Alluaudia
Alluaudia is a plant genus of the family Didiereaceae within the order of clove -like ( Caryophyllales ). The botanical name of the genus honors the French politicians and scholars Alluaud François ( 1778-1866 ).
Description
Alluaudia species grow with few emerging shoots, bushy or tree structure with a trunk up to 50 cm in diameter and 10 to 15 m high. The needle-like spines are scattered across the shoots. Below the thorns, spirally arranged, a single, inverted egg-shaped or semi- rotund leaf appears on new shoots. At a later stage each year grow new on short shoots two opposite leaves that are aligned with its narrow side up.
The type Alluaudia dumosa deviates from this growth by the reduced thorns and leaves are ephemeral.
The large or small, cymösen or doldigen inflorescences wear white, pale greenish, yellowish or reddish single flowers with up to 1 cm in diameter. The 8 to 10 stamens are bent back and the 3 to 4 large stigma lobes are formed straddling. The fruits are 2-6 mm in size and contain seeds with aril.
Dissemination
The species of the genus are widespread in the southwest of Madagascar.
System
The genus was erected in 1903 by Emmanuel Drake del Castillo. The type species is Didierea procera. As a synonym for the genus is Didierea subg. Alluaudia Drake ( 1901).
The genus is divided into two sections:
- Section Alluaudia: leafy, with erect, thick and slightly branched shoots; Chromosome number 2n = 240 Alluaudia ascendens ( Drake ) Drake
- Alluaudia montagnacii roughness
- Alluaudia procera ( Drake ) Drake
- Section Androyella ZARabesa: scaly leaves or leafy plant with overhanging, thin highly branched shoots; Chromosome number 2n = 48 or 2n = 192 Alluaudia comosa ( Drake ) Drake
- Alluaudia dumosa ( Drake ) Drake
- Alluaudia humbertii Choux
Swell
- G. D. Rowley: Alluaudia. In: Urs Eggli (ed.): Succulents Encyclopedia. Volume 2 Dicotyledons ( dicots ), Ulm, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3915-4, p 99