Open AccessA revision of Cressa L. (Convolvulaceae)
Author(s) -
AUSTIN DANIEL F.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2000.tb01535.x
Subject(s) - biology , peduncle (anatomy) , botany , typification , convolvulaceae , stamen , genus , key (lock) , taxonomy (biology) , ecology , pollen , nomenclature
Previous treatments of the genus Cressa have ranged from splitting it into 19 species or lumping all the variation into C. cretica L., the type species. Morphological study reveals that there are four species, two in the Americas and two in the Old World. The American species are C. truxillensis Humb., Bonpl. & Kunth and C. nudicaulis Griseb. Africa and Eurasia support C. cretica. Australia and Timor have C. australis R. Br., although since the 1860s it has largely been misidentified and reported as C. cretica. Differences occur in several organs. hut leaf shapes are distinctive in two species: C. nudicaulis has scale‐like leaves, while in C. cretica, leaves are usually lanceolate. Peduncle lengths, stamen lengths, filament pubescence and ranges distinguish C. truxillensis from C. australis. A key and generic and specific descriptions are given with typification. Specimen citation represents the geographic ranges of each species.