Polycarpaea

Herbs [small shrubs], annual [perennial]. Taproots slender to stout. Stems erect, branched, terete. Leaves opposite, sometimes appearing whorled, not connate, short-petiolate (basal leaves) or sessile (cauline leaves); stipules 2 per node, white, lanceolate, margins entire, apex hairlike; blade 1-veined, oblong-ovate to suborbiculate (basal leaves), subulate to linear (cauline leaves), not succulent, apex acute or hairlike. Inflorescences terminal, compact to loose cymes; bracts paired, scarious. Pedicels erect or spreading. Flowers: perianth and androecium perigynous; hypanthium cup-shaped, not abruptly expanded distally; sepals distinct, silvery with brown midrib, ovate to lanceolate, not keeled, 2.2–3.1 mm, scarious, margins scarious, apex acute; petals 5, pink, blade apex irregularly toothed or entire; nectaries between filament bases; stamens 5; filaments distinct; style 1, filiform, minute, less than 0.1 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas 3, subcapitate, smooth to obscurely papillate (50×). Capsules ellipsoid, opening by 3 recurved valves; carpophore present. Seeds 5–8, tan, translucent, pyriform, not compressed, rugulose, marginal wing absent, appendage absent. x = 9.

Distribution

Fla., tropics and subtropics, chiefly Old World.

Discussion

Species ca. 50 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

Bakker, K. 1957. Revision of the genus Polycarpaea (Caryoph.) in Malaysia. Acta Bot. Neerl. 6: 48–53.

Gagnepain, F. 1908. Contribution à la connaissance du genre Polycarpaea Lamk. J. Bot. (Morot), sér. 2, 1: 275–280.

Lakela, O. 1962. Occurrence of species of Polycarpaea Lam. (Caryophyllaceae) in North America. Rhodora 64: 179–182.

Lakela, O. 1963. Annotation of North American Polycarpaea. Rhodora 65: 35–44.

Sundaramoorthy, S. and D. N. Sen. 1988. Ecology of Indian arid zone weeds. XI. Polycarpaea corymbosa (Linn.) Lamk. Geobios (Jodhpur) 15: 235–237.

Lower Taxa

Polycarpaea corymbosa