Metabriggsia

Full name and orig. publication: Metabriggsia W.T.Wang, Guihaia 3: 1 (March 1983).

Etymology: Composed of the Greek prefix μετα-, meta = with, between, amid, after, and the generic name Briggsia. The name indicates the similarity with that genus, from which it differs by having only two fertile stamens and one carpel being sterile. 

Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "Advanced Asiatic and Malesian genera" (Weber 2004).

Description: Perennial caulescent herbs. Stem erect, villose. Leaves opposite, petiolate, ovate or elliptic. Cymes axillary, pedunculate, few-flowered, bracteoles 2, forming a globose involucre. Sepals free, linear-lanceolate. Corolla white, funnel-shaped, bilabiate, upper lip short, shallowly 2-lobed, lower lip with 3 rounded lobes. Stamens 2; filaments inserted at middle of corolla tube, filiform, straight; anthers basifixed, apically coherent, locules not confluent; staminodes 2 or 3. Nectary annular. Ovary slender cylindrical, puberulous, only one carpel fertile, style slender, longer than ovary; stigma small, capitate. Capsule slender cylindrical.

Chromosome number: Unknown.

Species number: 2 [M. ovalifolia W.T.Wang, M. pupureotincta W.T.Wang].

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: Metabriggsia ovalifolia W.T.Wang

Distribution: S China (NW Guangxi). 

Ecology: Growing in dense forests on limestone mountains; c. 1000m.

Notes: Probably allied to Briggsia, but diandrous and ovary with only one carpel fertile.

Selected references: Wang et al. in Wu & Raven (eds.), Fl. China 18: 293-294 (1998).

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

Illustrations:

Metabriggsia ovalifolia W.T.Wang, type species Left: Ying T.S. et al., The endemic seed plants in China, Fig. 119 (1993); with permission. Right: Li Z.Y & Wang Y.Z., Plants of Gesneriaceae in China, Fig. 1.106 (2004); with permission.

last modified: 2007-07-13