Echiostachys Levyns
Creators: name: Velani, N.
name: Boatwright, J. S.
name: Magee, A. R.
name: Manning, J. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Boraginales
Boraginaceae
Echiostachys

description: <i>Echiostachys</i> Levyns in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 49: 445 (1934). Lectotype: <i>Echiostachys incanus</i> (Thunb.) Levyns, effectively designated by Phillips, Gen. S. African Fl. Pl.: 632 (1951). <i>Echium</i> sect. <i>Trichobasis</i> DC. &amp; A.DC. in Candolle, Prodr. 10: 13 (1846). <i>Lobostemon</i> sect. <i>Trichobasis</i> (DC. &amp; A.DC.) G&amp;Dot; urke in Nat. Pflanzenfam. [Engler and Prantl] IV, 3 A: 128 (1893). Type: <i>E. caudatum</i> Thunb. (= <i>Echiostachys spicatus</i> (Burm.f.) Levyns), effectively designated by Johnston in J. Arnold Arbor. 34: 293 (1953). Caespitose perennial herbs, producing one or more tufts of deciduous radical leaves annually, the flowering stem arising laterally at base of new growth; rootstock a woody taproot, slender or cylindrical-tapering, covered with maroon-purplish flaking bark. <i>Radical leaves</i>, linear-oblanceolate or elliptic, obtuse, acute or attenuate, narrowed and petiole-like below, adpressed strigose-villous with a mixture of short and longer hairs, hairs simple or pustular; cauline leaves on flowering stem smaller, sub-erect, linear-oblanceolate or elliptic, obtuse to attenuate, decreasing in size acropetally, indumentum as for radical leaves. <i>Flowering stem</i> villous or rarely subglabrous below. <i> In <i>fl</i> orescence</i> a pseudo-spike of numerous 1 to 4(6)-flowered cymules, ovoid to cylindrical, elongating in fruit; pedicels short, villous; bracts linear-oblanceolate or elliptic, lowermost leaf-like, villous. <i>Calyx</i> slightly accrescent, sepals 5, <i>±</i> free, equal, linear-oblanceolate, adpressed-pilose or -sericeous on both surfaces. <i>Corolla</i> funnel-shaped, white, cream-coloured, pink, purplish or blue; tube sparsely pubescent on outer surface, mainly opposite filament insertion, bearded within between filament bases; lobes 5, obtuse, central veins sparsely hairy on inner surface or glabrous. <i>Stamens</i> subequal or usually one stamen shorter than others, epipetalous, attached near middle of tube, exserted; filaments bearded or tufted at base; anthers dorsifixed, subglobose. <i>Style</i> gynobasic, villous in basal third; stigma small. <i>Ovary</i> four-lobed. <i>Fruit</i> of four nutlets, nutlets ellipsoid with median ventral ridge, surface rugose-tuberculate or nearly smooth, echinulate with small glassy trichomes. Three species; South Africa, endemic to the south-western parts of the core Cape Floristic Region, in fynbos shrubland on sandy and loamy soils. <i>3.2. Key to the species</i> 1a Corolla <i>±</i> 12 mm long, white; radical leaves 15 <i>−</i> 50 mm wide; plants from deep coastal sands from St Helena Bay to Yzerfontein... 3. <i>E</i>. <i>spicatus</i> 1b Corolla 5 <i>−</i> 9 mm long, cream-coloured to purple; radical leaves 6 <i>−</i> 20 mm wide; plants from clay or loam soils from Clanwilliam to Swellendam: 2a Corolla whitish; radical leaves mostly attenuate apically, base sericeous; hairs at base of filaments in a brush-like tuft; nutlets rugose-tuberculate... 2. <i>E</i>. <i>incanus</i> 2b Corolla purplish, pinkish or blue; radical leaves obtuse, base strigose-villous; hairs at base of filaments in a linear beard extending shortly up free part; nutlets <i>±</i> smooth... 1. <i>E</i>. <i>ecklonianus</i>
description: Published as part of <i>Velani, N., Boatwright, J. S., Magee, A. R. &amp; Manning, J. C., 2023, Taxonomy of the small southern African endemic genus Echiostachys Levyns (Boraginaceae: Boraginoideae), pp. 244-256 in South African Journal of Botany 156</i> on page 245, DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2023.03.019, http://zenodo.org/record/8013411