Pterodiscus luridus Hook.F.

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Pedaliaceae > Pterodiscus

Characteristics

Caudex stout, tuberous, 300 mm [as 'a foot'] long in our specimen; the upper part conical, about 63 mm [as 'two and a half inches'] diameter at the widest part, and 20 mm [as 'three quarters of an inch'] at the top, covered with pale bark. Branches annual, 150-200 mm [as 'six to eight inches'] long, spreading, stout, rather flexuous, covered like the leaves with a powdery pubescence. Leaves 50-75 mm [as 'two to three inches'] long, spreading, linear-oblong, subacute, pinnatifid to beyond the middle; lobes spreading, a 6 mm [as 'quarter of an inch'] long, triangular-ovate, obtuse, quite entire, dark green above, pale below; petioles short, with a small sessile depressed gland on each side. Flowers solitary, axillary; pedicels very short, 2-glandular at the base. Calyx-lobes triangular-lanceolate, unequal. Corolla 40 mm [as 'one and a half inches'] long; tube 8 mm [as 'one-third of an inch'] diameter, slightly curved, vertically compressed, gibbous below towards the base, pale green; throat transversely reniform, contracted; lobes 6 mm [as 'a quarter of an inch'] long, 8 mm [as 'one-third of an inch'] broad, retuse, spreading, pale dirty orange-yellow or brown.
More
Perennial, succulent herb, ± 0.4 m high; caudex (aerial stem) short, arising from subterranean tuber, several annual shoots arising from caudex. Leaves ± opposite, broadly oblong, deeply pinnatifid, subsucculent. Flowers solitary, axillary, shortly pedicellate; dirty yellow, tinged purple. Calyx much shorter than corolla tube. Corolla ± 2-lipped; tube funnel-shaped; limb spreading. Stamens didynamous, included; filaments linear, glandular-villous at base. Ovary 2-locular; locules undivided; ovules mostly 1-3 per locule, pendulous; style linear, included; stigma of 2 ovate lobes, margins fimbriate. Flowering time Nov.-Feb. Fruit indehiscent, laterally compressed, with a longitudinal parchment-like wing on each of 4 edges, unarmed, ± circular in lateral view; upper part of fruit sterile, forming distinct beak. Seeds 1 or 2 in each locule.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

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 -

Distribution

Pterodiscus luridus world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:675918-1
WFO ID wfo-0000482223
COL ID 6WKJN
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Pterodiscus luridus