Oreocharis

Full name and orig. publication: Oreocharis Benth., in Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. pl. 2: 1021 (May 1876), non Oreocharis Lindl. (1847).

Etymology: From the Greek όρος, όρεο-, oros, oreo- = mountain, montane, and χαρις, charis = -loving, enjoing, meaning that the plant likes to grow on mountains.

Synonyms: Didymocarpus Wall. (1819), p.p., Perantha Craib (1918), Dasydesmus Craib (1920).

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

Description: Perennial, terrestrial subacaulescent rosulate and rosette plants, often with rufescent-lanuginose indumentum. Leaves petiolate, lamina ovate or elliptical-acute, reticulate below. Cymes axillary, pedunculate-scapose, flowers in corymbose or subumbellate arrangement, bracteoles small. Sepals nearly free to base, small. Corolla blue, purple, tubular-funnel-shaped, tube broad, limb sub-bilabiate, lobes rotundate or lanceolate. Stamens 4, didynamous, equalling corolla tube; filaments inserted at corolla base; anthers free. Nectary cylindrical, usually glabrous; stigma obscurely bilobed. Capsule bivalved, loculicidally dehiscent.

Chromosome number: 2n = 34.

Species number: 28.

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: Oreocharis benthamii C.B.Clarke

Distribution: C & S China (27 spp.), N Vietnam (O. aurea Dunn also in China), Thailand (O. hirsuta Barnett). 

Ecology: On shady and damp rocks by streams, in valleys or in forests on slopes or cliffs, dry shaded rocks, 200-3600 m.

Notes:  Wang et al. (1990) recognize the following sections:

(1) sect. Stomactin (C.B.Clarke) Fritsch
(2) sect. Orthoanthera K.Y.Pan
(3) sect. Oreocharis
(4) sect. Platyanthera K.Y.Pan

For notes regarding the sectional placement of some particular species see Burtt in Wang et al. (1992: 18).

Selected references: C.B.Clarke, in A. & C. DC, Monogr. phan. 5/1: 62-65 (1883), rev.; Pan, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 25: 264-293 (1987), reg. rev. (China; in Chinese); Weitzman & al., Novon 7: 423-435 (1997); Wang et al. in Wu & Raven (eds.), Fl. China 18: 251-261 (1998) (Chinese spp.); Lu et al., Acta Bot. Yunnan. 24(3): 377-382 (2002), karyol.

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

Illustrations:

Oreocharis benthamii C.B.Clarke, type species A. & D. DC., Monogr. phan. 5/1, t. 5 (1883)

Oreocharis auricula (S.Moore) C.B.Clarke A. &  D. DC., Monogr. phan., t. 6 (1883)

Oreocharis auricula (S.Moore) C.B.Clarke Cult. BG Vienna, phot. A. Weber (1985)

last modified: 2007-07-13