Burtt, in Sabatie & N., Fl. Cameroun 23, pl. 6 (1984).
Full name and orig. publication: Nodonema B.L.Burtt, Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Nat. Paris, 4e sér., 3, sect B, Adansonia 4: 415 (30 June 1982, “1981”).
Etymology: Composed of “No”, the Greek οδον, odon = tooth, and νημα, nēma = thread, hair; alluding to the toothless filaments (in contrast to Acanthonema).
Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "African and Madagascan genera” (Weber 2004).
Description: Small, rhizomatous herbs. Stem (rhizome) short, with contracted internodes, growing horizontally, bearing few leaves. Leaves alternate (?), petiolate, lamina elliptic, ovate to suborbicular, margin serrate-dentate, hairy. Cymes axillary, few-flowered, with short peduncle, bracteoles very small. Sepals nearly free to base, narrow-triangular. Corolla white, with purple lines in throat, infundibuliform, tube slightly inflated on ventral side, limb bilabiate, lobes rounded. Fertile stamens 2, adnate to corolla base; anthers slightly divergent. Nectary lacking. Ovary subglobose, style sharply set off, stigma capitate. Capsule subglobose, pilose; mode of dehiscence unknown.
Chromosome number: Unknown.
Type and only species: Nodonema lineatum 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.
Distribution: Tropical W Africa (S Nigeria, Cameroun, Gabon).
Ecology: Growing on moist, mossy rocks.
Notes: The most outstanding feature of the genus is the short, subglobose fruit, which is unique among African Didymocarpeae. There is perhaps a closer relationship with Acanthonema (with ovoid-conical, sharply pointed fruits), but there are significant differences: (a) rhizomatous, plurifoliate-rosulate habit, (b) long-petiolate leaves, (c) short stamens arising right at the base of the corolla tube, (d) filaments without tooth-like processes.
Selected references: Burtt, in Sabatie & N., Fl. Cameroun 27: 21-23 (1984), reg. rev. (Cameroun).
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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Nodonema lineatum B.L.Burtt, only species
Burtt, in Sabatie & N., Fl. Cameroun 23, pl. 6 (1984). |
last modified: 2007-07-13