WAREA Nuttall, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 83, plate 10. 1834.

Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz

Tribe: Thelypodieae Prantl in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. III. 2: 155. 1891.

Name derivation: For Nathaniel A. Ware, 1789–1853, a teacher in South Carolina and plant collector.

Type species: Warea amplexifolia (Nuttall) Nuttall (based on Stanleya amplexifolia Nuttall).

     Herbs, annual, glabrous throughout, occasionally glaucous. Trichomes absent. Multicellular glands absent. Stems erect, simple or branched above. Basal leaves not seen, apparently soon withering; cauline leaves short-petiolate or sessile, simple, cuneate or amplexicaul at base, entire. Racemes many-flowered, ebracteate, corymbose, not or only slightly elongated in fruit; rachis straight; fruiting pedicels divaricate, straight, often deciduous at maturity from base and leaving elevated scars on the rachis. Sepals linear to oblong or rarely spatulate, free, deciduous, spreading to strongly reflexed, equal, base of lateral pair not saccate. Petals white or pink to deep purple, spreading, longer than sepals; blade obovate to orbicular, margin entire or crisped, apex obtuse; claw strongly differentiated from blade, often dilated at base, minutely to coarsely papillate or pubescent, rarely nearly smooth, unappendaged, entire. Stamens 6, strongly exserted, spreading, subequal; filaments wingless, unappendaged, glabrous, free; anthers linear, not apiculate, coiled after dehiscence. Nectar glands confluent, subtending bases of all filaments, often with 6 teeth alternating with filaments, median glands present. Ovules 20–60 per ovary; placentation parietal. Fruit dehiscent capsular siliques, narrowly linear, latiseptate, not inflated, unsegmented; valves not thickened, with a distinct midvein extending full length, glabrous, not keeled, smooth or slightly torulose, wingless, unappendaged; gynophore (3–)5–16 mm; replum rounded, visible; septum complete, membranous, veinless; style obsolete or rarely to 0.5 mm; stigma entire, unappendaged. Seeds uniseriate, wingless, oblong, concentrically striate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons accumbent; n = 12.

            Four species: SE United States.

References: Al-Shehbaz (1985), Channell and James (1964), Payson (1923).

                                                      Key to species of Warea

            1. Leaves petiolate or subpetiolate, widest at or above middle.

     2. Petal claws obscurely papillate or nearly smooth, blade entire; gynophore (5–)7–11 mm............ 3. W. cuneifolia

     2. Petal claws coarsely papillate to pubescent, blade crisped; gynophore 3–6(–7) mm ........................2. W. carteri

1. Leaves sessile, widest at base or well below middle.

    3. Leaves not clasping stem, obtuse to minutely auriculate at base................................................. 4. W. sessilifolia

    3. Leaves clasping stem, amplexicaul to strongly auriculate........................................................ 1. W. amplexifolia