Talinaceae
Talinum

Talinum afrum (Thunb.) Eckl. & Zeyh.

First published in Enum. Pl. Afric. Austral.: 282 (1836)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Portulacaceae, Sylvia M. Phillips. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb from a deeply buried, sometimes lobed tuber, tuber with white flesh, a woody “neck” developing between the tuber and the annual stems; stems decumbent to prostrate or infrequently suberect, to 30 cm long, much branched.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, variable, linear, linear-oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 2–7 cm long, 3–13 mm wide, margins often revolute, base cuneate to a brief petiole, apex apiculate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in axillary 1(–2)-flowered cymes, opening in the afternoon; peduncle 0.5–1.5(–2.5) cm long, stout, recurving in fruit, tipped by a pair of bracts; pedicel stout, thickenedupwards.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Sepals ovate-acuminate, membranous, 7–12 mm long; petals yellow, ± 10 mm long, spreading, obovate, acute; stamens 25–60; ovary green.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule plump, conical, yellow, glossy, (5–)7–9 mm high; seeds lenticular, 1.6–1.8 mm in diameter, black, glossy, with elongate testa cells and prominent concentric ridges.
Figures
Fig. 5 (p. 31).
Habitat
Dry open places in short grassland and among rocks; 750–2050 m
Distribution
K1 K2 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5 T7 U2 S Ethiopia, and southwards to South Africa
[FTEA]

Portulacaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Perennial glabrous herb c. 40 cm. tall from a thickened turnip-like root c. 12 cm. long; stems suberect or erect.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina somewhat fleshy, 1·5–6 × 0·2–1·5 cm., very variable in shape, typically lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate or ovate, rarely almost linear, apex subacute, mucronate, cuneate at the base, margin sometimes revolute, petiole up to 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, 1- or rarely 2–3-flowered; peduncle c. 2 cm. long, thickened towards the apex, with a pair of subulate bracteoles c. 1·5 mm. long in the upper half.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals 0·5–1·0 cm. long, ovate, acuminate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow or golden, about twice the length of the sepals, ovate, rounded at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens numerous; filaments filamentous, c. 4 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary subglobose; style 2–5 mm. long; stigmas 3, 1–2 mm. long, spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule subglobose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 20, shining black with a white hilum, 1·5–2 mm. in diam., reniform-globose, with well defined, elevated, concentric ridges.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • 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

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

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/