Quincula

Quincula lobata

Quincula lobata ( syn. Physalis lobata ) is a flowering plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae ). It is the only species of the genus Quincula.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Quincula Lobala are perennial, herbaceous plants that reach a height of about 30 cm. The shoot axis branched shortly above the base. Arteigen is a partially very dense pubescence of whitish, moist, glandular and crystal-containing trichomes. This can be both very close but are sparse, so that the aerial parts of the plant partially receive a sloughy appearance.

The leaves have a membranous lamina, which is elliptical or narrowly elliptical in shape and pointed forward, the base is pointed, pinnate or pinnately divided, where are alternately at most three pairs of larger segments with smaller segments. The basal leaves are standing partly entire, rarely wavy - toothed. They have a length from 3.3 to 4.5 ( in extreme cases up to 10 ) cm and a width of (± 0.5 ) from 1.5 to 4.6 cm.

Inflorescences and flowers

The flowers are at 0.5 to 3.5 cm long flower stalks in groups of up to five, rarely they are individually. The calyx is 3-5 (6.2 ) mm long, bell-shaped and covered with glandular trichomes. The sepals are triangular, shorter than the calyx tube. The blue, violet or rarely white crown is wheel-shaped, has a diameter of 9 to 14 ( ± 20 ) mm, corolla lobes are barely pronounced. The five stamens are equal faceted, not go standing on the crown and are fixed in the lower quarter of the corolla tube. Shortly above the approach points are located on the petals five fields with simple and branched trichomes. The anthers are fixed to the front of the base of the stamens, 1.8 to 2.3 mm long, the counters are in the bottom quarter free from each other. The ovary is two-leaved, the circular nectaries are not very noticeable. The style is terminal, is easily reversed pfriemförmig, rolled up in the bud during the flowering bent.

Fruits

The fruits are smaller berries having from 6 to 8 mm in diameter containing approximately 18 to 20 seeds. The base of the fruit has been turned over, the pericarp is thin and easily broken into irregular pieces. Stone cells are not present. The entire fruit is enclosed by the enlarging calyx, which then has a length of 15 to 20 mm. The seeds are kidney-shaped and pressed, they have a length of 1.8 to 4 mm. Compared to the hilum of the edge of the seed is irregularly shaped and slightly notched. The cotyledons are longer than the rest of the embryo. Endosperm is abundant pronounced.

Other features

The base chromosome number is polyploid with representatives and are known and quite frequently. Two times was found once also.

Dissemination and locations

Quincula lobata is common in the southwestern United States and get there before in the states of Oklahoma, western Kansas, Nevada, eastern Colorado, New Mexico, southern Arizona, and Texas. The southern border of the distribution area also reached the north of Mexico, where the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Sonora.

The plant comes as xerophyte ago in desert areas and other disturbed habitats.