Alectra vogelii Benth.

Global description

Alectra vogelii is an erect parasitic plant emerging from a small bulb (haustorium) attached to the root of the host. The leaves are subopposite to alternate, lanceolate and hispid. The flowers, arranged in cluster, are yellow including a calyx with 5 teeth, a tubular corolla with 5 lobes and 4 stamens of which the anthers have 2 distinct boxes. The fruit is a dehiscent capsule with many tiny seeds enclosed in an envelope.

Seedling

The underground stem grows vertically from a rounded bulb, attached to a root of the host plant. The stem is cylindrical, orange in color. It bears opposite or alternate leaves, reduced to scales 1 to 2 mm long. At emergence, the leaves become green and longer. They are lanceolate and sessile, a few millimeters long. They are hispid, covered with short hair.

General habit

The plant is erect. The plant can be branched at the base, allowing the development in tuft of several erect axes, but these axes are generally little branched in the upper part. The plant is 20 to 40 cm tall.

Underground system

The roots are fasciculate, developing from a rounded bulb attached to the root of the host plant.

Stem

The stem is cylindrical, thick and fleshy. It is orange at the base then becomes pale green. It darkens as it dries.

Leaf

The leaves are subopposite or alternate. They are simple and subsessile. The blade is lanceolate, 4 to 15 mm long and 2 to 4 mm wide. Both sides are hispid, covered with short hairs. The margin is entire, slightly curvy and ciliate. The leaves are green in color but black when drying.

Inflorescence

The flowers are axillary, arranged in long terminal raceme.

Flower

Each flower is borne by a short peduncle of 1 mm and subtended by 2 linear, foliaceous bracteoles, 5 to 7 mm long. The calyx is 5 to 10 mm long. It is composed of 5 sepals welded in section at the base and ending at the top in a pointed tooth. It is covered with a short pubescence. The corolla is formed of 5 petals welded into tube at the base and separating at the top in 5 lobes rounded to emarginate. The corolla is yellow, veined green, it is 10 to 14 mm long. The 4 stamens are inserted into the corolla tube. The anthers comprise 2 elongate, distinct but contiguous compartments.

Fruit

The fruit is a globular dehiscent capsule containing many seeds. At maturity, it opens in 2 valves.

Seed

The seeds are extremely small, they are 0.3 mm long. They are ovoid, included in a crosslinked membrane, translucent, 0.7 mm long.

https://www.gbif.org/species/3724340