What would J. K. Small do?

[John Nelson]

MONDAY 29 Nov 120p

Friends:

        This query involves a plant specimen we recently accessioned; I can not
figure it out, and am wondering if anybody would care to offer a thought
or two. Below I render a quick description. I may be able to offer a
photo via the Web in a day or so-

        1.-The specimen is a fragment of an herb; the base of the plant is not
available, but there is an inflorescence gone to fruit. Collected (and
thus mixed) with Polygonella gracilis from a xeric sandhill environment.
        2.-No leaves to look at. (Sorry!)
        3.- The inflorescence is alternately branched, consting of 7 racemes,
each about 5cm long. The stems are slender, abundantly hairy with very
short, curled hairs. Each flower is pedicellate, the pedicels about
3-4mm long.
        4.-No perianth to look at (all dried up and gone). Each flower is
subtended by a setaceous bract. Each flower appears to have been
perfect-- there are a few dried stamens, I think-- and each flower
contains 8-10 small (2-3mm) follicles. Thus, the gynoecium is
apocarpous. The follicles are frequently shriveled within a single
flower. The follicles are strongly assymetric, each with a tiny pedicel.
The style appears hook-like and lateral--not terminal. Each follicle
apparently contains a single ovule/seed. Of the few seeds to look at,
they are shiny, light brown, smoothish.
        Rosaceae, Ranunculaceae come to mind. Any ideas?

        Thanks JOHN NELSON
--
John B. Nelson
A. C. Moore Herbarium
Department of Biological Sciences
University of South Carolina
Columbia SC 29208

ph 803-777-8196
fax 803-777-4002
nelson at sc.edu

Non totum difficile est, sed nihil facile.