Salpichroa Miers

Scientific Description

Family Solanaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs, or herbaceous climbers (scrambling); resinous, or not resinous. Plants unarmed. Annual, or biennial, or perennial; plants with neither basal nor terminal concentrations of leaves. Young stems tetragonal (older stems). Stem internodes solid. Rhizomatous (or rootstock). Self supporting, or climbing; the climbers scrambling. Helophytic to xerophytic. Leaves alternate, or alternate to opposite (1 or 2 per node, or often 2 per node but not opposite); ‘herbaceous’, or leathery; petiolate; non-sheathing; simple; epulvinate. Leaf blades entire; ovate (to ovate-rhomboid); pinnately veined; cross-venulate. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire. Leaves without a persistent basal meristem. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present (sparsely to densely). Extra-floral nectaries absent.

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

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers solitary; axillary; pedicellate; ebracteate; ebracteolate; small; fragrant, or malodorous; regular; 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Hypogynous disk present; intrastaminal; annular. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; deeply 5 blunt-lobed; campanulate; regular; persistent; accrescent, or non-accrescent. Calyx lobes narrowly triangular. Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamopetalous. Corolla lobes markedly shorter than the tube. Corolla valvate; urceolate; regular; white, or cream, or yellow. Corolla lobes triangular (lobes reflexed). Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 5. Androecial members adnate; all equal; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5. Staminal insertion midway down the corolla tube. Stamens all inserted at the same level; becoming exserted (somewhat); all more or less similar in shape; isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous (in the middle of the corolla tube). Filaments appendiculate, or not appendiculate; glabrous. Anthers separate from one another; dorsifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Gynoecium 2 carpelled. The pistil 2 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious to eu-syncarpous; superior. Ovary plurilocular; 2 locular (usually). Gynoecium oblique; stylate. Styles 1; attenuate from the ovary; apical. Stigmas 1; 2 - lobed (L); capitate (or subcapitate). Placentation axile. Ovules 20–50 per locule (numerous); non-arillate; anatropous, or hemianatropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit fleshy; indehiscent; a berry; 20–100 seeded (numerous). Seeds endospermic; compressed. Cotyledons 2. Embryo curved (through more than a semicircle).

Special features. Corolla tube exceeding the calyx.

Etymology. From the Greek for "trumpet" and "skin"; refers to the shape and texture of the flowers.