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Acleisanthes crassifolia

(Texas Trumpets)

Overview

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Threatened
Threat status

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Texas Trumpets

Description

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Family Nyctaginaceae

Herbs, shrubs , trees , or sometimes spiny vines . Leaves opposite, alternate, or whorled ; stipules absent; petiole usually present, well defined; leaf blade simple , herbaceous or slightly fleshy , margin entire. Inflorescences mostly terminal , less often axillary , of cymes, umbels, or verticils , sometimes 1-flowered or fasciculate, often grouped into panicles; bracts often inconspicuous, sometimes forming calyxlike involucre, or large and brightly colored . Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual or polygamous, actinomorphic . Perianth constricted beyond the ovary, base persistent , closely enclosing ovary which appears inferior, limb petaloid beyond constriction, tubular , funnelform , or campanulate , apex 5-10-lobed, lobes plicate or valvate in bud, persistent or caducous . Disk absent. Stamens (1-) 3-5(-many), hypogynous, free or connate at base, involute in bud; anthers 2-loculed, dehiscence longitudinal . Ovary superior, 1-loculed; ovule 1. Style 1; stigma globose . Fruit an achenelike anthocarp enclosed by persistent perianth, ribbed or winged , often glandular . Seed 1; endosperm present; embryo straight or curved .

About 30 genera and 300 species: tropics and subtropics, mainly in tropical America; six genera (two introduced ) and 13 species (one endemic, three introduced) in China.[1]

Genus Acleisanthes

Plants perennial , finely pubescent , from stout taproots . Stems prostrate to erect , often clambering through other vegetation, slender to ± stout, herbaceous or woody, unarmed , without glutinous bands on internodes. Leaves sessile to petiolate , subequal to greatly unequal in each pair, ± thick and succulent, base asymmetric or ± symmetric . Inflorescences terminal or axillary , solitary flowers or few-flowered cymes and nearly sessile, or short pedicellate in 3-25-flowered umbellate clusters in axils or forks of branches; bracts persistent , not accrescent , 1-3 beneath each flower, distinct , narrowly lanceolate, small or minute, herbaceous. Flowers bisexual , chasmogamous and/or cleistogamous ; cleistogamous perianth narrow domelike tube atop basal portion; chasmogamous perianth radially symmetric, short to elongate funnelform , constricted beyond ovary, abruptly expanded to 5-lobed limb; stamens 2(-3) or 5-6 (2-5 in cleistogamous flowers), exserted; styles exserted beyond anthers ; stigmas peltate. Fruits oblong or narrowly ellipsoid , coriaceous , smooth , glabrous or minutely puberulent ; ribs 5, rounded , often with large, dark, sticky gland near apex, or wings 3-5, coriaceous, hyaline , often between ribs or wings a rib or low sharp ridge .

Species 17: sw United States, n Mexico, ne Africa.

R. A. Levin (2000) showed that Selinocarpus is paraphyletic and embedded within Acleisanthes. All species are pubescent on young stems and leaves. Older leaves may be glabrate or glabrous.[2]

Physical Description

Species Acleisanthes crassifolia

Plants herbaceous, often slightly woody at base , overall pubescence of white, capitate hairs 0.1-0.2 mm. Stems procumbent , sparsely branched, 15-50 cm, hirtellous to glabrate . Leaves grayish green (major veins prominently paler), petiolate , those of pair slightly unequal; petiole 2-15(-20) mm, hirtellous; blade ovate to deltate-ovate or oblong-ovate, (5-) 10-35(-45) × 2-20(-30) mm, base usually rounded , margins undulate , apex apiculate and acute or less frequently obtuse , sparsely puberulent abaxially and adaxially, adaxial primary and secondary veins hirtellous. Inflorescences solitary flowers, sessile or nearly so; bracts linear-lanceolate, 2-7 mm, long attenuate, usually puberulent. Flowers: chasmogamous perianth 3-5 cm, puberulent, tube 1-1.5 mm diam., limbs 8-25 mm diam., stamens 5; cleistogamous perianth 2-6 mm, hirtellous, stamens 2. Fruits with 5 broad, flat ribs , lacking grooves and resinous glands , 5-angled and shallowly 5-sulcate, oval-oblong, truncate at both ends, 6-9 mm, hirtellous. Flowering spring-fall. [source]

Habit: Subshrub , Forb/herb

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Habitat

Rocky, calcareous soils in cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens) shrublands and grasslands; of conservation concern; 200-700 m (Ref. 51266).

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Acleisanthes

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 23 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

A. acutifolia (Needle-Tip Trumpets) · A. angustifolia · A. anisophylla (Oblique-Leaf Trumpets) · A. berlandieri · A. chenopodioides · A. crassifolia (Texas Trumpets) · A. diffusa · A. greggii · A. lanceolata · A. longiflora (Angel's Trumpets) · A. longiflora subsp. hirtella · A. nana · A. nevadensis · A. nummularia · A. obtusa (Berlandier's Trumpets) · A. palmeri · A. parvifolia · A. purpusiana · A. purpusianus · A. somalensis · A. undulata · A. undulatus · A. wrightii (Wright's Trumpets)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 28, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Dequan Lu & Michael G. Gilbert "Nyctaginaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 5 Page 430. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Jackie M. Poole "Acleisanthes". in Flora of North America Vol. 4 Page 14, 16, 17, 33. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009