Cymbalaria

Hill

Brit. Herb., 113, plate 17 [upper left center]. 1756.

Introduced
Etymology: Latin cymbalum, rounded, concave, and -aria, resemblance, alluding to leaf shape
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 19. Mentioned on page 12, 13, 20, 21, 23, 33, 35.
 TaxonIllustrator 
FNA17 P02 Chaenorhinum minus.jpegChaenorhinum minus subsp. minus
Cymbalaria muralis subsp. muralis
Epixiphium wislizeni
Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey
Barbara Alongi
Barbara Alongi

Herbs, perennial. Stems pendent or prostrate, glabrous [villous]. Leaves cauline, alternate [opposite]; petiole present; blade reniform to orbiculate, fleshy, not leathery, margins lobed [entire]. Inflorescences axillary, flowers solitary; bracts absent. Pedicels present, often elongating in fruit; bracteoles absent. Flowers bisexual; sepals 5, basally connate, calyx radially symmetric, campanulate, lobes linear to lanceolate, glabrous; corolla lilac to violet [blue, white], bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate and personate, tubular, tube base not gibbous, spurred abaxially, lobes 5, abaxial 3, adaxial 2; stamens 4, basally adnate to corolla, didynamous, filaments glabrous; staminode 0; ovary 2-locular, placentation axile; stigma scarcely clavate, entire. Fruits capsules, dehiscence loculicidal [indehiscent]. Seeds [6–] 15–40, dark-brown to black, ovoid to oblong, wings absent. x = 7.

Distribution

Introduced; Europe (Mediterranean region), sw Asia, in Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Atlantic Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia

Discussion

Species 9 (1 in the flora).

Cymbalaria is characterized by personate, spurred corollas and lobed, reniform to orbiculate leaf blades with palmate venation. Generic delimitation has been consistent since R. Wettstein (1891–1893) treated Cymbalaria as distinct from Linaria. Cymbalaria muralis has been included in molecular phylogenetic analyses of Antirrhineae and Plantaginaceae. Using multiple plastid and nuclear molecular markers, Cymbalaria is strongly supported as a monophyletic clade sister to Asarina procumbens Miller (M. Ghebrehiwet et al. 2000; D. C. Albach et al. 2005; M. Fernández-Mazuecos et al. 2013; P. Carnicero et al. 2017). Several investigations support sister group status for Asarina Miller and Cymbalaria and the New World Maurandyinae clade represented by Epixiphium, Lophospermum D. Don, Maurandya Ortega, Maurandella, and Rhodochiton Zuccarini ex Otto & A. Dietrich.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

"elongating" is not a number.

... more about "Cymbalaria"
Wayne J. Elisens +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
reniform;orbiculate +
not leathery +  and fleshy +
campanulate +
personate +  and bilabiate +
lilac +  and violet +
Europe (Mediterranean region) +, sw Asia +, in Mexico +, Central America +, South America +, Asia +, Africa +, Atlantic Islands +, Pacific Islands +  and Australia +
drupe-like +
curved +  and straight +
Latin cymbalum, rounded, concave, and -aria, resemblance, alluding to leaf shape +
1 +  and 4 +
persistent +  and deciduous +
linear;lanceolate +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
5 +  and 4 +
Brit. Herb., +
minute +
dark-brown +  and black +
ovoid +  and oblong +
Introduced +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
prostrate;pendent +
Cymbalaria +
Plantaginaceae +
not gibbous +