Calcareoboea coccinea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li, type species
Left: Ying T.S. et al., The endemic seed plants in China, Fig. 106 (1993), with permission.
Right: R. Myhr, The Gesneriad Reference Web
http://www.gesneriads.ca
Full name and orig. publication: Calcareoboea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 4: 241 (Aug. 1982).
Etymology: From the Latin calcareus = chalky, limy, calcicolous, and the generic name Boea.
Synonyms: -
Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "Advanced Asiatic and Malesian genera" (Weber 2004).
Description: Perennial rosette herbs with a stout, elongate rhizome. Leaves subcoriaceous, serrate. Cymes axillary, long-pedunculate, umbellate; bracteoles leaf-like, forming an involucre. Pedicels nearly free to base, linear-lanceolate. Corolla vermillion, narrowly funnel-shaped, sub-bilabiate, upper lip of four short teeth; lower lip tongue-like of a single, patent lobe. Stamens 2, filaments complanate, curved, inserted in the upper part of corolla tube; anthers 2-locular, divaricate; staminodes small. Nectary cupular, rim crenate. Ovary slender cylindrical; style slender; stigma very small, capitate. Capsule slender cylindrical, 2-valved.
Chromosome number: Unknown.
Species number: 2 [C. coccinea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li., C. bonii (Pellegr.) B.L.Burtt].
Species names (incl. publication and synonyms): See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005: World checklist of Gesneriaceae: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist.
Type species: Calcareoboea coccinea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li
Distribution: S China (SE Yunnan, W Guangxi), N Vietnam (C. coccinea); NE Thailand (C. bonii)
Ecology: In evergreen forests, growing in crevices of limestone rocks; 400-1500 m.
Notes: Distinctive features of the genus, as described by Li, are the long-scapose (sub)umbelliform cymes and the flowers having a 4-lobed upper lip (with the lobes reduced to short teeth) and a single-lobed lower lip. Form and bright red colour of the flowers suggest ornithophily. Recently Burtt (2001) has transferred Didymocarpus bonii (with shortly campanulate, light coloured flowers) to Calcareoboea, making the generic delimitation technically somewhat difficult. The transfer of Didymocarpus hancei Hemsl. from China was also announced in that paper.
Selected references: Wang et al. in Wu & Raven (eds.), Fl. China 18: 361 (1998) (Chinese sp.); Burtt, Thai Forest Bull. (Bot.) 81-109 (2001); Burtt, Thai Forest Bull. (Botany) 29: 81-109 (2001), transfer of Didymocarpus bonii to Calcareoboea.
Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography.
Illustrations:
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Calcareoboea coccinea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li, type species Left: Ying T.S. et al., The endemic seed plants in China, Fig. 106 (1993), with permission. |
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Calcareoboea coccinea [C.Y.Wu ex] H.W.Li, type species The Gesneriad Society |
last modified: 2007-07-13