Gloriosa (genus)

Crown of glory ( Gloriosa superba )

The plant genus Gloriosa belongs to the family of Timeless plants ( Colchicaceae ). There are about twelve species that are widespread in the Old World.

• 4.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

Gloriosa species grow as perennial herbaceous plants. These geophytes form as storage organs underground, thick, bulbous rhizomes, where there are fibrous roots. The bare or papillose - fluffy hairy stems are erect or independently depending on the nature rambling and sometimes branched.

There are often low leaves ( Cataphylle ) available. The alternate and more or less distichous, opposite or in whorls on the stem arranged leaves have a leaf sheath and are sessile or very short-stalked. The simple leaf blades are ovate depending on the type, lanceolate, linear or subulate. The leaf blades have many parallel veins and often is a distinct midrib available. Leaf blades end at the climbing species (eg modesta Gloriosa, Gloriosa superba ) in a tendril.

Inflorescence and flower

The flowers are individually together in the leaf axils or collectively in schirmtraubigen inflorescences. The bracts are leaf-like foliage. The flower stalks are usually long. The flowers are often hanging, nodding and sometimes resupinat ( reversing the rotation of the flowers blossom by the stem ).

The showy flowers are hermaphroditic and threefold radial symmetry. The six equal multiform bracts are usually free or in some species grow together briefly at their base, spread to the ends bent back and most durable to increase the rewards. There are nectaries and often have white hair at the barely discernible been sacked basis of the bloom. There are two circles, each with three stamens present. The inserted at the base of the bloom, with each free filaments are filiform or sometimes flattened. The dorsifixen dust bags are narrowly linear -oblong, freely movable, curved outwards and öffenen with longitudinal slots. Three carpels are fused into a seated, ovate to oblong, dreikammerigen ovary. Each ovary chamber contains many ovules. In some species ( for example baudii Gloriosa, Gloriosa superba ) sits the pen at a right angle to the ovary. The relatively long, thin pen is easy at the bottom and then towards the upper end dreigabelig; the stylus pfriemlichen branches have scar tissue on the top.

Fruit and seeds

The loculicidalen, ovate to oblong capsule fruits have a leathery pericarp and contain many seeds. The nearly spherical seeds are fleshy and have a bright red or orange -colored seed coat ( testa).

Systematics and distribution

The Gloriosa species are widely distributed in the Old World. Ten species occur in the southern and tropical Africa and only two in tropical Asia. Half of the species are endemic or have a relatively small area of ​​distribution.

The genus Gloriosa was erected in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum, 1, p 305. Gloriosa superba is the type species. The genus name Gloriosa is derived from the Latin word gloriosus and refers to the splendid appearance of the flowers. Synonyms for Gloriosa L. are: Methonica Gagnebin, Mendoni Adans, Eugone Salisb, Clinostylis Hochst, Littonia Hook ... ..

Since Vinnersten & Reeves 2003 and Vinnersten & Manning 2007 include the species of the genus Gloriosa Littonia sl, so this is monophyletic. It 78 - Gloriosa species names have been published. In the new revision Alfred Maroyi: The genus Gloriosa ( Colchicaceae ) - ethnobotany, phylogeny and taxonomy, PhD thesis at the University of Wageningen, 2012 twelve cards accepted.

The genus belongs to the tribe Gloriosa Colchiceae within the family Colchicaceae; it has been previously classified into the family Liliaceae.

There are about twelve Gloriosa species:

• Gloriosa baudii ( A.Terracc. ) Chiov. , You only occurs in arid areas in southern Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
• Gloriosa carsonii Baker: It comes from Sudan until the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Namibia.
• Gloriosa flavovirens ( Dammer ) JCManning & Vinn. This endemic species is found only in the Malange region in Angola.
• Gloriosa katangensis Maroyi: The type first described in 2012 is endemic only in the Lukavu region, Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo before.
• Gloriosa lindenii ( Baker) JCManning & Vinn. It occurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
• Gloriosa littonioides ( Welw. ex Baker ) JCManning & Vinn. It occurs in Angola, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
• Gloriosa modesta ( Hook. ) JCManning & Vinn, Syn. Littonia keitii Leichtlin, Littonia modesta Hook:. Their range extends from Zimbabwe to South Africa. It is in the Red List of South African plant species = as " least concern " or "not at risk " rating.
• Gloriosa revoilii ( Franch. ) JCManning & Vinn: . These species occurs only in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and southern Yemen.
• Gloriosa rigidifolia ( Bredell ) JCManning & Vinn. This endemic species is found only in Limpopo. He is in the Red List of South African plant species = as " least concern " or "not at risk " rating.
• Gloriosa sessiliflora Nordal & Bingham: It only comes in Zambia un Bié the region before in Angola.
• Gloriosa simplex L.: They occur in tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar.
• Crown of glory ( Gloriosa superba L.): It is widely used in Southeast Asia, Malaysia's, southern and tropical Africa. It comes naturally in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, southern Yunnan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Senegal, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Madagascar. In many areas of the tropics and subtropics, it is a neophyte. It is in the Red List of South African plant species = as " least concern " or "not at risk " rating.

Use

Crown of glory ( Gloriosa superba ) is used as an ornamental plant in tropical parks and gardens, as well as in rooms. Gloriosa modesta also serves as an ornamental plant.

Gloriosa superba is used in folk medicine.

Swell

• Alfred Maroyi: The genus Gloriosa ( Colchicaceae ) - ethnobotany, phylogeny and taxonomy: thesis 29 May, 2012, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 194 pages: Full-Text PDF. (Sections Description, distribution and systematics)
• Chen Xinqi (陈心启) & Minoru N. Tamura: Gloriosa, pp. 158 - text the same online as printed work, Wu Zheng -yi and Peter H. Raven (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 24 - Flagellariaceae through Marantaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis, 2000. ISBN 0-915279-83-5 (Sections Description, distribution and systematics)
• GJ Harden: Entry in the New South Wales Flora Online. ( Description section )