Cryptostegia  

Primary tabs

EOL Text

Description:

Evergreen, many-stemmed vines or sometimes scrambling shrubs. Milky latex present in stems and leaves. Leaves Opposite, simple, glossy dark green, thickly leathery; margin entire. Flowers in axillary, pseudumbellate clusters, large and showy, funnel-shaped, pink to purple-red. Fruit in distinctly 4-angled, paired follicles.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorMark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe
Sourcehttp://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/genus.php?genus_id=2374

Cryptostegia

Lianas volubles o arbustos escandentes, que producen abundante látex lechoso. Tallos cilíndricos, glabros, lenticelados. Hojas opuestas, pecioladas; láminas simples, sin glándulas; estípulas interpeciolares, diminutas. Flores en cimas terminales. Cáliz campanulado, con 5 sépalos más o menos alargados; corola infundibuliforme; corona con 5 lóbulos filiformes; estambres 5, insertos en la base de la corola, los filamentos cortos y libres, las anteras lanceoladas, concrescentes alrededor del estigma; ovario súpero, bicarpelar, el estigma capitado. Fruto de 2 folículos divergentes, leñosos, en forma de bote, con numerosas semillas ovadas, coronadas por un mechón de largos pelos. Género con 2 especies nativas de los trópicos del Viejo Mundo.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDepartment of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany
Sourcehttp://botany.si.edu/Antilles/PRFlora/vinesEspanol.html

Cryptostegia

Twining lianas or scandent shrubs, producing abundant milky latex. Stems cylindrical, glabrous, lenticellate. Leaves opposite, petiolate; blades simple, without glands; stipules interpetiolar, minute. Flowers in terminal cymes. Calyx campanulate, of 5 more or less elongate sepals; corolla infundibuliform; corona of 5 filiform lobes; stamens 5, inserted at the base of the corolla, the filaments short and free, the anthers lanceolate, concrescent around the stigma; ovary superior, bicarpellate, the stigma capitate. Fruit of 2 divergent, woody, boat-shaped follicles, with numerous ovate seeds, crowned with a tuft of long hairs. A genus of 2 species, native to the Old World tropics.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDepartment of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Botany
Sourcehttp://botany.si.edu/Antilles/PRFlora/vines.html

Cryptostegia:

Cryptostegia is a genus of flowering plants native to tropical Africa and Madagascar. The genus is in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.

Description[edit]

Cryptostegia includes three species of slender, many-stemmed, woody, perennial vines. When their stems or leaves are damaged they exude a milky latex that is extremely toxic to livestock; it contains cardiac glycosides that cause sudden death, especially after violent exertion. Though the latex is of good quality it is not used commercially.

Cryptostegia are evergreen and are grown for their showy ornamental vines. They are vigorous and self-supporting and their vines sometimes attain a length of 15m. Leaves are ovate, opposite, glossy and dark green. They are 6-10 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. Clusters of large, showy, funnel-shaped flowers with 5 white to rose-pink or reddish-purple petals bloom in summer after the wet season. Seed pods are rigid 10-12 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, and grow in pairs at the end of a short stalk. The seeds are attached to a silky white floss. The plants grow rampantly in a favourable climate and are invasive in some areas. In Australia Cryptostegia grandiflora in particular has been declared a Weed of National Significance. It is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental impacts.[2]

In cultivation, the plants require a hot climate.

Species[edit]

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cryptostegia.
Wikispecies has information related to: Cryptostegia
  1. ^ "Genus: Cryptostegia R. Br.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-09-17. Retrieved 2010-11-26. 
  2. ^ Weeds of National Significance Department of the Environment and Heritage and the CRC for Australian Weed Management, 2003 ISBN 1 9209 3215 1
  3. ^ "GRIN Species Records of Cryptostegia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-11-26. 
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorWikipedia
Sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cryptostegia&oldid=625506641
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith