Chrysothemis pulchella Decne.

Squarestem (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Gesneriaceae > Chrysothemis

Characteristics

Terrestrial herb, 5-40(-90) cm tall. Stem succulent, erect when young, decumbent with age, densely puberulent to pilose towards apex, glabrescent below. Leaves equal in a pair; petiole <1-3.5 cm long, puberulous to pilose; blade membranous to papyraceous when dry, lanceolate, elliptic to ovate to oblong-ovate, 9-30 x 3-14.5 cm, margin crenate or dentate, apex acute, base short to long decurrent into petiole, above sparsely pilose to subscabrous, or villous, below pilose to puberulous. Flowers in umbellate, 3-9-flowered inflorescences; peduncle <1.5(-5) cm long, puberulous to pilose; pedicel 1.0-2.5 cm long, puberulous to pilose. Calyx tubular-campanulate, not inflated, base rounded, 5-angled or-winged, orange to red, tube 1-1.8 cm long, free portion of lobes erect, subequal, broadly triangular, 0.25-0.5 x 0.35-0.5 cm, margin glandular-denticulate, apex abruptly acuminate, outside pilose to villous, inside glabrous or rarely pubescent; corolla erect in calyx, orange or yellow, 1.6-3 cm long, tube cylindric, base gibbous, 0.3-0.6 cm wide, middle ampliate, throat not constricted, 0.3-0.5 cm wide, outside glabrous near base, white sericeous above, inside glandular pubescent, limb 1-1.5 cm wide, lobes subequal, spreading, suborbicular, 0.3-0.8 x 0.3-0.8 cm, margin entire; stamens included, inserted at base of corolla tube; ovary conic, 0.2-0.4 x 0.2-0.3 cm, pubescent, style 0.7-1.1 cm long, glabrous, stigma deeply 2-lobed. Mature capsule yellow-green, ovoid, ca. 0.6 x 0.6 cm.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.05 - 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-11

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Chrysothemis pulchella habit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-sa)
Chrysothemis pulchella habit picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-sa)
Chrysothemis pulchella habit picture by Zumbado Manuel (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Chrysothemis pulchella leaf picture by Daniel Barthelemy (cc-by-sa)
Chrysothemis pulchella leaf picture by rob krause (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Chrysothemis pulchella flower picture by Pantoja Jhovani (cc-by-sa)
Chrysothemis pulchella flower picture by Alarcón Favián (cc-by-sa)
Chrysothemis pulchella flower picture by Orozco Alex (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Chrysothemis pulchella world distribution map, present in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Micronesia (Federated States of), Guadeloupe, Grenada, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:378695-1
WFO ID wfo-0000604145
COL ID V2CW
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447226
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Tussacia woodsonii Tussacia villosa Chrysothemis melissifolia Episcia pulchella Besleria pulchella Chrysothemis aurantiaca Cyrtandromoea minor Skiophila pulchella Besleria pulchella Alloplectus melittifolius Besleria umbellata Tussacia pulchella Chrysothemis pulchella