Polanisia erosa
Brittonia 10: 56. 1958.
Annuals, 10–60 cm. Stems branched or unbranched; hairs sessile or stalked, glandular throughout. Leaves: petiole purple, angled, 0.3–1.5 cm; leaflet blade (conduplicate) ,linear to narrowly elliptic, 0.9–3.5 × 0.1–0.2 cm, margins entire, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces densely glandular abaxially, sparsely glandular adaxially, (fleshy). Racemes (glandular), 1–3 cm (6–8 cm in fruit); bracts uni- to trifoliate, ovate, 7–15 mm. Pedicels 10–23 mm. Flowers: sepals (± erect), green to purple, lanceolate to obovate, 2.5–3.6 × 0.8–1.2 mm, margins entire, apex acute, glabrous; petals white, oblong-ovate, clawed, abaxial pair 3–5 × 2.5–3 mm (9 or 10-lobed), apex lacerate, adaxial pair 6–11 × 3.5–5 mm (4–6-lobed), apex emarginate to lacerate; nectary glands yellow (drying purple), 1–5.5 mm; stamens 6–15, exserted, purple, 10–13 mm; anthers purple, 1–1.5 mm; gynophore 3–14 mm in fruit; ovary 5–8 mm; style persistent in fruit, 2.5–4.5 mm; stigma green. Capsules 20–60 × 2–2.5(–5) mm, reticulate, glabrous or sparsely glandular. Seeds 12–40, dark reddish brown, globose to oblong, 1.5–1.8 mm, finely pebbled or beaded.
Distribution
sc United States.
Discussion
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Selected References
None.
Key
| 1 | Nectary glands (2.5-)3-5.5 mm; gynophore 7-14 mm in fruit; adaxial petals 7-11 mm; Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, eastern Texas. | Polanisia erosa subsp. erosa |
| 1 | Nectary glands 1-2 mm; gynophore 3-6 mm in fruit; adaxial petals 6-9 mm; southernmost Texas. | Polanisia erosa subsp. breviglandulosa |