Championia

Full name and orig. publication: Championia Gardn., Calcutta J. Nat. Hist. 6: 485 (Jan. 1846).

Etymology: Named after Capt. J. G. Champion, a member of the British army, stationed in Ceylon (1838-1847), and exploring the indigenous vegetation of the island.

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "Basal Asiatic genera” (?) (Weber 2004).

Description: Low, erect, sometimes branching, caulescent, herbaceous perennials, pubescent. Leaves opposite, petiolate. Inflorescence axillary, a compound dichasium, solitary or rarely in pairs, lax; peduncles slender, shorter than the leaves. Calyx very deeply divided, 5-merous, the segments linear. Corolla 4-merous, regular, rotate, tube extremely short. Stamens 4, equal, inserted on corolla tube; filaments short; anthers connivent, ovate-oblong, 4-locular with 2 locules smaller. Disk absent. Ovary oblong-conical, unilocular with 2 T-shaped parietal placentae; style slender; stigma subcapitate, small. Capsule oblong, pointed, loculicidally 2-valved, each valve splitting into 2 halves. Seeds minute, broadly elliptical, blunt at the ends, reticulate.

Chromosome number: Unknown.

Type and only species: Championia reticulata Gardn.

Species names (incl. publication and synonyms): See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005: World checklist of Gesneriaceae: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist.

Distribution: Endemic to Sri Lanka. 

Ecology: In undisturbed forest, in shady places and loose soil along stream beds.

Notes: The genus is characterized by the unusual combination of a 5-merous calyx and a regular, 4-merous corolla.

Selected references: Theobald & Grupe, in Dassanyake, Rev. Handb. Fl. Ceylon 3: 96-98 (1981).

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E.

Bibliography: amp; J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2^nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography

Illustrations:

Championia reticulata Gardn. C.B. Clarke in A. & C. DC., Monogr. phan. 5/1, t. 15 (1883)

last modified: 2007-01-04