Botanical Survey of India | Flora of India

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Herbs, annual or perennial, ascending or erect, glabrous or papillose. Leaves basal and cauline, subsessile, entire or pinnatifid; stipules glandular. Inflorescence racemose, terminal, simple or branched. Flowers zygomorphic, bracteate, white or cream coloured or yellowish green. Sepals 4 - 8, shortly connate at base. Petals 4 - 7, clawed, unequal, multifid, posterior one dilated at base with a membrane above claw. Disc broad, fleshy, oblique, campanulate, dilated posticously. Stamens 10 - 40; filaments connate at base, inserted on eccentric disc, on one side of the flower. Ovary 3 - 4-carpellary, syncarpous, 1-loculed; ovules many on 3 placentas; style 3 - 4, distinct, separated. Capsules unilocular, many-sided, truncate to 3 - 4-toothed at apex, opening widely at apex; seeds reniform inflated, papillose or scabrous.

N. Africa, W. Asia to Western India; about 26 species, 3 species in India.



KEY TO THE SPECIES


1a. Leaves always entire, rearely some upper ones divided 2
b. Leaves at least some ternate or pinnatisect 3
2a. Sepals 5 or more; seeds reniform 2. Reseda aucheri
b. Sepals 4; seeds globose 3. Reseda luteola
3a. Filaments persistent untill fruit is ripe 1. Reseda alba
b. Filaments caducous long before fruit is ripe 4
4a. Plants 40 - 70 cm high; sepals ca 1 mm long; capsules 3 - 5 mm long. Naturally occurring 4. Reseda pruinosa
b. Plants up to 25 cm high; sepals 4 - 5 mm long; capsules 9 - 11 mm long. Cultivated only 0. Reseda odorata


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