Litostigma
Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, type species
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 3 (2010).
Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, type species
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 3 (2010).
Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, type species
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 3 (2010).
Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, type species
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 3 (2010).
Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, type species
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 5 (2010).
Litostigma crystallinum Y.M.Shui & W.H.Chen
Wei, Y.G. et al., Fig. 7 (2010).
Litostigma
Full name and orig. publication: Litostigma Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, Edinburgh J. Bot. 67(1): 178 (-179) (Feb. 2010).
Etymology: From the Greek λιτός, litos = plain, simple, and Latin stigma = stigma, alluding to the simple structure of the stigma.
Synonyms: -
Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoideae-Trichosporeae-Litostigminae (Weber et al. 2013).
Description: Perennial, acaulescent, rhizomatous herbs. Leaves basal, petiolate. Cymes axillary, single-flowered, with two bracteoles. Calyx actinomorphic, 5-lobed. Corolla infundibuliform, ventrally slightly pouched, limb bilabiate, adaxial lip 2-lobed, abaxial lip 3-lobed, lobes orbicular to ovate. Fertile stamens 2, inserted on abaxial side of tube, anthers coherent; staminodes 3, inserted on the adaxial side of the tube. Disc annular. Ovary narrowly ovoid, unilocular, with two parietal placentae projecting into the locula; style elongate (4x longer than ovary); stigma crateri- or disciform. Capsule elongate-ovoid, dehiscing by 4 valves.
Chromosome number: unknown.
Species number: 4 (state of 2022).
Species names (given only in case of few species): (1) Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller, (2) L. crystallinum Y.M.Shui & W.H.Chen), (3) Litostigma napoense Y.Feng Huang, B.M.Wang & Y.S.Chen, (4) L. pingbianense Y.S.Chen & B.M.Wang.
Type species: Litostigma coriaceifolium Y.G.Wei, F.Wen & Mich.Möller.
Distribution: China (Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi), adjacent Vietnam.
Ecology: Growing on wet limestone rocks and at the entrance of caves.
Notes:
(1) The genus is difficult to characterise, as it does not exhibit catchy morphological characters. The species represent simply small rosette plants with large, blue and diandrous flowers arising singly from the leaf axils. The molecular data presented by Wei et al. (2010), show that the genus occupies an isolated position and, surprisingly, belongs to the group of (otherwise mostly tetrandrous) basal Asiatic and European didymocarpoid genera. In the formal classification of Weber et al. (2013) it represents a monogeneric subtribe (Litostigminae) in tribe Trichosporeae.
(2) Two new species have been recently described and nicely illustrated by Chen et al. (2021)
Selected references: Wei, Y.G. et al., Edinburgh J. Bot. 67(1): 161-184 (2010), orig. descr., molec. data.; Chen et al., Nordic J. Bot. 39(4)-e02971: 1-10 (2021), new spp.
Tax. details, cytology, and bibliography: Gesneriaceae Resource Centre (GRC). Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Page content and update responsibility/contact: Michael Möller.
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