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Thecanthes Wikstr.

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

Reference
Kongl.Vetensk.Acad.Handl. 271 (1818)
Name Status
Not Current

Scientific Description

Family Thymelaeaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs. Annual. Leaves basal and cauline. Mesophytic, or xerophytic. Leaves small to medium-sized; opposite; decussate; ‘herbaceous’, or leathery (sometimes ericoid); petiolate to subsessile; gland-dotted, or not gland-dotted; simple. Leaf blades entire; flat, or rolled; ovate, or obovate, or linear; pinnately veined; cross-venulate. Leaves without stipules; without a persistent basal meristem.

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

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; condensed in racemes, or in heads. The terminal inflorescence unit racemose. Inflorescences terminal; peduncle expanded at apex into a funnel- shaped receptacle passing into involucral bracts; with involucral bracts (bracts 4, sessile); pseudanthial, or not pseudanthial. Flowers pedicellate. Pedicels flattened. Flowers bracteolate, or ebracteolate; regular. Floral receptacle markedly hollowed. Free hypanthium present; ovary-portion fusiform, style-portion longer and narrower. Hypogynous disk present, or absent; of separate members, or annular. Perianth sepaline (the corolla missing); 4; 1 -whorled. Calyx present; 4; 1 -whorled; polysepalous, or gamosepalous; blunt-lobed; imbricate; tubular; unequal but not bilabiate, or regular; white, or cream, or orange, or red, or pink, or purple; (tube) persistent. Corolla absent. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 2. Androecial members free of the perianth; all equal; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 2; attached on the rim of the hypanthium; all more or less similar in shape; reduced in number relative to the adjacent perianth; oppositisepalous; filantherous, or with sessile anthers. Anthers basifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Gynoecium 2 carpelled (1 aborting early). The pistil 1 celled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular (at maturity). Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; apical, or lateral. Placentation parietal, or apical. Ovules in the single cavity 1; pendulous; epitropous; with ventral raphe; arillate (or carunculate); anatropous, or hemianatropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit non-fleshy; indehiscent; achene-like, or a berry, or a drupe. Seeds endospermic, or non-endospermic. Cotyledons 2 (flat, expanded). Embryo straight.

Etymology. From the Greek for "envelope, sac" and "flower", presumably referring to the sack-like concave receptacle and attached bracts enclosing the flowers.