Linnaeopsis 

Full name and orig. publication: Linnaeopsis Engl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 28: 482 (13 July 1900).

Etymology: Composed of the generic name Linnaea, a genus of Caprifoliaceae, and the Greek suffix -όψις, -opsis = looking like, similar to, referring to the similarity with Linnaea flowers. 

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "African and Madagascan genera” (Weber 2004).

Description: Perennial, subrosulate, creeping or shrubby-subscandent herbs. Leaves alternate, petiolate, lamina oblong, shallowly ovate, cordate or suborbicular, membranaceous or subcharaceous, flat or rugose, covered with uniseriate, tapering trichomes of 2-6 cells. Margin crenate or serrate. Cymes axillary, pedunculate, flowers few to c. 10, in pairs, or a single one. Sepals nearly free to base, linear-lanceolate. Corolla white, obliquely campanulate with broad and short tube and wide open mouth, limb ± spreading, slightly bilabiate with small, rounded lobes. Stamens 2, inserted near the corolla base; filaments short, curved; anthers cohering face to face. Nectary cup-shaped. Ovary conical, subglabrous or with glandular or eglandular hairs; style much longer than ovary, stigma capitate to slightly lobed. Fruit a conical to cylindrical, straight or narrowly twisted capsule. Seeds reddish brown, finely and evenly verrucose.

Chromosome number: Unknown.

Species number: 3 [L. alba (E.A.Bruce) B.L.Burtt, L. heckmanniana Engl., L. subscandens 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: Linnaeopsis heckmanniana Engl.

Distribution: E Africa (N Tanzania, Tanganyika Terr.).

Ecology: Occurring in montane forest.

Notes: The genus was said to be related to Saintpaulia, differing mainly in the usually creeping (rarely shrubby-subscandent) habit, and the white, obliquely campanulate flowers (Burtt 1958c). Recent studies (Weigend l.c., Möller & Cronk l.c.), however, suggest an origin within Streptocarpus subg. Streptocarpus.

Selected references: Burtt, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 22: 581-582 (1958), notes, new sp.; Weigend, Flora 195: 45-50 (2000), rev.; Möller & Cronk, Evolution 55: 918-929 (2001), morph. evol.

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography.

Illustrations:

Linnaeopsis heckmanniana Engl., type species

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 4: t. 5 (1901)

Linnaeopsis alba ssp. edwardsii Weigend (1-2)
L. subscandens B.L.Burtt (3)
L. heckmanniana ssp. heckmanniana (4)
L. heckmanniana ssp. gracilis (E.A.Bruce) Weigend (5)
L. alba (E.A.Bruce) B.L.Burtt (6)

Weigend, Flora 195: 45-50 (2000)

 


last modified: 2007-01-05