Costera (plant)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Costera | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Vaccinioideae |
| Tribe: | Vaccinieae |
| Genus: | Costera J.J.Sm. |
| Type species | |
| Costera ovalifolia | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Costera is a genus in the Ericaceae found in the Malesian floristic region. It is a small genus of often epiphytic shrubs that grows in tropical rainforests.[1][2]
Costera is a small genus of shrubs with glabrous, leathery, unlobed leaves arranged in alternate phyllotaxy. The inflorescences are axile and sessile; flowers emerge in bundles directly from the stem.[2]
The flowers are small and tetramerous or pentamerous. They are directly attached to the stem via a pedicel with 2 basal bracts. The calyx is mostly fused and forms 4 or 5 apical teeth, which are the unfused tips of the sepals. The 4 or 5 petals are also fused into a short tube, and the inner surface of the corolla contains minute laciniate projections toward the base. The alternating stamens are lightly appressed to the corolla and have a short linear filament. The anthers are elongated, tubular, and erect. They face inward and release pollen through an apical pore. The ovary is inferior and is divided into 4 or 5 locules with many ovules; the original description notes that the number of locules may vary by species. The style is straight, with a stigma that is minutely thickened. The nectary disc is ring-shaped and inconspicuous. The fruit is subspherical and is crowned by the calyx.[2][3]
Members of Costera may be confused with Vaccinium, from which they can be distinguished by their glabrous leaves and lack of a line of articulation in the pedicel that is found in Bornean Vaccinium species.[4] Their bundled, sessile inflorescences resemble those of Diplycosia.[2]
