Achyronychia

Torrey & A. Gray

Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 330. 1868.

Common names: Onyx flower frost-mat
Etymology: Greek achuron, chaff, and onyx, onychos, nail or fingernail, alluding to the chaffy sepals
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 46. Mentioned on page 5, 29, 47.

Herbs, annual. Taproots slender. Stems prostrate to ascending, branched, terete to angular, base glabrous. Leaves opposite, connate or connected by thickened ridge or transverse wing from which stipules arise, sessile; stipules 2 per node, white, ovate to spatulate, margins fringed to ciliate, apex ± entire; blade obscurely 1-veined, spatulate, somewhat succulent, apex rounded. Inflorescences axillary cymes proliferating throughout length of stem; bracts paired, resembling stipules, smaller. Flowers sessile; hypanthium cylindric to urceolate, abruptly expanded proximally and distally in fruit; sepals 5, distinct, green, broadly ovate to orbiculate or reniform, 1.2–1.5 mm, herbaceous, margins white, scarious, apex broadly rounded, not hooded, not awned; nectaries at filament bases subtended adaxially by flaps of tissue; stamens 1–4; filaments distinct to base; staminodes 14–19, arising from hypanthium rim, filiform; styles 2, connate in proximal 1/2, filiform, 0.2–0.4 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas 2, linear along adaxial surface of styles, obscurely papillate (50×). Modified utricles obconic, opening by 8 or 10, not spreading, toothlike valves. Seeds tan with red spot near one end, ovoid, slightly laterally compressed, smooth, marginal wing absent, appendage absent; embryo peripheral, straight to slightly curved.

Distribution

sw United States, Mexico.

Discussion

Species 1.

Based on characters of the seeds and flowers, Achyronychia is closely related to and possibly congeneric with Scopulophila.

Selected References

None.

... more about "Achyronychia"
Ronald L. Hartman +
Torrey & A. Gray +
Onyx flower +  and frost-mat +
sw United States +  and Mexico. +
Greek achuron, chaff, and onyx, onychos, nail or fingernail, alluding to the chaffy sepals +
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts +
Achyronychia +
Caryophyllaceae subfam. Paronychioideae +