Pedaliaceae
Sesamothamnus

Sesamothamnus lugardii N.E.Br. ex Stapf

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 4(2): 568 (1906)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Zimbabwe to S. Africa. It is a caudex shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Pedaliaceae, H. D. Ihlenfeldt. Flora Zambesiaca 8:3. 1988

Morphology General Habit
Soft-stemmed shrub up to 4 m. tall, trunk swollen at the base, up to 1 m. in diam., from which arise several thick, erect main branches which taper rapidly; bark grey or mottled with yellow; branches stiff, sparingly branched, spiny; spines spreading to recurved, 5–10 mm., leaves deciduous, oblong to obovate, 1–2.5 cm. long, 4–6 mm. broad, obtuse to retuse at the apex, cuneate at the base, grey, semi-coriaceous, densely covered with stellately-branched mucilage glands; midrib distinct below, impressed above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers large, sweet-scented, 1–3 in short raceme-like inflorescences on short shoots which are sometimes elongated; pedicels 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5-partite, 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla sparingly tomentose, with a long, cylindrical, only slightly curved tube, 8–10 cm. long, 4–6 mm. in diam., produced near the base into a short blunt spur, 1–1.5 cm. long, cream-coloured, sometimes suffused with purple; limb spreading at first, later reflexed, 4–5 cm. in diam., slightly oblique; lobes 5, subcircular, 1.6–2 cm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4, subequal, inserted near the throat of the corolla tube; filaments 4–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary, oblong, 7–8 mm. long, laterally compressed, bilocular, each loculus divided by an incomplete false septum; ovules many, uniseriate in each compartment. Style slender, equaling the corolla tube; stigma reaching the corolla mouth or exerted by up to 10 mm., broadly bilobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a rigid woody capsule, obovate in outline, often retuse at the apex, 4–6 cm. long, 3.5–5 cm. broad, laterally compressed, greyish brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds flat, transversely oblong, winged, about 1.5 cm. long and 2.5 cm. broad (incl. wings).
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/146433892/146450910

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • 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