3112.000 Maerua Forssk.

Description of the genus

Shrublets, shrubs, trees or climbers. Spines 0 but lateral branches may be sharp at the tip. Leaves alternate or crowded on short side shoots, simple or 3(-5)-foliolate. Flowers bisexual. Receptacle cylindric or funnel-shaped, often produced into a disk. Sepals (3-)4. Petals 0 or (3-)4(-8). Androgynophore shorter than the sepals. Gynophore elongated. Fruit spherical, ovoid, ellipsoid, oblong-ellipsoid or cylindric, sometimes beaded.

Worldwide: 50 species in tropical and S Africa, extending to India

The larvae of the following species of insect eat species of this genus:
Belenois aurota (Brown-veined white)
Belenois thysa (False dotted border)
Colotis evippe (Smoky orange tip)
Colotis ione (Bushveld purple tip)
No image yet

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
acuminata Oliv.N
andradae WildN
angolensis DC.N,Z,T,MS,GI,MDescription, Image
brunnescens WildZ,MS,GI,M
cafra (DC.) PaxDescription
cerasicarpa GilgN
edulis (Gilg & Gilg-Ben.) DeWolfN,T,MS,GI,MDescription, Image
grantii Oliv.N
juncea Pax[Agg]N,T,MS,GI
juncea Pax subsp. crustata (Wild) WildN,T,MS,GIDescription, Image
juncea Pax subsp. juncea N,T,MS,GIDescription, Image
kirkii (Oliv.) F. WhiteN,MS,GIDescription, Image
nervosa (Hochst.) Oliv.MDescription
parvifolia PaxT,MS,GI,MDescription, Image
pygmaea GilgN
rosmarinoides (Sond.) Gilg & Gilg-Ben.M
scandens (Klotzsch) GilgZ,GI
schliebenii Gilg & Gilg-Ben.N
triphylla A. Rich. subsp. pubescens (Klotzsch) DeWolfN,Z,T,GIDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Maerua:

Flora of Zimbabwe: Maerua
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Maerua
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Maerua
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Maerua
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Maerua
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Maerua

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Stefaan Dondeyne 2007-13

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Dondeyne, S. (2013). Flora of Mozambique: Genus page: Maerua.
http://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=633, retrieved 18 May 2013

Site software last modified: 10 June 2012 10:41pm
Terms of use