Saurauia clementis explained

Saurauia clementis is a species of flowering plant in the family Actinidiaceae. It is endemic to the Philippines.[1] Elmer Drew Merrill, the American botanist who first formally described the species, named it after Mary Strong Clemens, the American botanist who collected the specimen that he examined.[2]

Description

It is a bush or small tree. Its membranous leaves are 10cm-16cmcm (00inches-06inchescm) by 4cm-7cmcm (02inches-03inchescm) and their tips come to a shallow point. The leaves are dark on their upper side, paler below, and bristly on both surfaces. The leaves have 7–8 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs. The leaf margins have bristly serrations. Its densely bristly petioles are 1mm long. Inflorescences are axillary cymes with a few flowers organized on densely bristly peduncles 4cm-8cmcm (02inches-03inchescm) in length. Its flowers have 5 oval-shaped, overlapping sepals, 8mm long. The exposed parts of the outer surface of the sepals have dark purple bristles that are 3mm long. The flowers have corollas that are 10 millimeters long with 5 lobes; each lobe is notched at the top. Its flowers have 20 stamens that are 3mm long. Each flower has a 3-chambered ovary. Each ovary contains numerous ovules. Its flowers have 3 styles that are 6mm long and fused at their base for the last 1mm.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of S. clementis is shed as permanent tetrads.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Saurauia clementis Merr. . Plants of the World Online . The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . December 18, 2018.
  2. Merrill . Elmer D. . 1906 . New or Noteworthy Philippine Plants, V. . The Philippine Journal of Science . 1 (supplement 3) . 169–246.
  3. Jagudilla-Bulalacao, L (1997) Pollen Flora of the Philippines, Volume 1, Taguig, Metro Manila: Department of Science and Technology, Special Projects Unit, Technology Application and Promotion Institute.