Metapetrocosmea

Full name and orig. publication: Metapetrocosmea W.T.Wang, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin, 1: 38 (Oct. 1981), trans. & reimp. in Contr. New York Bot. Gard. 16: 58 (1986).

Etymology: Composed of the Greek μετα, meta = with, between, amid, after, and the generic name Petrocosmea, named for the similarity with that genus.

Synonyms: -

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

Description: Perennial acaulescent rosette plants. Leaves with long petiole, entire or repand, lamina elliptical. Cymes 1-3-flowered, pedunculate; bracteoles small. Sepals free to base, narrowly triangular. Corolla white, small, with short and broad tube, limb bilabiate, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip slightly longer, 3-lobed, lobes rounded. Stamens 2, included; filaments inserted near base of corolla tube, filiform, apically thickened; anthers dorsifixed, white villose, thecae divaricate, apically not confluent, longicidally dehiscent; staminodes 2, very small. Nectary absent. Ovary broadly ovoid; placentae parietal; style slender; stigma small, capitate. Capsule globose, smooth.

Chromosome number: Unknown.

Type and only species: Metapetrocosmea peltata (Merr. & Chun) 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.

Distribution: S China (Hainan Island). 

Ecology: Growing in forests and by the sides of streams, 300-700m.

Notes: The genus differs from Petrocosmea in the corolla-tube being longer than the lobes and in the villous anthers with widely divaricate thecae.

Selected references: Wang et al. in Wu & Raven (eds.), Fl. China 18: 309 (1998).

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

Illustrations:

Metapetracosmea peltata (Merr. & Chun) W.T.Wang, type and only species W.T.Wang, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin, 1: 38 (1981), orig. illustration.

Metapetracosmea peltata (Merr. & Chun) W.T.Wang, type and only species Li Z.Y & Wang Y.Z., Plants of Gesneriaceae in China, Figs. 1.139 and 1.140 (2004); with permission.

last modified: 2007-07-13