Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Marsdenia tricholepis (Schltr.) P.I.Forst.


Vine
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Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Family

Forster, P.I. (1995) Australian Systematic Botany 8: 811.

Stem

Vine stem diameters to 4 cm recorded. Stem pith produces a small amount of milky exudate.

Leaves

Twigs and petioles produce a milky exudate. Leaf blades about 3.5-6 x 1.5-3 cm, petioles about 0.5-1 cm long. Petioles and leafy twigs hairy.

Flowers

Inflorescence an umbelliform raceme. Sepals almost orbicular, hairy, about 1 mm diam., small finger-like glands visible on the inner surface near the basal margins. Corolla tube about 1.8 mm long, glabrous on the outer surface, lobes about 1.1 mm long, glabrous on both surfaces. Thickened longitudinal ridges between the corolla lobes form a corona with hooded appendages bent inwards and partly covering the style head. Staminal corona not well developed consisting of small fleshy appendages less than 0.5 mm long. Anthers about 1.1 mm long. Pollen aggregated in pollinia. Style head +/- spherical. Carpels about 0.7 mm long.

Fruit

Follicles fusiform, about 5-6 cm long. Fide Forster (1996).

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in CYP, NEQ and CEQ. Altitudinal range in CYP and NEQ from near sea level to 400 m. Grows in vine thicket and monsoon forest. Also occurs in New Guinea.

Synonyms
Gymnema tricholepis Schltr., Botanische Jahrbucher 40 : 17(1907), Type: British Neu-Guinea: ohne auhere Standortsangabe (H.O.FORBES n. 534, im Jahre 1885).
RFK Code
2146
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