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Diaspasis R.Br.

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

Reference
Prodr.Fl.Nov.Holland. 586 (1810)
Name Status
Not Current
Image

Scientific Description

Common name. Diaspasis. Family Goodeniaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs. Plants unarmed. Perennial. Leaves cauline (ass.). Stem internodes solid (ass.). Mesophytic, or xerophytic. Leaves alternate; spiral; sessile; non-sheathing; simple; epulvinate. Leaf blades entire; solid (almost); terete; linear; pinnately veined. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire, or dentate (sometimes, lower teeth rarely dilated and bordered by a few teeth). Leaves without a persistent basal meristem. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present (papillate more or less appressed hairs), or absent; complex hairs present, or absent. Extra-floral nectaries absent (ass.). Stem anatomy. Secondary thickening absent, or developing from a conventional cambial ring.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Entomophilous. Pollination mechanism conspicuously specialized (involving a cupular stylar modification for pollen presentation).

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers solitary, or aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in racemes (loose). The terminal inflorescence unit cymose, or racemose. Inflorescences terminal, or axillary. Flowers sessile; bracteate (opposite, similar to leaves); bracteolate (linear); small to medium-sized; very irregular. The floral asymmetry involving the perianth and involving the androecium. Flowers 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; (8–)10; 2 -whorled; isomerous, or anisomerous. Calyx present; 5 (often unequal); 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; tubular. Calyx lobes ovate, or triangular. Corolla present; 5 (nearly equal); 1 -whorled; not appendiculate; gamopetalous; lobed. Corolla lobes markedly longer than the tube. Corolla tube not noticeably adaxially split. Corolla lobes valvate; bilabiate; white, or yellow (rarely/7/12 506 118,5 213,5 113,2 115,1 119,1). Corolla lobes oblong. Androecium 5. Androecial members free of the perianth, or adnate; all equal; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens 5. Staminal insertion near the base of the corolla tube. Stamens all inserted at the same level; all more or less similar in shape (ass.); isomerous with the perianth; oppositisepalous; all alternating with the corolla members. Anthers separate from one another; basifixed; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; tetrasporangiate. Pollen shed in aggregates, or shed as single grains. Gynoecium 2 carpelled. The pistil 2 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious to eu-syncarpous; inferior. Ovary plurilocular; 2 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; bearing an ‘indusium’ beneath the stigma. Indusium cupular. Styles apical. Stigmas 1; 2 - lobed. Placentation axile. Ovules 1 per locule; ascending; non-arillate; anatropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit non-fleshy; indehiscent; a drupe, or a nut; 1–2 seeded (per locule). Seeds copiously endospermic. Endosperm oily. Seeds winged, or wingless. Cotyledons 2. Embryo straight.

Special features. The upper lip of the corolla incorporating 2 members, the lower 3; (posterior, adaxial) lip of the corolla bilobed. Lower (abaxial) lip of the corolla 3 lobed.

Etymology. From the Greek for "a tearing asunder, separation"; refers to the deeply divided and spreading corolla-lobes.

J. Gathe and Leslie Watson, 8 September 2016

Taxonomic Literature

  • Wheeler, Judy; Marchant, Neville; Lewington, Margaret; Graham, Lorraine 2002. Flora of the south west, Bunbury, Augusta, Denmark. Volume 2, dicotyledons. Australian Biological Resources Study.. Canberra..
  • Australian Biological Resources Study 1992. Flora of Australia. Volume 35, Brunoniaceae, Goodeniaceae. Australian Govt. Pub. Service.. Canberra..
  • Grieve, Brian J.; Blackall, William E. 1982. How to know Western Australian wildflowers : a key to the flora of the extratropical regions of Western Australia. Part IV. University of W.A. Press.. [Perth]..