Euploca strigosa (Willd.) Diane & Hilger

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

Morphology General Habit

Typically in W. Africa annual but elsewhere often (or almost entirely in parts of Asia) perennial with woody taproot; spreading or erect herb 7–45 cm. long or tall, sparsely to densely branched, the strictly erect unbranched to little-branched annuals appearing very different from much-branched straggling perennials.

Morphology Stem

Young stems strigose with adpressed upwardly directed white hairs, later glabrescent and with peeling brown epidermis and bark.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves laxly to very densely spaced; blades linear, linear-lanceolate, oblong or very narrowly elliptic, 0.4–4 cm. long, 0.7–5 mm. wide, acute at apex, cuneate at the base, sparsely to densely silvery strigose on both surfaces, the margins ± revolute; petiole 0.5–2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Cymes very numerous, simple or less often branched, unilateral, 1–7 cm. long; bracts similar to the leaves in shape, 1–3 × 0.4 mm., ciliate and pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers ± laxly dispersed on the strigose rhachis; pedicels 0.2–0.4 mm. long, accrescent to 0.5–2(–5) mm. in fruit, angular and decurrent. Flowers basically axillary but typically the very reduced bract-like leaves result in a spike-like cyme.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 2–3 mm. long, scarcely accrescent in fruit; lobes oblong-ovate or narrowly elliptic, 1.5–2.5 mm. long, 0.3–1.2 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white or greenish white, often with a yellow centre, funnel-shaped, 2.5–3(– 5) mm. long; tube enlarged about the middle, strigose outside save at the base, inside with short flat hairs near tops of anthers; lobes broadly triangular or ovate, 0.5–2 mm. long, 0.7–2 mm. wide, the limb 3–5.5 mm. wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style with lower part 0.2–0.5 mm. long and narrowly conical ± papillate apical part 0.3–0.8 mm. long, either longer than or ± equalling the stipe and with a basal stigmatic disc, often minutely bifid at the apex; or with upper part above disc as narrow as part beneath, the whole resembling a wheel on an axle.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits globose, depressed, (1.8–)2.5–3 mm. diameter, adpressed pubescent, breaking into 4 nutlets ± 1.5 mm. wide, the internal faces with a ± central circular depression.

Figures

Fig. 19/2, p. 71.

Habitat

Grassland, Acacia-Compositae bushland, Combretum and Brachystegia woodlands, also Euphorbia-Commiphora scrub, often on bare ground, e.g. by roadsides and on open lava plains; 0–1670 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 Mauritania and Senegal to Nigeria,Afghanistan to tropical Asia, China and Australia

Boraginaceae, H. Heine. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, branched, erect or spreading from a woody base up to 1 ft. high

Morphology General Indumentum

Appressed white bristly hairs

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Small white flowers

Ecology

In sandy soil, on farms, waste places etc.

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect annual or sometimes perennial herb, 15–35 cm. high; stem and branches ± angular, subterete to the base, strigose.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate; petiole 0.5–3.0(9) mm. long, strigose; lamina 10–35(50) x 1–6(9) mm., linear-lanceolate, strigose on both surfaces, apex and base acute, margins entire usually slightly revolute.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Cymes simple, often numerous, lax, 4–10(14) cm. long when wholly expanded, terminal; rhachis strigose; bracts like the leaves, the lower ones 5–11 x 1–3 mm., gradually smaller to the cyme end.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers with pedicels 0.3–0.5 mm. long, a little accrescent, angular, decurrent on the rhachis.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 1.5–2.5 mm. long, lobes ovate-lanceolate, ciliate, strigose outside, glabrous or subglabrous inside, persisting after the nutlets are shed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 2.5–3.5(4) mm. long, infundibuliform, strigose on the upper 2/3 outside, glabrous inside except for 5 tufts of small flattened hairs at the level of anther tips, white or with orange-yellow tube; lobes 0.5–1.0 x 0.7–1.5 mm., very widely triangular-ovate, obtuse or rounded, erect.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens inserted near the base on the corolla tube, anthers 0.7–0.8 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate, cohering by the minutely pubescent tips; filaments 0.2–0.3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary glabrous; style 0.2–0.4(0.5) mm. long, glabrous; stigmatic ring c. 0.4 mm. in diam.; sterile appendix 0.2–0.5 mm. long, narrowly conical.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit up to 1.4 x 2.2 mm., depressed, shortly strigose on the upper 1/2 or 2/3, late splitting into 4 free nutlets; nutlets ovoid, dark brown to black when mature, rounded on the back, with a deep central-peripheric hollow on each of the inner surfaces.