Muellerolimon Lincz.

Scientific Description

Family Plumbaginaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs, or shrubs. Leaves absent (apparently), or much reduced (to sheathing scales). Plants succulent. Perennial; plants with neither basal nor terminal concentrations of leaves. Stems ‘jointed’, with fleshy internodes (articles 2–15 mm long). Halophytic. Leaves with stipules, or without stipules. Leaf anatomy. Hairs absent. Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening developing from a conventional cambial ring, or anomalous.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Plants homostylous. Entomophilous; via hymenoptera, via lepidoptera, and via diptera.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in spikes (spikes distichous, terminating branchlets). The terminal inflorescence unit cymose, or racemose. Inflorescences scapiflorous, or not scapiflorous. Flowers bracteate (3 tightly sheathing obtuse bracts surround pairs of flowers); bracteolate; small; regular; 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk absent. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous (not ribbed, with indistinct nerves); lobed; erect; valvate, or plicate in bud; narrowly obconic; regular; non-fleshy (membranous); persistent. Corolla 5; 1 -whorled; gamopetalous (basally, each segment with a long claw and spreading limb); imbricate, or contorted; regular; white; not fleshy; persistent, or deciduous. Androecium 5. Androecial members free of the perianth, or adnate (to the corolla basally); coherent (basally); 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5; isomerous with the perianth; alternisepalous; all opposite the corolla members. Anthers more or less circular; dorsifixed, or basifixed; versatile, or non-versatile; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Gynoecium 5 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Carpels isomerous with the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular. Styles 5; free; strap-like; apical. Stigmas 5; 1 - lobed; narrowly clavate, twisted; dry type; papillate; Group II type. Placentation basal. Ovules in the single cavity 1; pendulous (from a long, basally attached funicle); anatropous (or circinnotropous).

Fruit and seed features. Fruit indehiscent; a nut (completely enclosed by the persistent calyx). Seeds endospermic, or non-endospermic; winged. Embryo well differentiated. Cotyledons 2. Embryo straight. Seedling. Germination phanerocotylar.

Physiology, biochemistry. Aluminium accumulation not found. Photosynthetic pathway: C₃.

Geography, cytology, number of species. Native of Australia. Endemic to Australia. Australian states and territories: Western Australia. Northern Botanical Province, Eremaean Botanical Province, and South-West Botanical Province.