Rumicastrum granuliferum

Rumicastrum granuliferum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Montiaceae
Genus: Rumicastrum
Species:
R. granuliferum
Binomial name
Rumicastrum granuliferum
(Benth.) Carolin (2020)
Synonyms[2]

Rumicastrum granuliferum (synonym Calandrinia granulifera) is an annual herb[3] in the family Montiaceae, and is native to New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria.[1][4][2]

Description

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It is a succulent, erect to decumbent herb, flowering from September to November with white-pink flowers. It grows on sandy and gravelly soils on granite outcrops and slopes.[3] The flowers are on pedicels (stems) which are 0.5–2 mm long and erect when in fruit. The bracts are alternate. The sepals are deciduous and 1.5–3 mm long. There are 5-7 petals, 5-10 stamens and 3 stigmas. The black capsule is almost spherical with three short valves which open at the apex only. The numerous, red-brown, shiny seeds are about 0.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide.[5] For an illustration of the colliculate seeds, see PlantNet.

Taxonomy

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The species was first described as Calandrinia granulifera by George Bentham in 1863.[1][6] The genus Calandrinia was discovered to be paraphyletic, and the Australasian species were moved to genus Rumicastrum in 2020.[2][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c APNI Calandrinia granulifera Benth. Australian Plant Name Index
  2. ^ a b c Govaerts, R. et al. (2023) Plants of the World Online: Rumicastrum granuliferum (Benth.) Carolin. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Calandrinia granulifera". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. ^ Australasian Virtual Herbarium - Occurrence data for Calandrinia granulifera
  5. ^ SAFlora: Calandrinia granulifera. State Herbarium of South Australia, Government of South Australia.
  6. ^ Bentham, G. (1863), Flora Australiensis 1: 176
  7. ^ Hershkovitz, M.A. (2020). "Rumicastrum Ulbrich (Montiaceae): a beautiful name for the Australian calandrinias". Phytologia. 102: 116–123.
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