Trichodesma physaloides A.Dc.

Species

Angiosperms > Boraginales > Boraginaceae > Trichodesma

Characteristics

Perennial herb with 1–several erect stems, some flowering and some separate and sterile, from a fleshy or woody tuberous rootstock up to 30 cm. long and 5 cm. diameter; stems ± glabrous or with sparse setae below.. Leaves sessile, rather thickish, variable, broadly ovate or elliptic to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear-elliptic, (1–)2–6(–9) cm. long, (0.2–)0.5–2.5(–3.5) cm. wide (or rarely, on sterile stems, up to 11 × 4.2 cm.), ± acute at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, the lower ± opposite and upper ± alternate, with ± dense circles of cystoliths above often bearing minute setae above but with fewer beneath or lacking save on the main nervation.. Inflorescence 2–30 cm. long and up to 30 cm. wide, with 2–9(–12) primary branches each 1–8(–12)-flowered; pedicels 1–2.5(–3.2) cm. long, elongating to 4.5 cm. in fruit, glabrous or with a few tubercles just below the flower; bracts lanceolate to linear, 3–7 mm. long.. Flowers faintly scented.. Sepals lanceolate to ± ovate, (0.8–)1–1.6(–1.8) cm. long, (3–)3.5–6(–7) mm. wide, enlarging to 2.7 × 2.2 cm. in fruit, becoming rounded or cordate at the base, glabrous or with tubercles at the base and round the margin and sometimes sparsely on the surfaces also.. Corolla-tube white with brown marks at sinuses between the lobes which are white or sometimes cream or tinged pink; tube funnel-shaped, 1.1–1.3 cm. long, hairy inside at level of anther-insertion; lobes broadly ovate, 5–8 mm. long, 1–1.4 cm. wide with 1.5–2 mm. long apicule, glabrous or more usually densely pilose down the middle outside.. Anthers oblong-lanceolate, 1–1.4 cm. long, villous on back so that the connectives are surrounded by long flexuous hairs for about 1/2 their length, the appendages shorter than or almost as long as the thecae.. Ovary 1.5–2 mm. diameter, with 4 distinct lobes; style filiform, glabrous with minute stigma.. Nutlet discoid, 0.9–1.4 cm. diameter, 3 mm. tall, densely hairy with ± dentate margins.. Seed brown, discoid, 7–8 mm. diameter, 1.5 mm. thick, with pattern of openly reticulate but not raised veins.. Figs. 27/7, p. 96; 28/7, p. 98.
More
Perennial herb with 1 to several annual stems from a woody rootstock, up to 0.5 m tall. Stems ± glabrous, with scattered setae; young stems fleshy, pinkish. Leaves sessile, bluish green; blade broadly ovate to narrowly ovate, 30-50(-75) x 12-16(-32) mm, base cuneate to rounded, apex acute or obtuse, upper surface clothed with short, stiff setae; setae all pointing ± in same direction, multicellular base discoid, 3-5-layered; lower surface with scattered setae on midrib and veins only. Inflorescences terminal, cymose panicles, cymules scorpioid; pedicels up to 30 mm long, drooping. Calyx brownish purple; lobes 13-15 x 5-7 mm in flower, up to 30 x 18 mm in fruit. Corolla white with brown gibbosities at sinuses between lobes, apices of lobes with a light brown rim; tube funnel-shaped, hairy inside at level where anthers arise; lobes broadly ovate, apices cuspidate, glabrous or densely pilose down middle of lobes on adaxial side. Fruit one discoid nutlet; nutlet with a prominent rim, densely hairy, with style and stigma lateral due to abortion of three other nutlets.
Leaves (1)2–6(9) x (0.2)0.5–2.5(3.5) cm. or rarely (on sterile shoots) up to 11 x 4.2 cm., variable in shape from broadly ovate or broadly elliptic to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate or linear-elliptic, acute at the apex except in some basal leaves, cuneate to rounded at the base, ± sessile, lower ones opposite and uppermost usually alternate, the upper surface usually fairly densely clothed with tubercles which may sometimes bear minute setae, the lower surface with such tubercles inconspicuous or lacking or with them conspicuous usually only on the main veins and at the margins.
Corolla (13)15–22(25) mm. long, the lobes scarcely spreading (in herbarium specimens the sepals fully visible in flowers pressed from the side) and broadly rounded to truncate above with a short apical cusp, in most of its range with a dense line of hairs down the middle of each lobe outside but sometimes glabrous, (in Zimbabwe and S. Africa more commonly glabrous); lobes white or sometimes cream or pink-tinged, the tube white with brown markings at the sinus between lobes.
Perennial herb, up to 0.6 m high. Leaves broadly ovate or broadly elliptic to lanceolate or linear-lanceolate or linear-elliptic, (2-)5-25(-35) mm broad. Pedicels and inflorescence axes glabrous. Sepals (3,0-)3,5-6,0(-7,0) mm broad. Corolla (13-)15-22(-25) mm long. Nutlets 1, tomentose. Flowers with lobes white or sometimes cream or pink-tinged, tube white with brown markings at sinus between lobes.
Inflorescences 2–30 cm. long, with 2–9(12) primary branches each bearing 1–8(12) flowers; primary branches usually subtended by very reduced leaves but individual cymes ebracteate; pedicels 1–2.5(3.2) cm. in flower, elongating up to 4.5 cm. in fruit, glabrous or with a few tubercles just below the flower.
Sepals (8)10–16(18) x (3)3.5–6(7) mm. in flower, lanceolate to sometimes ovate, enlarging to up to 27 x 22 mm. in fruit and then rounded to cordate at the base, glabrous or with tubercles at the base and round the margin and sometimes sparsely on the surfaces also.
Fruit a single discoid nutlet 11–14 mm. diam. and 8 mm. thick, tomentose on its outer surface, with a persistent lateral style, sessile and attached by most of its lower surface to the receptacle and concealed in the accrescent calyx until its release.
Perennial herb with 1-several erect stems up to 50(60) cm. from rootstock, usually unbranched except for the inflorescence but sometimes with few sterile axillary shoots; stems ± glabrous or with sparse setae on lower internodes.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Grassland or woodland subject to annual burning; at elevations from 900-1,600 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 1-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

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

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Trichodesma physaloides unspecified picture

Distribution

Trichodesma physaloides world distribution map, present in Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, eSwatini, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:121285-1
WFO ID wfo-0001215470
COL ID 58BY4
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Trichodesma droogmansianum Trichodesma glabrescens Trichodesma ringoetii Friedrichsthalia physaloides Boraginella physaloides Borraginoides physaloides Boraginella physalodes Trichodesma physaloides