Boraginaceae

Bourreria P.Browne

First published in Civ. Nat. Hist. Jamaica: 168 (1756), nom. cons.
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Mexico to Central America, Caribbean, Venezuela, Ethiopia to Mozambique, West Indian Ocean.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Trees or shrubs, glabrous or tomentose-pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate or subverticellate, obovate-oblong, rarely acuminate, smooth or scabrid above
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small to quite large (up to 5 cm. long), few to many in lax dichotomous corymbose cymes, rarely solitary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx globose or ovoid in bud, closed, splitting into 2–5 valvate teeth or lobes which are sometimes irregular and often cohering, tomentose inside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla-tube short or elongate-cylindrical, often broadened at the throat; lobes 5, ovate or broadly ovate, obovate or cordate, spreading, imbricate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5, inserted in the tube, included or exserted; filaments filiform, short; anthers ovate or oblong
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary 4-locular; style terminal, bifid, or entire in a few species; stigmas truncate, capitate or clavate; ovules lateral, affixed above or below the middle
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupes subglobose, small or quite large, up to 2.5 cm. diameter; endocarps ± 4-angled, splitting into 4 bony 3-angled pyrenes with ridged or winged outer faces; central column splitting into 4 erect branches with pyrenes finally suspended from the apices or ± adnate to internal angle of pyrenes or entirely obsolete; seeds laterally affixed; albumen sparse to fairly copious, fleshy.
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Trees or shrubs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, sometimes crowded, petiolate, simple, usually entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences paniculate or corymbose, sometimes few-flowered, terminal but sometimes apparently lateral.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, subsessile or pedicellate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx campanulate, closed in bud, 2–5-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla tube usually campanulate; lobes 5, frequently rounded, spreading or reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla tube, sometimes about the middle, included or exserted; anthers oblong on short filaments.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Style terminal on the ovary, entire or very shortly bifid; stigmas 2, capitate or peltate, or 1, bilobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit drupaceous, subglobose; pyrenes 4, bilocular, 1-seeded, the outer surface with thin woody lamellas.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or trees
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, in ± lax cymes or solitary
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx globose to ovoid and closed in bud, splitting into valvate lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla campanulate to rotate or urceolate, with spreading to reflexed lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens included or exserted, attached to corolla-tube; anthers ± oblong
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 4-celled; style terminal, divided into 2 branches or sometimes unbranched or practically so; stigmas capitate, club-shaped or disk-shaped
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit fleshy, the endocarp splitting into 4 stones with conspicuously ridged or winged outer faces.
Distribution
Genus of some 50 species, the majority in tropical America, but a few in eastern Africa and several on Madagascar.
[FSOM]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
Shrubs or small trees; leaves alternate, petiolate and entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually rather many in terminal corymbose cymes; calyx closed in bud, at anthesis splitting into 2–5 valvate teeth or lobes; corolla white, the 5 (or rarely 6) lobes imbricate in bud, the tube usually short, the throat widely dilated, and the lobes broad and spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens borne in the corolla-tube, included or exserted, the filaments glabrous or villous near the base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 4-celled, the style terminal and more or less bifid at the apex, with truncate or subcapitate stigmas; ovules laterally attached
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a thin-fleshed drupe enclosing 4 bony nutlets, these usually ridged on the back; endosperm fleshy.
Distribution
A tropical American genus of between 15 and 20 species.
[Cayman]

Uses

Use
The Somali species have edible fruits.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • 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