Ammannia L.

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennials of aquatic or wet habitats, glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate, sessile, linear to lanceolate, cordate or auriculate at base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in sessile or pedunculate axillary cymes, regular, 4-merous (in Iraq); bracteoles 2

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tube campanulate, 8-nerved; calyx lobes 4, with appendages equaling or shorter than the lobes or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 1–4 or absent, falling soon

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4(–8), included to exserted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary incompletely 2(–4)-locular; stigma capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule membranous, dehiscing irregularly

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds obovoid.

Distribution

About 25 species, cosmopolitan in distribution, but mostly tropical African.

Note

Ammania, commemorating Paul Amman (1634-1691), a German scholar, physician and botanist from Leipzig.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tubular, with valvate primary teeth or lobes, sometimes also with an ‘epicalyx’ of as many accessory teeth; petals as many as the calyx-lobes, or fewer, or none, inserted in the throat of the calyx between the lobes, often crumpled in bud

Morphology General Habit

Annual herbs, glabrous or nearly so, with stems more or less 4-angled; leaves narrow, opposite, sessile Herbs, shrubs or trees, the young stems often 4-angled; leaves usually opposite, simple and entire, or rarely alternate; stipules absent or sometimes present

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, sessile, solitary or clustered in the leaf-axils; calyx bell- shaped to globose or ovoid, 4-toothed, with 4 accessory teeth in the sinuses; petals 4, deciduous, or else none Flowers regular or zygomorphic, usually perfect, 3–16-parted, axillary or extra-axillary and solitary or in cymes or clusters, or rarely in terminal panicles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4 or 8 Stamens as many as, or fewer or more than, the calyx-lobes, inserted at different levels on the inside of the calyx-tube

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary sessile, 1–5-locular, with very short or longer and exserted style Ovary superior, sessile or stalked, completely or incompletely 2–6-locular, the style simple or none, the stigma small and capitate or rarely 2-lobed; ovules numerous on axile placentas, or rarely only 2

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule subglobose, thinly membranous, more or less enclosed by the persistent calyx, rupturing irregularly. Fruit a dry dehiscent or indehiscent capsule; seeds usually small and many, lacking endosperm.

Distribution

A mostly tropical or subtropical genus of about 20 species, mostly occurring in swamps or moist places. A world-wide but chiefly tropical and subtropical family of about 22 genera and 475 species.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual herbs, glabrous except for calyx; stems 4-sided

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in axillary cymes, rarely solitary, sometimes congested; bracteoles minute, membranous Flowers 4(–8)-merous, never heterostylous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium

Hypanthium campanulate or urn-shaped

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals short, sinus-horns minute or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals absent or 4–8, small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 1–2 times as many as sepals, rarely fewer

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary incompletely 2–4(–5)-celled, rarely 1-celled, style not continuous with placenta

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule included within or exserted from hypanthium, membranous, often ± transparent-walled, dehiscing irregularly transversely

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds very small, numerous.

Distribution

About 100 species of wet habitats throughout the tropics and subtropics.

Note

Records from Somalia of A. hildebrandtii Koehne and A. multiflora Roxb. in Cuf. Enum. (1959) are based on material of A. baccifera. Records from Somalia of A. crassissima Koehne and A. senegalensis Lam. are based on material from Ethiopia.

Lythraceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1984

Morphology General Habit

Annual or possibly short-lived perennial erect or decumbent herbs or often small ephemerals, glabrous or with stem-angles, etc., with small acute emergences but mostly not hairy; stems simple or branched, 4-angled or 4-winged

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate, sessile, linear to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, attenuate to auriculate or cordate at the base, 1-nerved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers red or greenish, 4–(5–8)-merous, monomorphic, in (1–)3-many-flowered subsessile to pedunculate axillary dichasia; pedicels developed or ± absent; bracteoles whitish, small, linear

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-tube campanulate to urceolate, 8-ribbed; calyx-lobes 4(–5), triangular, mostly short and broad; appendages thick, shorter than or ± equalling the lobes or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals lacking or white, pink or purple, 1–4 (or 4–8 fide Fernandes), small, very deciduous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4–8, rarely fewer, included to exserted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary incompletely 2–4(–5)-locular, the septae interrupted above the placentas (or in one extra-African species unilocular with parietal placentation, but see note); ovules numerous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Style lacking or well developed, not continuous with the placentas (but see note); stigma capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule globose, ellipsoid or depressed, thin, ± circumscissile or bursting irregularly; wall not closely striate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds brown, numerous, small, obovoid, concave-convex, angular.

Lythraceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1984

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial aquatic or terrestrial glabrous herbs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate, sessile, linear, usually widened at base or sometimes basal pair narrowly oblong; midrib impressed above; basal pair of narrowly oblong leaves present in one species

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers (3–)4(–5)-merous, sessile in dense axillary clusters partially enclosed by the widened leaf-bases; outer bracteoles 2, narrowly lanceolate, hyaline, ± as long as young clusters, stipule-like; inner bracteoles whitish, numerous, subulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx campanulate, scarious, 8-nerved below, 4-nerved above the insertion of the stamens; lobes very broadly triangular; sinus-appendages short

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals persistent, corrugated

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens (3–)4(–5), opposite the lobes; anthers and pollen violet

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary sessile or shortly stipitate; dissepiments interrupted above the column of the placenta which is not continuous with the style, incompletely 2-locular, 2–5-ovulate; style slender, much longer than ovary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule thinly membranous, dehiscing irregularly; wall not densely striate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds dark violet, few, concavo-convex.

Lythraceae, A. Fernandes. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial aquatic or terrestrial glabrous herbs.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate, sessile, linear, widened at the base, canaliculate above.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers (3)4 (5)-merous, in axillary sessile many-flowered dense dichasia surrounded by the widened bases of leaves; outer bracteoles 2, ± as long as the glomerules, the inner ones numerous, subulate, membranous, whitish.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx campanulate, scarious, 8-nerved below, 4-nerved above the insertion of the stamens, with short appendages in the sinuses and a nectariferous ring at the bottom.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals persistent, corrugated.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4 (sometimes 3 or 5), opposite to the lobes; anthers dorsifixed, they and the pollen violet.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary sessile or shortly stipitate, with the dissepiments interrupted above the column of the placenta (the placenta then not continuous with the style), incompletely 2-locular, 2–5-ovulate; style ± long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule thinly membranous, dehiscing irregularly.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds few, concave-convex, relatively large, dark violet.

Lythraceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1984

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herbs, subshrubs or rarely shrubs, glabrous to densely hairy; stems often 4-angled

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate, in whorls of 3 or rarely alternate, usually practically sessile

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 4–8-merous, often heterostylous, in lax to dense axillary cymes, or heads with 2–4 large bracteoles, or solitary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx turbinate-campanulate, campanulate, tubular, urceolate or subglobose, the tube 8–16-ribbed; sinus-appendages lacking, very short or sometimes longer than the lobes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 0–8, deciduous, sessile or clawed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4–23, 1- or 2- seriate, sometimes geminate or 3-nate, inserted at 1/6–1/2 of length of calyx-tube, equal or alternately longer and shorter; filaments filiform; anthers dorsifixed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary sessile, completely 2–5-locular; ovules numerous; style continuous with placenta, short or long, or wanting

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule globose or ellipsoid, opening by an apical lid with lower part septicidal or breaking irregularly

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds very numerous, small.

Lythraceae, A. Fernandes. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Annual or perennial herbs or shrublets, rarely shrubs, glabrous, pilose or tomentose.

Morphology Stem

Stems erect, usually 4-gonous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves decussate or subdecussate, rarely 3-nate or alternate, entire, sessile or shortly petiolate, obscurely penninerved.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences lax or dense axillary cymes, sometimes capituliform and with 2–4 large bracteoles at the base, or flowers solitary.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual, sometimes heterostylous, 4–8-merous, bracteolate, the bracteoles very variable in size.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx turbinate-campanulate, campanulate, tubular, urceolate or semiglobose, herbaceous, with the tube 8–16-ribbed; appendages 0 or very short or longer than the calyx-lobes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 0–8, deciduous, inserted in the throat of the calyx, sessile or clawed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4–23, in 1 or 2 verticils, sometimes geminate or 3-nate, inserted at 1/6–1/2 of the tube length, equal or alternately longer; filaments filiform; anthers dorsifixed, didymous or oblong.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary sessile, 2–5-locular; ovules numerous; style 0 or short or very long; stigma capitate or punctiform.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule globose or ellipsoid, opening by an apical operculum, the lower part subsepticidal or dehiscing irregularly.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds ∞, small.