Nyctaginaceae
Acleisanthes

Acleisanthes somalensis (Chiov.) R.A.Levin

First published in Novon 12: 62 (2002)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. & N. Central Somalia. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

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: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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

Type
N3, “Biaddo”, Puccioni & Stefanini 814 (FT holo.)
Morphology General Habit
Shrublet, c. 20 cm tall, scabrid pubescent with curved to appressed, white hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades ± ovate, 6.5–25 x 6–22 mm, obtuse to apiculate at the apex, cuneate to truncate at the base, entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers open at night, some of them sometimes cleistogamous, solitary or in 2–3-flowered clusters in the upper leaf axils, subtended by 2 linear bracts c. 3–4 x 0.5 mm; pedicels c. 1–2 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-limb tubular, white or cream, sometimes tinged with pink, densely glandular-pubescent, 20–35 mm long, narrow, rather abruptly widening and 5-lobed near the tip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5, slightly exserted
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style exserted c. 4 mm beyond the stamens
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Anthocarp 7–8 mm long, glandular-pubescent, with 5 membranous wings up to 5 mm wide.
Distribution
N2, 3; C1 not known elsewhere.
Ecology
Altitude range 150–975 m.
Note
Levin in Novon 12: 58–63 (2002), based on molecular evidence, merged Selinocarpus with Acleisanthes and made the combination A. somalensis. The few scattered populations known apparently differ considerably in flower-size, those in C1 having larger flowers than those in N2 and N3.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Somalia

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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 2025. 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