Littorella

P. J. Bergius

Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. 29: 341. 1768.

Etymology: Latin littora, shores, and -ella, small, alluding to small lakeshore habitat
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 280. Mentioned on page 11, 13.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA17 P29 Sophronanthe pilosa.jpegSophronanthe pilosa
Stemodia durantifolia
Littorella americana
Barbara Alongi
Barbara Alongi
Barbara Alongi

Herbs, perennial; stoloniferous. Stems erect or creeping, glabrous. Leaves basal, alternate; petiole absent; blade fleshy, not leathery, margins entire. Inflorescences axillary, spikes; bracts present. Pedicels present; bracteoles absent. Flowers unisexual; sepals 4, nearly distinct, calyx radially symmetric, cuplike, lobes oblong; corolla semitransparent, radially symmetric, rotate, tube not spurred or gibbous, lobes 4; stamens 3 or 4, free, equal, filaments glabrous; staminode 0; ovary 1-locular, placentation basal; stigma elongate. Fruits nutlets. Seeds 1, black or brown, oblong, wings absent. × = 6.

Distribution

North America, South America, Europe

Discussion

Species 3 (1 in the flora).

According to a recent treatment (R. K. Hoggard et al. 2003), Littorella is a sister group to Plantago; this corresponds with morphological differences between these taxa and justifies recognizing separate genera.

... more about "Littorella"
Alexey Shipunov +
P. J. Bergius +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
not leathery +  and fleshy +
cuplike +
ligulate +, unilabiate +, regular +, personate +  and bilabiate +
semitransparent +
North America +, South America +  and Europe +
drupe-like +
curved +  and straight +
Latin littora, shores, and -ella, small, alluding to small lakeshore habitat +
1 +  and 4 +
poricidal +, septicidal +, loculicidal +  and dehiscence +
persistent +  and deciduous +
entire +  and subentire toothed or lobed +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
5 +  and 4 +
Kongl. Vetensk. Acad. Handl. +
hoggard2003a +
minute +
brown +  and black +
distinct +
4 +  and 3 +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
creeping;erect +
elongate +
Littorella +
Plantaginaceae +
gibbous +  and not spurred +