(Last Modified On 12/18/2012)
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(Last Modified On 12/18/2012)
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Genus
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CUPHEA P. Br.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Nat. Hist. Jam. 216. 1756.
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Synonym
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Melanium P. Br. loc. cit. 215. 1756. Parsonsia P. Br. loc. cit. 199. 1756. Balsamona Vell. in Vandelli, Fasc. pl. I5. 1771. Silene Leavenw. in Sillim. Journ. 7:62. 1799. Melvilla Anders. in Journ. Arts & Sci. 25:207. 1807. Bergenia Raf. Sylv. Tellur. 102. 1838. Endecaria Raf. loc. cit. 18 3 8. Quirina Raf. loc. cit. 183 8. Dipetalon Raf. loc. cit. 1838. Melfona Raf. loc. cit. 1838. Maja Klotzsch, in Schomb. Fl. Fauna Guian. 1191. 1848.
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Description
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Annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, generally branched, sometimes rhizomatous. Leaves opposite or approximate, sessile or petiolate; the stipules setose. Inflores- cence of 1- to several-flowered interpetiolar cymes gathered into terminal bracteate or leafy paniculiform or racemiform clusters. Flowers 6-merous, bisexual, medianly zygomorphic. Hypanthium tubular, appendiculate, more or less gibbous, sometimes spurred, ribbed, occasionally colored, the calyx lobes equal or rarely unequal, valvate. Petals spatulate, 6 or rarely reduced to the posterior 2, inserted at the orifice of the hypanthium, red to violet. Stamens 11, the 2 posterior inserted lower in the hypanthium than the 9 anterior, included, the 9 anterior equal or when unequal the antesepalous stamens longer than the antepetalous, included or exserted, the posterior antesepalous stamen modified into a basal hypogynous, unilateral, ovate to ovate-reniform or more rarely strongly involute-cupuliform disc, the anthers oblong, the filaments glabrous or pubescent. Ovary bicarpellary, superior, sessile, bilocular toward the base, unilocular above, the placentation incompletely axile; ovules few to many; style slender; stigma capitate. Fruit a unilaterally loculicidal capsule enclosed within the persistent hypanthium which also is ruptured by the reflexed protuberant placenta. Seeds lenticular, sometimes marginate.
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Habit
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herbs shrubs
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Distribution
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A very perplexing genus. The United States, Central and South America, Galapagos and Hawaiian Islands.
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Key
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a. Hypanthium at anthesis 4-10 mm. long. b. Flowers ebracteolate; disc cupuliform; seeds more than 20. -1. C. UTRICULOSA bb. Flowers bracteolate; disc unilateral; seeds less than 10. c. Cymes gathered into terminal bracteate racemiform or paniculi- form clusters; disc reflexed. d. Style and stamens included. - 2. C. SETOSA dd. Style and at least the antesepalous stamens greatly exserted - 3. C. EPILOBIFOLIA cc. Cymes gathered into terminal foliate racemiform or paniculiform clusters; disc erect to horizontal. e. Hypanthium not spurred, merely gibbous; seeds emarginate; plants often rhizomatous .- .......................... 4. C. CALOPHYLLA ee. Hypanthium spurred; seeds marginate; plants seldom rhizo- matous - 5. C. CARTHAGENENSIS aa. Hypanthium at anthesis 22-35 mm. long .------------ 6. C. INFUNDIBULUM
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Note
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Cuphea ratundifolia Koehne, resembling C. calophylla but with more rotundate leaves, has been reported from Panama but I have not seen specimens of this species from that area.
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