Platostoma
Genus of flowering plants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Platostoma is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described as a genus in 1818. It is native to tropical parts of Africa, southern Asia, Papuasia, and Australia.[2] Mesona[3][4] and Acrocephalus has been known as its synonyms.
| Platostoma | |
|---|---|
| |
| Platostoma africanum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nepetoideae |
| Tribe: | Ocimeae |
| Genus: | Platostoma P.Beauv. (1818) |
| Species[1] | |
|
51; see text | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
A widely consumed species in this genus is Platostoma palustre (synonyms Mesona chinensis, M. elegans, and M. procumbens),[5] or xiancao (仙草) in Mandarin, sian-chháu (仙草) in Taiwanese, leung fun cho (涼粉草) in Cantonese, sương sáo in Vietnamese, and cincau in Indonesian and Malay. It is eaten as a snack in drinks, or set as a gel and served as a grass jelly.
In Indonesia the Platostoma palustre leaf is used to make a black jelly; there is also an instant powder variety available.
Description
Annual or perennial herbs with stems arising from a taproot, slender rhizome, or small woody rootstock; stems usually annual. Upper leaves and bracts often basally pale or coloured.[6]
Inflorescence lax or condensed, with verticils of opposite cymes, the cymes usually bearing more than three flowers. Calyx round in cross-section; posterior lip 1- or 3-lobed, the posterior lobe decurrent or not; anterior lip 1–5-lobed. Corolla curved, dorsally gibbous or spurred; posterior lip 3- or 4-lobed and ascending, anterior lobe horizontal. Stamens four, declinate or spreading, with filaments basally swollen or bearing a flattened basal appendage, often pubescent. Style bifid.[6]
Nutlets minutely striate or reticulate, apically pubescent or glabrous.[6]
Taxonomy
The genus is divided into three subgenera and several sections.[6]
Subgenus Acrocephalus
Fruiting calyx throat open; posterior lobe rounded or shallowly emarginate, decurrent or not. Calyx lobes arranged as either a single posterior lobe with four anterior lobes, or three posterior lobes with two anterior lobes. Corolla dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate; posterior filament attached near the midpoint of the corolla tube, inappendiculate.[6]
Section Acrocephalus
Nutlets apically glabrous.[6]
- Platostoma hispidum (L.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma verbenifolium (Mukerjee) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma palniense (Mukerjee) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma axillaris (Benth.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma elongatum (Benth.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma menthoides (L.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma tenellum (Benth.) A.J. Paton & Hedge
Section Heterodonta
Nutlets apically pubescent or tuberculate.[6]
- Platostoma coloratum (D. Don) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma siamense (Murata) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma lanceolatum (Chermsir ex Murata) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma hildebrandtii (Vatke) A.J. Paton & Hedge
- Platostoma madagascariense (Benth.) A.J. Paton & Hedge
- Platostoma fastigiatum A.J. Paton & Hedge
- Platostoma laxiflorum A.J. Paton & Hedge
- Platostoma glomerulatum A.J. Paton & Hedge
Subgenus Octomeron
Fruiting calyx throat open. Posterior lobe rounded, shortly decurrent; lateral lobes closer to the posterior lobe than to the five lobes of the anterior lip, forming a 3-lobed posterior lip and a 5-lobed anterior lip. Corolla dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate; posterior filament attached near the midpoint of the corolla tube, without appendages. Nutlets glabrous.[6]
- Platostoma montanum (Robyns) A.J. Paton
Subgenus Platostoma
Fruiting calyx throat closed. Posterior lobe acute, rounded or emarginate, decurrent or not. Lateral lobes usually close to the posterior lobe, forming a 3-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip; less often midway between posterior and fused median anterior lobes or much reduced. Corolla dorsally gibbous or spurred. Stamens declinate or spreading; posterior filament attached near the base or midpoint of the tube, appendiculate or not. Nutlets apically glabrous.[6]
Section Platostoma
Posterior calyx lobe rounded and shortly decurrent; lateral lobes much reduced and close to the posterior lobe, giving a 1-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip. Corolla dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate; posterior filament inappendiculate, attached near the midpoint of the corolla tube. Nutlets apically rounded.[6]
- Platostoma africanum P. Beauv.
- Platostoma leptochilon Robyns
- Platostoma gabonense A.J. Paton
- Platostoma denticulatum Robyns
Section Ceratanthus
Posterior calyx lobe rounded and shortly decurrent; lateral lobes variable, either much reduced giving a 1-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip, more prominent and close to the posterior lobe giving a 3-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip, or more rarely positioned midway giving a 1-lobed posterior lip and a 3-lobed anterior lip. Corolla usually spurred, sometimes dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate; posterior filaments inappendiculate, attached near the base of the corolla tube. Nutlets apically rounded.[6]
- Platostoma intermedium A.J. Paton
- Platostoma longicorne (E Muell.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma annamense (G. Taylor) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma becquerellii Suddee & A.J. Paton
- Platostoma stoloniferum (G. Taylor) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma calcaratum (Hemsl.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma garrettii (Craib) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma ocimoides (G. Taylor) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma ovatum Suddee, A.J. Paton & J. Parn.
- Platostoma kerrii Suddee & A.J. Paton
Section Limniboza
Posterior calyx lobe acute and not decurrent; lateral lobes close to the posterior lobe, forming a 3-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip. Corolla dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate or spreading, with inappendiculate posterior filaments attached near the midpoint of the corolla tube. Nutlets apically rounded.[6]
- Platostoma coeruleum (R.E. Fr.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma dilungense (Lisowski & Mielcarek) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma lisowskianum (Bamps) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma rotundifolium (Briq.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma strictum (Hiern) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma thymiflorum (Benth.) A.J. Paton & Hedge
Section Mesona
Posterior calyx lobe acute, rounded or emarginate, decurrent or not; lateral lobes close to the posterior lobe, forming a 3-lobed posterior lip and a 1-lobed anterior lip. Corolla dorsally gibbous. Stamens declinate; posterior filaments usually appendiculate, rarely inappendiculate, and attached near the midpoint of the corolla tube. Nutlets apically acute.[6]
- Platostoma palustre (Blume) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma chinense (Benth.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma taylorii (Doan) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma tectum A.J. Paton
- Platostoma fimbriatum A.J. Paton
- Platostoma clausum (Merr.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma cochinchinense (Lour.) A.J. Paton
- Platostoma mekongense Suddee
- Platostoma cambodgense Suddee & A.J.Paton
- Platostoma rubrum Suddee & A.J. Paton
- Platostoma grandiflorum Suddee & A.J. Paton
- Platostoma tridechii Suddee
- Platostoma albiflorum Suddee, A.J. Paton & J.Parn.
- Platostoma busbanianum Suddee, A.J. Paton & J.Parn.
- Platostoma hemratianum Suddee, Puudjaa & Kiewbang
- Platostoma parnellianum Suddee, A.J. Paton & Kiewbang
