Bordasia Notes

Bordasia bicornis Krapov.

Malvaceae Info (Home)

Bordasia is a recently (2003) described monotypic genus [1] belonging to subtribe Abutilinae. The sole species is Bordasia bicornis Krapov. This is similar to Sida, from which is differs in possessing two large apical horns on the mericarps and in features of the leaves and calyx.

Bordasia bicornis was discovered in the Paraguayan department of Alto Paraguay, in the north of that country. The genus was named in honour of Eugenia E. Bordas, who was one of the team that collected the holotype (25 years prior to the description of the species).

Details of the plant are not conveniently available, and I am therefore unable to describe its morphology. However, I have seen the abstracts for the two papers [1] on this taxon, which indicates that it is related to Sida, and I hence I can identify its taxonomic position as being within subtribe Abutilinae. The specific name refers to the fruit morphology.

The pollen of Bordasia bicornis has also been studied [2], and compared with that of several species of Sida, which it resembles. The pollen grains are large, spheroidal, echinate and porate, with 7 to 8 pores arranged helically.

References

  1. Antonio Krapovickas, Bordasia Krapov., nueva genero de Malvaceas, Bonplandia (Corrientes) 12(1-4): 133-135 (2003)
  2. Graciela Ana Cuadrado, Estudio morfológico del polen de Bordasia bicornis (Malvaceae), Bonplandia (Corrientes) 12(1-4): 136-140 (2003)

© 2007, 2009, 2012 Stewart Robert Hinsley