Gunneraceae

Gunnera L.

First published in Mant. Pl. 1: 16 (1767)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Mexico to Falkland Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Malesia to New Zealand, Ethiopia to S. Africa, Madagascar.

Descriptions

Haloragaceae, R. Boutique (Jardin botanique national de Belgique) and B. Verdcourt (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1973

Morphology General Habit
Perennial stemless herbs with a creeping or erect rhizome and sometimes with dioecious flowers
Morphology Leaves
Leaves borne on the rhizome, often very large, some{PAGE}{PAGE}times provided with stipule-like appendages; petiole equalling the limb or much longer; limb suborbicular, reniform or ovate, ± deeply cordate at the base, lobed, crenellate or dentate with glandular teeth, rarely entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences borne on the rhizome, spicate, racemose or paniculate, composed either of unisexual flowers or of distinctly protandrous hermaphrodite flowers or of hermaphrodite, ♀ and ♂ flowers, the latter being apical; bracts present or absent
sex Hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite flowers with calyx-tube ovoid or ± compressed, with (0–)2(–3) thick lobes; petals 2, small, or absent; stamens 2; ovary 1-locular; styles 2, filiform, subulate or compressed, papillose
sex Male
Male flowers with calyx-tube reduced; styles none or rudimentary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers without petals Male flowers with calyx-tube reduced; styles none or rudimentary Hermaphrodite flowers with calyx-tube ovoid or ± compressed, with (0–)2(–3) thick lobes; petals 2, small, or absent; stamens 2; ovary 1-locular; styles 2, filiform, subulate or compressed, papillose
sex Female
Female flowers without petals
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a nutlet or drupe, almost globose or 3-angled, coriaceous to somewhat fleshy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 1, with a membranous testa
Distribution
A moderate-sized genus of 40–50 species in S. and tropical Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Antarctica, Hawaiian Is., Central and South America
Note
The single species occurring in the Flora area belongs to subgen. Gunnera (subgen. Perpensum (Burm.) Schindler).
[FTEA]

Haloragaceae, E. J. Mendes. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs, sometimes giant, with a creeping or erect rhizome.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually tufted near the apex of the rhizome, often very large; leaf-laminae renifonn-cordate to ovate-truncate, simple to lobed, crenate to compound-dentate, rarely entire, palmatinerved; petiole equalling or longer than the lamina, sometimes provided with ochrea-like cataphylls.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences scapigerous, spicate, racemose or paniculate, borne on the rhizome.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-lobes 2(3), equal or unequal, or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 2, small, longer than and alternating with the calyx-lobes, or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2, oppositipetalous, or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Gynoecium 1-locular; styles 2, filiform, subulate or compressed, entirely papillose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers with calyx-tube reduced and styles vestigial or absent. Female flowers apetalous. Flowers ebracteolate, bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or polygamous (male flowers towards the apex and female ones towards the base, sometimes hermaphrodite in between) or dioecious.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit an indehiscent nutlet or a ± globose to trigonous drupe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 1; testa membranous.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 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 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0