Phymosia Desv. ex Ham.
Contenido
Descripción
Shrubs or small trees, densely tomentose, the stellate hairs often stipitate. Leaves petiolate, the blades 3-7-lobed (or merely 3-7-angular), the central lobe the largest, cordate, crenate to subentire, obtuse, acute, or acuminate, lacking foliar nectaries; stipules subulate. Peduncles solitary in the leaf axils, usually exceeding the subtending leaves, 1- to many-flowered, often umbellate, the branch sometimes forming a terminal panicle; involucel trimerous, the bracts distinct and lanceolate to ovate or forming a gamophyllous tube, sometimes caducous; calyx plicate in bud, 5-lobed, tomentose; petals showy, lavender or red, sometimes white androecium included, antheriferous at apex, glabrous, pallid, the pollen yellow or orange; styles 10-40, sometimes strigose; stigmas obliquely capitate or introrsely decurrent. Fruits schizocarpic, globose to oblate, tomentose; mericarps 10-40, reniform, thin, dehiscent, 2—3-seeded; seeds reniform, glabrous. Base chromosome number: x = 17.A
Discusión taxonómica
Phymosia includes eight species, all but one from Mexico; the type species, P. abutiloides, occurs in the West Indies. Species of Phymosia tend to grow at relatively higher elevations than is typical for many Malvaceae and are to some extent (especially P. anomala and P. rosea) cultivated as ornamental shrubs.A