Ungeria Notes

Ungeria floribunda Schott. & Endl.

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Introduction

Ungeria is a monotypic genus, related to Reevesia, endemic to Norfolk Island. The sole species is Ungeria floribunda Schott. & Endl.

Classification: Ungeria is placed in tribe Helictereae and subfamily Helicteroideae of Malvaceae sensu APG. This placement is confirmed by ndhF cpDNA sequence evidence. The nearest relative seems to be Reevesia, and it is not certain from the published sequence data that Ungeria is not nested within Reevesia. In particular, it has not been tested that Mesoamerican Reevesia ("Veeresia") are closer to East Asian Reevesia than the latter is to Ungeria.

Ungeria monocephala is a synonym of the sedge Cyperus cephalotes

Ungeria floribunda Schott. & Endl.
Bastard Oak

Ungeria floribunda is a species of tree confined in the wild to Norfolk Island (which lies to the east of Australia). The leaves are simple, with entire or sinuate margins. The flowers are borne in densely paniculate terminal cymes. The calyx is composed of 5 fused sepals, has short lobes, and is campanulate in overall appearance. The corolla is composed of 5 deep pink petals, with a conspicuous basal claw. In common with other genera of Helictereae, the stamens and style(s) are separated from the corolla by an androgynophore (an extended section of the receptacle separating the androecium and gynoecium from the calyx and corolla). The stamens are connate into a short staminal tube, bearing bundles of 5 or 6 sessile or sub-sessile anthers. The staminodes separating these bundles are rudimentary, i.e. the apical teeth found in many groups of Malvaceae. The style is divided into 5 slender branches. The ovary is 5-locular, and the locules single-seeded.

Ungeria can be distinguished from Reevesia by the unwinged seeds (winged in Reevesia), by the conspicuous basal claw of the petals, and by the deep pink colour of the corolla (white in Reevesia).

© 2003, 2006 Stewart Robert Hinsley