BRAYOPSIS Gilg & Muschler, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 482. 1909.

Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz

Tribe: ?

Name derivation: from Braya, a genus of Brassicaceae, and Greek opsis, aspect, in reference to resemblance to Braya.

Type species: Brayopsis calycina (Desvaux) Gilg & Muschler (Based on Braya calycina Desvaux).

     Herbs, perennial, scapose, with woody caudex covered with petiolar remains or leaves of previous years, cushion forming. Trichomes simple or rarely stalked forked, sometimes absent. Multicellular glands absent. Stems absent. Basal leaves petiolate, rosulate, simple, entire or rarely obscurely 3-toothed; cauline leaves absent. Inflorescences solitary flowers on long pedicels originating from axils of rosette leaves; rachis absent; fruiting pedicels erect, ascending or divaricate, persistent. Sepals ovate or oblong, free, connivent, or united, deciduous or persistent after fruit dehiscence, erect or ascending, equal, base of inner pair not saccate. Petals white, creamy white, or greenish yellow, erect at base, ascending, longer than sepals; blade obovate, spatulate, oblanceolate, to linear, apex obtuse; claw absent. Stamens 6, slightly exserted, erect, slightly tetradynamous; filaments filiform, wingless, unappendaged, not dilated at base, glabrous, free; anthers ovate to oblong, not or apiculate at apex. Nectar glands confluent and subtending bases of all stamens, or 4 and nectaries 1 on each side of lateral stamens; median nectaries present or absent. Ovules 4-50 per ovary; placentation parietal. Fruit dehiscent, capsular siliques, linear to oblong or lanceolate-ellipsoid, terete, not inflated, unsegmented; valves papery, with a distinct midvein, glabrous or hairy with spreading to appressed simple or stalked forked trichomes, not keeled, smooth, wingless, unappendaged; gynophore absent or to 2.5 mm; replum rounded, visible; septum complete or rarely reduced to a rim, membranous, not veined; style absent or to 3 mm, persistent, glabrous; stigma capitate, entire, unappendaged. Seeds uniseriate or biseriate, wingless, oblong, plump; seed coat smooth or minutely colliculate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent, entire.

     Six species: Colombia south into Argentina.

References: Al-Shehbaz (1989a, 1990a, 1990i).

1. Fruit valves densely pubescent with long straight trichomes; style in fruit (1-)1.5-3 mm;

     sepals erect, coherent or united.

     2. Sepals free, coherent; seeds biseriate, 0.6-0.8 ´ 0.4-0.5 mm ..........................  5. B. alpaminae

     2. Sepals united; seeds uniseriate or subbiseriate, ca. 1 ´ 0.7 mm .......................  6. B. gamosepala

1. Fruit valves glabrous or rarely pubescent with short crisped trichomes; style in fruit obsolete

     or 0.2-0.8(-1.5) mm; sepals ascending, free.

     3. Leaves 0.4-0.8(-1) mm, ciliate with trichomes 0.2-0.3 mm; fruit stipitate;

          gynophores 1.2-2.5 mm, narrower than fruiting pedicel ................................. 4. B. diapensoides

     3. Leaves 1.5-4 mm, glabrous or ciliate with trichomes 0.8-)1-1.5 m; fruit sessile,

          if stipitate, then gynophore to 0.5 mm and thicker than fruiting pedicel.

          4. Sepals persistent even after fruit dehiscence; leaves ovate, densely pubescent

               adaxially                     ............................................................................. 2. B. monimocalyx

          4. Sepals usually caducous shortly after anthesis; leaves oblong, lanceolate, spatulate,

               oblanceolate, or linear, glabrous or pubescent adaxially.

               5a. Fruit short stipitate; fruiting pedicels 0.3-1.5 cm; leaves spatulate to

                   oblanceolate, rarely lanceolate; style conspicuous, to 1.5 mm; Colombia and

                   Ecuador                3. B. colombiana

               5b. Fruit sessile; fruiting pedicels (0.9-)1.2-4.2(-5.5) cm; leaves linear to

                   lanceolate; style obsolete or rarely to 0.8 mm; Argentina, Bolivia, Peru .......  1. B. calycina