ASCHERSONIODOXA Gilg & Muschler, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 42: 469. 1909.

Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz

Tribe:

Name derivation: Ascherson and Greek doxa, praise, in honor of Paul F. A. Ascherson, 1834-1913, German botanist, professor at Berlin University, and noted expert on the Central European flora.

Lectotype species (see Al-Shehbaz, 1990: 388): A. mandoniana (Weddell) Gilg & Muschler (based on Draba mandoniana Weddell).

     Herbs perennial, with thick, woody, branched caudex to 2 cm in diam.; caudex branches terminated in rosettes. Trichomes absent or simple. Multicelluar glands absent. Stems erect, simple. Basal leaves broadly petiolate, fleshy, rosulate, simple, entire; cauline leaves absent. Raceme few- to many-flowered, ebaracteate, corymbose, elongated considerably in fruit; rachis straight; fruiting pedicels slender, terete, ascending, straight or recurved. Sepals ovate to oblong, free, caducous or rarely persistent, erect, equal, base of inner pair not saccate, margin membranous. Petals white, erect at base with flaring blade, slightly longer than sepals; blade obovate, apex obtuse; claw undifferentiated from blade. Stamens 6, slightly exserted, erect, slightly tetradynamous; filaments filiform, wingless, unappendaged, not dilated at base, glabrous; anthers oblong-linear, not or apiculate at apex. Nectar glands 1, confluent and subtending surrounding bases of all stamens; median nectaries present. Ovules 10-20 per ovary; placentation parietal. Fruit dehiscent, capsular siliques, oblong, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, rarely elliptic or oblong-linear, dehiscing basipetally and indehiscent at the very base, latiseptate, not inflated, unsegmented; valves leathery, with a prominent midvein and distinct, often anastomosing lateral veins, leaflike, glabrous, not keeled, flat, smooth, wingless, unappendaged; gynophore 1-1.6 mm long, united with valves base; replum rounded, visible; septum reduced to a rim only to 0.2 mm wide, membranous, veinless; style 0.5-2 mm long, cylindric, persistent; stigma capitate, entire, unappendaged. Seeds biseriate, wingless, ovate, sligtly flattened; seed coat coarsely reticulate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent.

     Three species: Peru, Bolivia, and N Argentina.

Reference: Al-Shehbaz (1990).

                                    Key to the species of Aschersoniodoxa

1. Leaves with trichomes to 0.8 mm long; seeds reticulation with units 20-40

     mm in diam.   .............................................................................................................. 1. A. pilosa

1. Leaves glabrous and tuberculate or with papillae to 0.06 mm; seed reticulation

     6-16(-20) mm in diam.

     2. Leaves with papillae 0.04-0.06 mm long; fruit (11-)15-28 x (3-)4-7 mm;

          seeds 1.6-2 x 1.2-1.4 mm ..........................................................................  2. A. mandoniana

     2. Leaves with tubercles 0.1-0.2 mm in diam.; fruit (20-)25-38 x 7-10(-11)

          mm; seeds (2.4-)2.6-3.5 x (1.6-)1.7-2.2 mm .................................................  3. A. cachensis