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FOC | Family List | FOC Vol. 24 | Amaryllidaceae

8. Curculigo Gaertner, Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 63. 1788.

仙茅属 xian mao shu

Molineria Colla.

Herbs perennial, often with tuberous rhizomes. Leaves several, basal, sessile or petiolate; leaf blade usually lanceolate, plicate, leathery or papery. Flowering stems axillary, erect or apically bent downward, long or short. Inflorescences racemose, spicate, or subcapitate. Flowers bisexual or unisexual. Perianth often yellow; segments spreading, subequal, sometimes basally connate into a tube. Stamens inserted at base of perianth segments; anther nearly basifixed or dorsifixed; filament very short, sometimes subequaling anther. Ovary usually hairy; ovules 2 to many. Style columnar, slender; stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a berry, indehiscent, apex sometimes beaked; beak (when present) formed by persistent perianth tube. Seeds small, often striped; hilum conspicuous.

About 20 species: tropical and subtropical regions worldwide; seven species (two endemic) in China.

Wu Zhengyi (editor’s note) believes that species nos. 1--4 would be better treated in the genus Molineria which has recently been treated as separate from Curculugo, e.g., by Nordal (in Kubitzki, Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 3: 294. 1998).


1 Berry with a slender beak 2.5--7 mm.   (2)
+ Berry beakless or very shortly beaked.   (3)
       
2 (1) Leaves 0.5--2.5 cm wide; berry beak ca. 2.5 mm   6 Curculigo orchioides
+ Leaves 3--8 cm wide; berry beak 6--7 mm   7 Curculigo glabrescens
       
3 (1) Leaves abaxially white tomentose   5 Curculigo crassifolia
+ Leaves abaxially glabrous or laxly hairy but never tomentose.   (4)
       
4 (3) Racemes 2.5--5 cm, densely flowered; berry beakless.   (5)
+ Racemes 6--9 cm, laxly or densely flowered; berry very shortly beaked.   (6)
       
5 (4) Flowering stems (10--)15--30 cm; filaments inconspicuous; berry subglobose, 4--5 mm in diam.   1 Curculigo capitulata
+ Flowering stems ca. 5 cm; filaments 3--3.5 mm; berry ovoid-ellipsoid, ca. 9 mm in diam.   2 Curculigo breviscapa
       
6 (4) Leaves slightly plicate, papery; inflorescences suberect, 10--12-flowered   3 Curculigo gracilis
+ Leaves strongly plicate, leathery; inflorescences nodding, densely 40- or more flowered   4 Curculigo sinensis

Lower Taxa


 

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