaf blades dorsiventral; dissected, or entire; linear, or ovate, or obovate, or elliptic (or cordate); usually oblique at the base. Mature leaf blades adaxially pubescent, or glabrous (rarely); abaxially pubescent. Leaves with stipules (stipules narrow, the upper ones often laciniate). Stipules caducous. Leaf blade margins entire, or crenate, or dentate. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present, or absent; glandular hairs absent; complex hairs present. Complex hairs stellate.

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

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’. Inflorescence few-flowered, or many-flowered. Flowers in cymes. Inflorescences terminal, or leaf-opposed, or axillary (rarely). Flowers pedicellate; bracteate. Bracts deciduous. Flowers small; regular. Floral receptacle with neither androphore nor gynophore. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; lobed; lobulate (5-lobed); hairy (tomentose); valvate; more or less equalling the corolla, or exceeding the corolla; persistent; non-accrescent (not enclosing the fruit and shorter than the fruit). Epicalyx absent. Corolla present; 5 (broad, concave or convolute at the base, with a small broad or linear ligule at the top); 1 -whorled; polypetalous; glabrous abaxially; glabrous adaxially; white, or pink. Androecium present. Fertile stamens present. Androecium 10. Androecial members free of the perianth; coherent (connate: inner whorl of stamens shortly connate and alternating with the outer whorl of staminodes); 2 -whorled. Androecium including staminodes. Staminodes 5; petaloid (staminodes linear to narrowly ovate). Stamens 5; isomerous with the perianth; all opposite the corolla members. Anthers dehiscing via longitudinal slits; bilocular. Gynoecium 5 carpelled. The pistil 5 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious to eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary plurilocular; 5 locular; sessile. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 5; partially joined (partly connate at the top). Stigmas 5. Placentation axile. Ovules 2 per locule, or 3 per locule (rarely).

Fruit and seed features. Fruit 3–15 mm long; hairy (covered with long bristles or hairs); dehiscent; a capsule. Capsules loculicidal (by 5 valves). Dispersal unit the seed. Seeds 1 per locule, or 2 per locule.

Geography, cytology, number of species. World distribution: mainly Australia and Madagascar. Native of Australia. Not endemic to Australia. Australian states and territories: Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland. Northern Botanical Province, Eremaean Botanical Province, and South-West Botanical Province. A genus of ca 20 species; 15 species in Western Australia.

Additional comments. Named after Dr Johann Philipp Rueling, a German botanist born in 1741.