Family:
Orobanchaceae Vent.

Melasma P.J.Bergius

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Mexico to Tropical America, Tanzania to S. Africa.

[FTEA]

Scrophulariaceae, S.A. Ghazanfar, F.N. Hepper & D. Philcox. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2008

Morphology General Habit
Erect perennial herbs, scabrid or hispid.  Leaves opposite, occasionally alternate within inflorescence, sessile or subsessile
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers solitary in axils of leaves or bracts, in lax or congested terminal racemes, pedicellate, bi-bracteolate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed, subequal, campanulate, 10-ribbed, inflated in fruit; lobes erect, valvate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed, larger than calyx; lobes imbricate, widely spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4, subequal, didynamous, included; anther thecae parallel, distinct, apiculate or acuminate; style clavate, flattened, persistent, exserted from the persistent calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule loculicidal, included in calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, small, straight or curved, outer testa transparent, extended at each end beyond seed nucleus, truncate.

[FZ]

Scrophulariaceae, D. Philcox. Flora Zambesiaca 8:2. 1990

Morphology General Habit
Erect perennial herbs, erect to c. 100 cm. tall, coarse, scabrid or hispid.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves opposite, occasionally alternate within inflorescence, sessile or subsessile, entire or toothed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers loosely arranged or clustered in terminal racemes, solitary in axils of leaves or bracts, pedicellate, bibracteolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-lobed, campanulate, 10-ribbed, inflated in fruit; lobes erect, valvate, subequal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tubular-campanulate, 5-lobed, larger than calyx, not marcescent, lobes imbricate, widely spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4, included, didynamous, subequal; anther thecae parallel, distinct, apiculate or acuminate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style clavate, flattened, persistent, exserted from persistent calyx.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule loculicidal, included in calyx.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds numerous, 0.5–3 mm. long, straight or curved, outer testa transparent, extended at each end beyond seed nucleus, truncate.

Native to:

Angola, Argentina Northeast, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cape Provinces, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Free State, French Guiana, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, KwaZulu-Natal, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Northern Provinces, Panamá, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Windward Is., Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Melasma P.J.Bergius appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Descr. Pl. Cap.: 162 (1767)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6. Scientific Data 8: 215.

Literature

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Desc. Pl. Cap.: 162 (1767).
  • Melchior in Notizbl. Bot. Gart., Berlin 15: 199–127(1940).

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Desc. Pl. Cap.: 162 (1767)

  • 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 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

  • 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