- Family:
- Basellaceae Raf.
Basella L.

[FZ]
Basellaceae, B. L. Stannard. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988
- Morphology General Habit
- Stems long, branching.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves petiolate, entire.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence of axillary spikes or panicles of spikes.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles
- Bracteoles 2 connate into cup appressed to perianth.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
- Perianth fleshy.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary ovoid, free.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
- Styles 3 or 1 deeply trifid.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
- Stigmas linear.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit globose, membranous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Embryo spirally twisted.
[FTEA]
Basellaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1968
- Morphology General Habit
- Twining subsucculent herbs with long much-branched stems
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate; lamina ovate, entire
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers hermaphrodite, sessile, white or coloured, in axillary spikes or panicles of spikes
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles
- Bracteoles 2, united into a 2-lipped cup adnate to the perianth
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
- Perianth urceolate or wide open, fleshy; lobes 5, short, incurved, or almost free and spreading
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 5, inserted near the top of the perianth-tube
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary ovoid, free; styles 3, or 1 deeply trifid or obsolete; stigmas 3, linear
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit membranous, one-seeded
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed globose; embryo spiral; endosperm scanty.
[KBu]
Eriksson, R. (2007). A Synopsis of Basellaceae. Kew Bulletin, 62(2), 297-320. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20443356
- Distribution
- At present, Basella comprises five species native to southeastern Africa, Madagascar, and possibly Asia. One African species, B. paniculata, is deviating, and it is possibly better placed in a genus of its own.
- Morphology General Habit
- Scandent vines or sometimes procumbent to erect plants
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves petiolate, not decurrent; leaf blade lanceolate to broadly elliptic or cordate, entire, obtuse to acuminate at apex
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers sessile, partly sunken into rachis or not, bisexual, chasmogamous or cleistogamous, scentless
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
- Filaments straight or obscurely reflexed in bud, connate and fuLsed at base or up to c. 3/4 of their length with petals into a tube; anthers dorsifixed, slightly to distinctly deltoid, with thecae free at apex, dehiscent by longitudinal slits
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals shorter than petals to equalling them in length, ovate to elliptic, free from each other or partly connate, without dorsal structures, ± obtuse at apex, at anthesis greenish, whitish, or reddish, in fruit pale and ± dry, thin, or purple to black, thick and juicy
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals uniform, ovate to elliptic, connate only at base or up to c. 2/3 of their length, ± obtuse at apex, at anthesis greenish, whitish, or reddish, in fruit pale and ± dry, thin, or purple to black, thick and juicy
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary globose to pyriform, sometimes lobed or ridged; style 1, 3-parted almost to the base, or styles 3, usually not persistent, rarely with persistent base in fruit; stigmas linear to clavate, or undifferentiated
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit globose to pyriform, in cross section rounded to somewhat hexagonal, tightly enclosed, partly or completely, by persistent, sometimes eventually disappearing perianth.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences unbranched or branched spikes, usually with stout and fleshy axis sometimes thickened in fruit, pedunculate or not
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
- Bracts ± triangular
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracteoles
- Bracteoles subtending flower, minute to distinctly developed, ovate to triangular, free
- Morphology Stem
- Stem glabrous, rarely puberulent when young, not producing tubers
- Type
- Basella rubra L., designated by Hitchcock in Hitchcock & Green (1929: 143) [= Basella alba L.].
Native to:
Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, India, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Malaya, Maluku, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Guinea, Northern Provinces, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam
Introduced into:
Alabama, Andaman Is., Angola, Belize, Benin, Brazil Southeast, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, China Southeast, Christmas I., Colombia, Congo, Cook Is., Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, Gilbert Is., Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Hawaii, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Malawi, Mauritius, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Senegal, Society Is., South China Sea, Southwest Caribbean, Sudan, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, Windward Is., Zambia, Zaïre
Basella L. appears in other Kew resources:
First published in Sp. Pl.: 272 (1753)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.
Literature
Kew Bulletin
- Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum. Stockholm.
- Moquin-Tandon, A. (1849b). Basellaceae. In: A. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(2): 220 - 230, 462. Paris.
- — (1764). Genera Plantarum, ed. 6. Stockholm.
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- —F.T.A. 6, 1: 94.
Flora Zambesiaca
- Sp. Pl. 1: 272 (1753)
- in Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 133 (1754).
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- Hook. f., G. P. 3: 76 (1880)
- L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 133 (1754)
- Perrier de la Bâthie in Not. Syst. 14: 53–56 (1950)
- Sp. Pl.: 272 (1753)
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Bulletin
Kew Bulletin
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0