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This genus is accepted, and its native range is Temp. & Subtropical to Tropical Mountains.
Lithospermum officinale

[FZ]

Boraginaceae, E. S. Martins (Trichodesma by R. K. Brummit). Flora Zambesiaca 7:4. 1990

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs or undershrubs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 5-merous, actinomorphic, isostylous or heterostylous, on leafy terminal or axillary cymes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx lobed to near the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla cylindrical to infundibuliform, orange, yellowish or whitish; tube with 5 more or less glandular invaginations in the throat and with a ring of nectaries at the base, inside; lobes imbricate in bud.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted about the middle or near the top of the corolla tube, included.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary with 4 free lobes, inserted on the narrow gynobase.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style gynobasic, filiform, entire or sometimes slightly 2-fid at the apex, included or sometimes almost exserted.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2, terminal or subtenninal or 1, bilobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit dry, consisting of 4 nutlets or less by abortion; nutlets detaching completely from the receptacle, ovoid to ellipsoid, erect, smooth, white and shining, with the dorsal surface convex and the ventral one obtusely angular with a flat or convex point of attachment.

[FTEA]

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Perennial or rarely annual or biennial erect or spreading herbs or subshrubs with hispid, strigose or densely hairy stems
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, entire, the venation usually obscure
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow, orange or white, regular, sometimes heterostylous, in few–several-flowered simple or paired, terminal or axillary scorpioid cymes; bracts leafy, numerous, exceeding the calyx
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-lobes 5, linear-cuneate or lanceolate, usually much shorter than the corolla-tube, the abaxial the largest
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla funnel-shaped or cylindrical, velvety outside; tube straight, glabrous or pubescent at the base inside, the throat with small velvety or glandular appendages, less often naked; lobes 5, spreading or rarely erect, imbricate, rounded, ovate, obovate or semicircular; nectaries on the internal face and at the base of the tube either as swellings, a narrow ring, lobes or small hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted near the middle of the tube, included
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary with 4 lobes; style gynobasic, simple, slender to rather stout, included or exserted; stigmas 2, globose, hemispherical or ellipsoid, terminal or situated just below the bilobed apex of the style
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of 4 nutlets or less by abortion, ovoid or ellipsoid, mostly very shiny and porcellanous, rarely verrucose or rugose.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Albania, Alberta, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Cape Provinces, Central European Rus, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Chita, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Corse, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Finland, Florida, France, Free State, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Japan, Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Louisiana, Malawi, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Namibia, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northwest European R, Norway, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Pennsylvania, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Rwanda, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Sicilia, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Uganda, Ukraine, Utah, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Argentina South, Maine, New Brunswick, Vermont

Lithospermum L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 132 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6 Scientific Data 8: 215.

Literature

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 64 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl.: 132 (1753)

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • I.M. Johnston in Journ. Arn. Arb. 33: 299–365 (1952)
  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 64 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 132 (1753)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0