Tricliceras pilosum (Willd.) R.B. Fernandes

Global description

Tricliceras pilosum is an erect plant with simple leaves, alternate and sessile. The blade is linear lanceolate, margin lobed at the base and toothed at the top. The stem, main nerve of the leaf and calyx are dotted with stiff and bright red.hairs. The flowers are grouped in clusters long pedunculated. They are orange in color, the calyx is welded in a narrow tube and the petals are linear and free. The fruit is a linear capsule, dehiscent marked by a succession of constrictions and ended by a beak. The seeds are oblong with a squared, honeycombed tegument.

Cotyledons

The cotyledons are elliptical lanceolate. They are borne by a petiole 2 mm long. The blade is 4 to 5 mm long.

First leaves

The first leaves are simple and alternate. They are sessile. The blade is linear, 1 to 3 cm long and 5 to 10 mm wide. The midrib is very pronounced. The margin is strongly and irregularly toothed, almost lobed. Both sides of the lamina are glabrous but some bright red, long and stiff hairs are present on the underside, along the main nerve.

General habit

Tricliceras pilosum is erect. The plant is little branched. It measures up to 20 to 40 cm in height.

Underground system

The root is a taproot.

Stem

The stem is cylindrical and solid. It is covered with a fine pubescence and strewn with stiff hairs, of bright red color, 2 mm long.

Leaf

The leaves are simple and alternate. They are sessile. The blade is lanceolate to linear, at the top in acute corner and at the base attenuated in acute corner. It is 10 to 20 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide. The margin is toothed, with strong and irregular teeth, resembling lobes, in the lower limb and fine, regular teeth in the upper part. Only the midrib is well marked. Both sides are glabrous, but bright red hairs are present under the main nerve.

Inflorescence

The flowers are grouped in axillary clusters, comprising 1 to 5 flowers. The bunches are long-stalked and can measure 3 to 10 cm long.

Flower

Each flower is carried by a short pedicel of 1 to 2 mm, in the axil of a small bract 2 mm long. The flowers are orange. The calyx is composed of 5 sepals welded in tube at the base and ending in 5 linear lobes, with rounded apex. The calyx is 10 to 12 mm long, it is dotted with red hairs. The corolla is composed of 5 free petals, linear, with rounded apex and 15 mm long. The stamens do not exceed the calyx tube. The ovary is superior, it includes 3 cells and is surmounted by 3 styles.

Fruit

The fruit is a linear capsule resembling a pod. It is dehiscent and opens in 3 longitudinal valves. It is 4 to 6 cm long, marked by a succession of constrictions between the seeds and ends with a beak 2 to 3 mm long. Each fruit contains about twenty seeds.

Seed

The seeds are oblong, 3 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The tegument is yellow-orange, it is squared and punctuated by small cells.

https://www.gbif.org/fr/species/4160944