Wissadula Medikus

Annual or perennial herbs, undershrubs or shrubs. Leaves ovate, ovate-oblong to narrowly triangular or lanceolate, entire, palminerved. Flowers solitary, axillary or in lax or condensed terminal panicles. Epicalyx absent. Calyx cupular, 5-fid. Corolla small rotate, yellow, rarely white. Staminal column very short. Ovary 5-carpellate, each carpel 2 - 3 or rarely 1-ovulate; styles 5, capitate-stigmatose at apex. Schizocarps globular to obconical; mericarps beaked, dehiscent, usually with a transverse constriction, thus seemingly bilocular, 3-seeded, 2 in upper part in collateral position and 1 in lower part, sometimes 2 or 1 by abortion. Seeds globular to reniform.

Tropical America, ca 40 species; 2 in India (one in naturalised and another cultivated.)

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves ovate to narrowly triangular, gradually acute or acuminate at apex, subcordate or truncate at base; flowers solitaty or in lax panicles; corolla pale yellow; mericarps with a distinct transverse constriction

0. Wissadula periplocifolia

b. Leaves orbicular to broadly ovate, deeply cordate at base, abruptly acuminate at apex; flowers in dense panicles; corolla white; mericarps with a faint or without a transverse constriciton

0. Wissadula contracta

List of Lower Taxa