Caryophyllaceae
Polycarpaea

Polycarpaea linearifolia (DC.) DC.

First published in Prodr. 3: 374 (1828)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Eritrea and Tanzania. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Caryophyllaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
Erect herb, to 2 ft. high, annual or perennial.
[FWTA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Caryophyllaceae, W. B. Turrill. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1956

Morphology General Habit
An annual herb, usually erect and rather strict, more or less branched with the branches often somewhat fastigiate, 2.8–4 dm. tall, internodes covered with a woolly indumentum of more or less curled hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite or falsely whorled; cauline leaves linear, acute or subacute and then terminating in a hair- or bristle-like appendage up to 1 mm. long and more or less caducous, 5–16 mm. long, 0.5–1 mm. broad, 1-nerved, glabrous or with a few hairs, usually marginal, when young.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences strictly terminal to the branches, very compact, spherical to obloid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers silvery white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, 2.5–3 mm. long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 1 mm. long, rounded at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens very small, typically 5.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary with 3 (rarely 4) ovules; style 0.25 mm. long or even less.
Habitat
In bushland, sandy river beds, and weed of grasslands and waste places, 250–780 m.
Distribution
T4 T8 probably widely spread in tropical Africa, but particularly common in the western parts
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images