Crenidium Haegi

Scientific Description

Family Solanaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs; resinous, or not resinous. ‘Normal’ plants to switch-plants. Leaves well developed (only on immature parts). Plants spiny. Stem internodes solid. Mesophytic, or xerophytic. Leaves alternate; spiral; ‘herbaceous’, or leathery, or modified into spines; sessile; non-sheathing; simple; epulvinate. Leaf blades entire; elliptic (narrowly), or linear (to elliptic); pinnately veined; cross-venulate. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire; revolute (slightly recurved). Leaves without a persistent basal meristem. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present; glandular hairs absent.

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

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in fascicles (or cymose clusters). The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences axillary, or leaf-opposed (‘nodal’). Flowers pedicellate; bracteate (opposite pairs); ebracteolate; small to medium-sized; fragrant, or odourless; somewhat irregular. The floral asymmetry involving the perianth, or involving the androecium, or involving the perianth and involving the androecium. Flowers mostly 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk present. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; blunt-lobed; regular; persistent; non-accrescent. Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamopetalous; contorted, or contorted and plicate; narrowly tubular; regular; white, or cream, or yellow. Corolla lobes broadly ovate. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 5. Androecial members adnate (epipetalous, on the tube); markedly unequal; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens (rarely), or including staminodes. Staminodes 1. Stamens 4(–5). Staminal insertion near the base of the corolla tube. Stamens all inserted at the same level; becoming exserted; didynamous; all more or less similar in shape; reduced in number relative to the adjacent perianth (usually), or isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous (at the base of the corolla tube). Filaments appendiculate, or not appendiculate. Anthers connivent, or separate from one another; basifixed; dehiscing via pores to dehiscing via short slits (? — ‘semi-circular slit’); unilocular; tetrasporangiate. Pollen shed in aggregates, or shed as single grains. Gynoecium 2 carpelled. The pistil 2 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious to eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary plurilocular; 2 locular. Gynoecium oblique. Ovary sessile. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical. Stigmas 1; 1 - lobed, or 2 - lobed; capitate. Placentation axile. Ovules 20–50 per locule (numerous); non-arillate; anatropous, or hemianatropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit fleshy; dehiscent; a capsule. Capsules septicidal, or loculicidal, or valvular. Fruit 20–100 seeded (numerous). Seeds endospermic. Endosperm oily, or not oily. Cotyledons 2. Embryo straight, or curved.

Etymology. From the Greek for "a spring or fountain", alluding to the exserted stamens and style.