Distimake dissectus (Jacq.) A.R.Simoes & Staples

Simoes, A.R. & Staples, G.W. (2017) Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 183: 574.

Noyau Vine; Vine, Noyau; Noon Flower

A slender vine not exceeding a stem diameter of 2 cm.

Leaf blades deeply palmately lobed, the leaf blades about 4-15 cm diam., petioles about 1.1-14 cm long. Lobes deeply toothed and dissected. Petioles and leaf bearing twigs clothed in long (up to 4 mm) erect, pale brown hairs. Twigs and petioles produce a clear exudate.

Inflorescence about 12-13 cm long. Flowers about 3 cm diam. Sepals about 1.5-2.5 cm long. Corolla tube about 3-3.5 cm long, throat rose-purple. Stamens about 2 cm long. Anthers spirally twisted, about 7 mm long, pollen creamy-white. Style + stigma about 1.8 cm long.

Fruits papery, about 12-14 x 14-16 mm, enveloped in the persistent sepals to form a structure about 5-6 cm diam. Sepals about 25-30 x 12-14 mm. Seeds up to 4 per fruit, each seed about 7 x 5 mm. Cotyledons bilobed, crumpled and folded in a complex fashion. Radicle straight, about 2 mm long.

Cotyledons V-shaped or bilobed, about 3.5-4 x 5.5-6 cm overall, petioles about as long as the blade. Midrib does not extend to the apex, i.e. the notch of the cotyledon. First leaves palmate, the margins of each lobe sinuate, petioles longer than the blades, petioles clothed in scattered long hairs. Leaf numbers three and four are palmate and the leaf blade lobes have crenate margins. Hypocotyl absent. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade glabrous, palmatisect, divided into five distinctly and coarsely lobed segments. Midrib and lateral veins depressed on the upper surface. Numerous crater-like glands visible on the underside of the leaf blade. Stems and petioles clothed in long translucent hairs with thickened reddish bases. Stems twining. Taproot long and thickened, major lateral roots also thickened. Seed germination time 20 days.

An introduced species originally from the Americas, now naturalised in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range in northern Australia from near sea level to 400 m. Usually grows in open forest but also in monsoon forest or disturbed areas or on the margins of rain forest. Also occurs in Malesia and other places in the tropics.

Merremia dissecta (Jacq.) Hallier f., Botanische Jahrbucher 16 16: 552 (1893). Convolvulus dissectus Jacq., Observationem Botanicarum 2 : 4(1767), Type: E seminibus in America a me collectis Viennamque adlatis laete germinavit in caldariis caesareis haec planta floruitque jam saepius.