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Aethionema

(Genus)

Overview

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Perennial or annual herbs, often woody below, branched, erect or suberect, leafy, glabrous or rarely papillose. Leaves simple, usually sessile or subsessile, oblong or linear, glaucous. Racemes corymbose, usually many flowered, ebracteate. Flowers mediocre, rose, lilac or white, rarely yellowish; pedicls filiform, usually spreading in fruit. Sepals oblong, obtuse, rounded at apex; inner ±saccate at base; outer often somewhat hooded at apex. Petals obovate, cuneate or clawed, rarely oblong; claw 1-3-nerved. Stamens 6; filaments of longer stamens append-aged, dilated or linear; anthers often apiculate, ovate-orbicular. Lateral nectar glands in pairs, minute, semiglobose; middle usually absent. Ovary ± ellipsoid with narrowly flattened margin, 1-2-locular with 1-2 (rarely 3-4) ovules in each locule; stigma capitate, sub-sessile or on distinct short style. Siliculae ovate, elliptic or suborbicular, laterally flattened, usually winged, dehiscent, (rarely heterocarpic with dehiscent and indehiscent fruits), 1-4-seeded; apex generally deeply notched or emarginate; wing entire or variously dentate; seed ov ate, brown, often minutely papillose; radicle incumbent, oblique or accumbent.

About 50 species, chiefly in the Mediterranean region.[1]

Taxonomy

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The Genus Aethionema is further organized into finer groupings including:

Footnotes

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  1. "Aethionema". in Flora of Pakistan . Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 15:47:12