Glottiphyllum
Glottiphyllum longum
Glottiphyllum is a plant genus of the family of Mesembryanthemum plants ( Aizoaceae ). The botanical name of the genus is derived from the Greek words " γλωττίς " ( glottis ) for " tongue " and " φύλλον " ( phyllon ) for "Leaf " and refers to the tongue-shaped leaves of some species.
Description
The plants of the genus Glottiphyllum grow compact to mat -forming with a few to many branches. Most species have short, thick rhizomes. Your taproots and adventitious roots are thickened. The shoots are erect to decumbent. In gleichblättrigen types the leaves are decussate and arranged in two rows at ungleichblättrigen species. The leaves are thick or flat initially and later belt - or tongue-shaped. The epidermis contains bladder cells along the edges often extended to hair, while they are reduced on the sides.
The stalked or sitting flowers are apparently individually. However, it is monochasiales Anthocladium ago in which alternating leaves and Endblüten are formed on the stem axis. There are four sepals present. The deep yellow petals, often they are white at the base, are fused at the base and form a funnel. There are 150 to 250 (rarely to 500) stamens present whereas staminodes absent.
The fruit capsules are eight - to nine - (rare five - to 14 - ) fächrig. The seeds are larger than 1 millimeter and rarely straight.
The chromosome number.
Systematics and distribution
The genus Glottiphyllum is distributed mainly in the Little Karoo and adjacent areas in the South African province of Western Cape and Eastern Cape. The plants grow mostly in shale and sandstone, some species in clay, between quartzite containing bricks or rocks. The annual rainfall is 125-500 mm, which falls in the highest rainfall in the months of March and November.
The first description was in 1921 by Nicholas Edward Brown. The holotype is Glottiphyllum linguiforme. After Heidrun Hartmann Glottiphyllum genus includes the following types:
- Glottiphyllum carnosum N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum cruciatum ( Haw. ) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum depressum ( Haw. ) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum difforme (L.) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum fergusoniae L.Bolus
- Glottiphyllum grandiflorum ( Haw. ) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum linguiforme (L.) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum longum ( Haw. ) N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum neilii N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum nelii Schwantes
- Glottiphyllum oligocarpum L.Bolus
- Glottiphyllum peersii L.Bolus
- Glottiphyllum regium N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum salmii ( Haw. ) L.Bolus
- Glottiphyllum suave N.E.Br.
- Glottiphyllum surrectum ( Haw. ) L.Bolus
Easy hybridization between species and very variable shape of the blades has resulted in a number of species have been described, which are now regarded only as synonyms.