Boraginaceae

Tournefortia L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 140 (1753)

This genus is accepted

The native range of this genus is Cosmopolitan.

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit: Shrubs or woody climbers with mostly broad petiolate leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers in scorpioid cymes, spike-like, often arranged in dichotomous panicles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Calyx usually 5-lobed, persistent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Corolla mostly white or yellowish, 4–5-merous; tube cylindrical with spreading limb
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens usually 5, inserted in the tube, included, the filaments short
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil: Ovary 4-locular; stigma sessile or borne on a distinct terminal style, peltate or conic, the stigmatic surfaces lateral, often bifid at the apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruit a lobed or unlobed drupe, breaking up at maturity into 2–4 bony nutlets or pyrenes, each 1–2-seeded and often with 0–2 empty cavities; endosperm thin; cotyledons flat.

[FTEA]

Boraginaceae, E. S. Martins (Trichodesma by R. K. Brummit). Flora Zambesiaca 7:4. 1990

Morphology General Habit: Small trees, shrubs or perennial herbs.
Morphology Leaves: Leaves enure, sessile or shortly petiolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescence of scorpioid ebracteate cymes arranged in terminal corymbs or panicles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Flowers 5-merous, sessile or pedicellate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Calyx 5-lobed almost to the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Corolla actinomorphic, infundibuliform or hypocrateriform; limb 5-lobed to a half or more.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens included, sometimes reaching as far as the throat or a little more, free.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries: Nectary absent or minute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary: Ovary 4-celled, ovules solitary, pendulous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil: Style terminal; stigmatic ring topped by an entire to 2-lobed stigmatic appendix.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruit dry, dividing at maturity into two 2-seeded mericarps; mesocarp corky; the two fertile cells of each mericarp separated by a deep groove or a sterile cavity.

[FZ]

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit: Herbs, shrubs or trees, usually in saline or strand conditions
Morphology Leaves: Leaves alternate, entire, attenuate at the base into a short or ± obsolete petiole, densely silky-hairy
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences: Inflorescences dichotomously branched, the flowers in unilateral scorpioid cymes, dense or more lax, sessile or subsessile, white or greenish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Sepals 4–5, cuneate, round or oblong
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Corolla subcylindrical or campanulate, the lobes imbricate or plicate in bud, later spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens: Stamens 4–5, included or partly exserted; anthers 2 to several times as long as wide; filaments very short
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil: Ovary 4-locular with 1 ovule in each locule; style terminal, short, the stigma conical with basal receptive annular part and lobed apical part in the widespread species but in others it is conical, truncate-conic or bun-shaped
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruits dry when mature, the carpels embedded in the centre of the corky exocarp or occupying the apical half of fruit, the lower half entirely ‘spongy-corky’ (see note); endocarp dividing into 2 parts, each with 2 seed-bearing cavities separated by a deep groove or sterile cavity.

[FTEA]

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 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 2023. 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

Descriptions