Epixiphium

(Engelmann ex A. Gray) Munz

Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, 15: 380. 1926.

Etymology: Greek epi-, upon, and xiphos, sword, alluding to sword-shaped persistent style
Basionym: Maurandya subg. Epixiphium Engelmann ex A. Gray Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 377. 1868
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 20. Mentioned on page 14, 21, 35.
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 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA17 P02 Chaenorhinum minus.jpegChaenorhinum minus subsp. minus
Cymbalaria muralis subsp. muralis
Epixiphium wislizeni
Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey
Barbara Alongi
Barbara Alongi

Herbs, annual, taprooted. Stems climbing or scrambling, glabrous. Leaves cauline, alternate; petiole twining; blade fleshy, not leathery, margins entire. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary; bracts absent. Pedicels present; bracteoles absent. Flowers bisexual; sepals 5, distinct, lanceolate, calyx radially symmetric, campanulate; corolla blue to violet, bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate, tubular, tube base not spurred or gibbous, lobes 5, abaxial 3, adaxial 2; stamens 4, basally adnate to corolla, didynamous, filaments basally hairy; staminode 1, filamentous; ovary 2-locular, placentation axile; stigma 2-lobed. Fruits capsules, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds 100–200, dark-brown, ovoid-ellipsoid, wings present. x = 12.

Distribution

sw, sc United States, n Mexico

Discussion

Species 1.

Epixiphium is defined by distinctive characteristics in Antirrhineae: annual life cycle, taproots, keeled sepals, indurate capsules with regular transverse dehiscence, persistent style bases, and winged seeds. Based on this morphological distinctness, Epixiphium has been recognized either as a section or subgenus within Maurandya or as a genus. The latter view is adopted here based on the number of unique morphological characteristics. In phylogenetic studies based on morphological data, Epixiphium is either part of a trichotomy with Lophospermum D. Don and Rhodochiton Zuccarini ex Otto & A. Dietrich and sister to a Maurandya and Maurandella clade (M. Ghebrehiwet et al. 2000) or is basal within a Maurandya clade (W. J. Elisens 1985). Molecular ITS data placed Epixiphium in the Cymbalaria clade (M. Fernández-Mazuecos et al. 2013), sister to six other genera in a subclade that was sister to Asarina and Cymbalaria. Epixiphium wislizeni has not been included in phylogenetic studies using molecular data.

Selected References

None.

... more about "Epixiphium"
Wayne J. Elisens +
(Engelmann ex A. Gray) Munz +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
Maurandya subg. Epixiphium +
not leathery +  and fleshy +
campanulate +
blue +  and violet +
sw +, sc United States +  and n Mexico +
drupe-like +
curved +  and straight +
Greek epi-, upon, and xiphos, sword, alluding to sword-shaped persistent style +
1 +  and 4 +
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 +
Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. +
minute +
dark-brown +
ovoid-ellipsoid +
distinct +
lanceolate +
filamentous +
scrambling +  and climbing +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
reclining;pendent;spreading;arching;erect;ascending;erect;ascending;decumbent +
Epixiphium +
Plantaginaceae +
gibbous +  and not spurred +