Iresine
Civ. Nat. Hist. Jam aica, 358. 1756.
| Taxon | Illustrator ⠉ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Iresine leptoclada Iresine rhizomatosa Blutaparon vermiculare | Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey |
Herbs, shrubs or vines, annual or perennial, polygamous or dioecious. Stems erect to prostrate, often trailing. Leaves opposite or alternate, petiolate; blade elliptic, ovate, or lanceolate to lance-oblong, margins entire or serrulate, glabrous or pubescent. Inflorescences terminal, diffuse, open panicles of spikes and axillary spikes; bracts and bracteoles membranous. Flowers unisexual; tepals 5, basally connate or distinct, 1–3-veined; stamens mostly 5; filaments connate basally; anthers 2-locular; pseudostaminodes absent or short; ovule 1; style 1, ca. 0.2 mm; stigmas 2–3, slender or capitate. Utricles globose, membranous, dehiscing irregularly. Seeds 1, dark red or reddish-brown, lenticular. x = 15.
Distribution
Mostly littoral in tropical and subtropical America (including Galápagos Islands), Asia (s Japan), and w Africa
Discussion
Species ca. 70 (5 in the flora).
Selected References
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Leaves alternate | Iresine leptoclada |
| 1 | Leaves opposite | > 2 |
| 2 | Stems woody nearly throughout; tepals of pistillate flowers ± equaling bractlets | Iresine palmeri |
| 2 | Stems herbaceous; tepals of pistillate flowers longer than bractlets | > 3 |
| 3 | Plants annual or weakly perennial, 4-30 dm; tepals 0.6-0.8 mm, apex obtuse or rounded | Iresine diffusa |
| 3 | Plants perennial, 3-10 dm; tepals 1-1.3 mm, apex acute to acuminate | > 4 |
| 4 | Leaf blades 6-15 cm; tepals of pistillate flowers shorter than utricle | Iresine rhizomatosa |
| 4 | Leaf blades 3-6 cm; tepals of pistillate flowers longer than utricle | Iresine heterophylla |