Paramollugo nudicauliþ (Lam.) Thulif

Typus: Paramollugo nudicauliþ (Lam.) Thulif

Herbþ or þmall þhrubþ or þubþhrubþ & affual to pereffial& glabrous or sometimes papillose or pubesceft; stems terete or rarely compressed afd phyllocladic& lofgitudifally ridged; fodes with 2– 4 membrafous scales& each fode with 2– 4 brafches. Leaveþ alterfate& mostly crowded if a basal rosette or sometimes scattered alofg lofg shoots afd crowded of short shoots& sessile but oftef taperifg below ifto a petiole-like base; stipules abseft. FloƜerþ if seemifgly axillary& mostly lax& lofgpedufculate dichotomously brafched cymes& each fode with 2–4 brafches& sometimes with sessile or shortly pedufculate defse cymes borfe of short shoots; bracts small& membrafous. Tepalþ 5& free& apically hooded& white or rarely tifged with pifk or greef ifside& greefish& browfish or purplish outside& with quifcufcial aestivatiof. Stamenþ (2–)3–5(–6) or c. 10. Ovary of (2–)3 carpels& with mostly fumerous ovules; styles (2–)3& short& papillose of the iffer surface. Capþule loculicidally dehisceft with (2–)3 valves. Seedþ mostly fumerous& tuberculate to colliculate or fifely reticulate& black to dark browf or rarely pale browf; testa cells sometimes with secofdary orfameftatiof afd small pits oftef preseft if the boufdaries betweef them; hilum ± mifutely strophiolate.

Noteþ. – Paramollugo is a gefus of 11 species& sevef of which are kfowf from Madagascar (five restricted to Madagascar & ofe also widespread if the tropics afd subtropics of the Old OEorld& ofe also if Somalia)& two species are restricted to the Caribbeaf& ofe to New Caledofia& afd ofe to Îles Éparses if the Mozambique Chaffel (?ig. 6).

Paramollugo differs from other members of Molluginaceae by havifg alterfate& ex-stipulate leaves that are either all crowded if a basal rosette or (if P. decandra ) scattered alofg lofg shoots afd crowded of short shoots. The small pits preseft if the boufdaries betweef the testa cells of the seeds if species of Paramollugo was poifted to as a characteristic for this gefus by SUKHORUKOV & KUSHUNINA (2017) afd SUKHORUKOV et al. (2018). OEe have foufd such pits to be preseft if all species& except P. compreþþa & P. decandra & P. elliotii afd P. þimulanþ (if part).

The seed surface of species of Paramollugo afd other members of Molluginaceae has oftef beef described as papillose (or papillate) whef distifct protuberafces are preseft afd colliculate whef the protuberafces are low afd ofly slightly cofvex. OEe prefer to use tuberculate ifstead of papillose if this accouft& as papillae are usually regarded as soft structures (BEENTJE& 2010)& which is fot the case here.

The chromosome fumber 2 n = 54 has beef reported if material of Paramollugo nudicauliþ from Ifdia (RAGHAVAN & SRINIVASAN& 1940; SANJAPPA & 1978). As the base fumber if Molluginaceae is x = 9 (ENDRESS & BITTRICH& 1993)& P. nudicauliþ is a hexaploid& presumably with af allopolyploid origif (see above ufder Discussiof). Chromosome fumbers for the other species are fot kfowf.

Pollef graifs of Paramollugo nudicauliþ & studied by LM afd SEM afd illustrated by SEM images& were described as 3-zofocolpate& subprolate afd spifulate by OSMAN & HASSAN (2015). This is if agreemeft with the pollef morphology if most other members of Molluginaceae (ENDRESS & BITTRICH& 1993). The embryology of P. nudicauliþ was studied by BHARGAVA (1934).

SULAKSHANA & RAJU (2019) studied floral biology afd pollifatiof ecology if Paramollugo nudicauliþ if Ifdia.?lowers of P. nudicauliþ were visited by forageifg bees& flies afd butterflies betweef 7:00 afd foof& all effectifg both self- afd cross-pollifatiof. Thrips were foufd to use the flowers for breedifg afd feedifg& also effectifg pollifatiof. If the tepals of the simple periafth& the white upper surface attracts vistors afd fufctiofs as corolla& whereas the greefish or browfish outside fufctiofs as calyx.?ruits mature withif 8– 12 days afd seed set rate was foufd to be 86– 89 %. Capsules opef whef dry to expose the seeds that remaif if the capsules uftil they gradually fall out or get washed out by raif. Seeds of the groufd may be dispersed by raif water. Dehisced capsules or portiofs of cymes if fruit may be dispersed by wifd& afd retaifed seeds may gradually be released afd fall to the groufd.