Dicranostegia

(A. Gray) Pennell

Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 99: 189. 1947.

Etymology: Greek dicranos, two-headed, and stegos, sheath or cover, alluding to two-lobed calyx
Basionym: Cordylanthus Nuttall ex Bentham [unranked] Dicranostegia A. Gray Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 95. 1883
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 679. Mentioned on page 458, 666, 670.
Revision as of 19:06, 16 December 2019 by FNA>Volume Importer

Herbs, annual; hemiparasitic. Stems erect or ascending, rarely prostrate, not fleshy, pubescent, hirsute, or glabrous. Leaves cauline, alternate; petiole absent; blade not fleshy, not leathery, margins pinnately 8–11-lobed. Inflorescences terminal, spikes; bracts present. Pedicels absent; bracteoles absent. Flowers: sepals 2, calyx bilaterally symmetric, spathelike, lobes triangular; petals 5, corolla white to yellow, marked with purple, strongly bilabiate, club-shaped, often gibbous at base of lobes, abaxial lobes 3, adaxial lobes 2, adaxial lip galeate; stamens 2, filaments glabrous or proximally pubescent, pollen sacs separate, connective elongate; staminodes 2, filiform; ovary 2-locular, placentation axile; stigma not expanded. Capsules: dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds 5–20, brown, ovoid, wings absent. x = 8.

Distribution

Calif., nw Mexico.

Discussion

Species 1.

Dicranostegia is sometimes classified as Cordylanthus subg. Dicranostegia (A. Gray) T. I. Chuang & Heckard. D. C. Tank et al. (2009) have shown that Dicranostegia is closely related to Chloropyron and that both genera form a clade that is sister to Castilleja and Triphysaria.

Like Chloropyron and Cordylanthus, Dicranostegia has closed, club-shaped flowers with a spathelike calyx. Flowers are subtended by a single, elongate bracteole and pinnate bracts. Dicranostegia differs in having pinnately lobed leaves, deeply two-parted calyces that are about half as long as the corollas, and stamens with pollen sacs held apart on relatively short connectives.

Selected References

None.

... more about "Dicranostegia"
Kerry A. Barringer +
(A. Gray) Pennell +
Cordylanthus +
Calif. +  and nw Mexico. +
Greek dicranos, two-headed, and stegos, sheath or cover, alluding to two-lobed calyx +
Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia +
chuang1975a +
Dicranostegia +
Orobanchaceae +