Cultivated Plants: Spot-characters

Introduction

In this section, for a specific characteristic (spot-character) of a plant, we give a list of those families, genera and species which possess that character.

The original idea for this section came from the European Garden Flora (Walters, S.M. et al. (eds.), 1986) where the concept is termed an Informal Key.

Eric Clement later pointed out to me Van Balgooy (1997) which is a comprehensive treatment of spot-characters for the plants of Malesia. Although I have never seen that work, I have adopted the term spot-character used in that work and have been provided with a list of the spot-characters employed by Van Balgooy which I have found most useful.

Another source of ideas for characters was the list of "Characters found only in a limited number of families" found on pages 7-9 of Leistner (2000).

It must be emphasised that the details apply only to the particular families, genera and species which occur in Malawi.

The table below shows those species for which one particular spot-character applies. To see species which apply to combinations of spot-characters, go to the Multiple spot characters page.

As usual on this site, content is slowly being added.

List of spot-characters

Spot group	Spot_id	Character	Notes
Whole plant and habit	0	Succulent
Whole plant and habit	1	Climbing	Included here are semi-climbing shrubs and herbaceous climbing or twining plants. Those that are both woody and climbing are placed under the spot-character 'lianes'. Many species have been placed under both categories.
Whole plant and habit	2	Trees
Whole plant and habit	3	Parasitic	This includes plants which are wholly or partially parasitic.
Whole plant and habit	4	Myco-heterotrophic ("saprophytic")	Plants which obtain their nutrients through a mycorrhizal fungus that is attached to the root of a photosynthetic plant. I.e. they are neither parasitic (directly attached to the host) nor truly saprophytic (directly obtaining nutrients from dead matter). Included here are only those myco-heterotrophs which lack or mostly lack chlorophyll.
Whole plant and habit	5	Without chlorophyll
Whole plant and habit	6	Aquatic	Plants growing on or under water, free-floating, or if rooted in the soil then not growing more than a few cm above the water level, lying flat upon the mud during dry periods and not self supporting.
Whole plant and habit	8	Reproducing asexually
Whole plant and habit	9	Bearing tendrils
Whole plant and habit	10	Bearing distinctly bent hooks
Whole plant and habit	11	Bearing hardened petioles
Whole plant and habit	12	Moss-like
Whole plant and habit	13	Epiphytic
Whole plant and habit	14	Lithophytic
Whole plant and habit	15	With true bulbs
Whole plant and habit	16	Annuals
Whole plant and habit	17	Biennials
Whole plant and habit	18	Lianes	Very similar to climbers but more woody.
Whole plant and habit	19	Perennials
Whole plant and habit	20	Shrub over 2 m
Whole plant and habit	21	Shrub under 2 m
Whole plant and habit	22	Terrestrial (used in the Pteridophyta and Orchidaceae only)
Whole plant and habit	23	Cushion plants	A somewhat vague category used to describe plants of a cushion-like growth.
Whole plant and habit	24	Plant dioecious	Flowers unisexual; male and female flowers on separate plants
Whole plant and habit	25	Plant monoecious	Flowers unisexual; male and female flowers on the same plant
Whole plant and habit	26	Plant a mangrove	There are no mangroves in Zimbabwe; they occur only in Mozambique
Trunk, stem and branch	100	Trunk with bark peeling off in papery pieces
Trunk, stem and branch	101	Trunk with large knob-like projections (which may bear thorns)
Trunk, stem and branch	102	Trunk or branches with corky bark
Trunk, stem and branch	103	Stem winged
Trunk, stem and branch	104	Stem square	I.e. 4-angled or 4-ribbed
Trunk, stem and branch	105	Stem absent or very short, with a basal rosette, the flowers borne on peduncles	Scapose or acaulescent plants
Trunk, stem and branch	106	Stem with swollen nodes
Trunk, stem and branch	107	Branching Terminalia-like
Trunk, stem and branch	108	Branchlets strongly lenticellate
Trunk, stem and branch	109	Prickles or spines on trunk or stems
Trunk, stem and branch	110	Forked prickles or spines on trunk, stems
Trunk, stem and branch	111	Trunk or branches bearing flowers (cauliflory)
Exudate	200	White sap
Exudate	201	Yellow sap
Exudate	202	Orange-brown sap
Exudate	203	Sap of other colours
Smell	300	Foetid	Strong-smelling in an unpleasant way
Smell	301	Lemon-scented
Smell	302	Aromatic? E.g. labiatae
Indumentum	400	Stellate or dendritic hairs
Indumentum	401	Medifixed hairs
Indumentum	402	T-shaped hairs
Indumentum	403	Y-shaped (or forked) hairs
Indumentum	404	Stinging (urticating) hairs
Indumentum	405	Hooked hairs
Indumentum	406	Hairs with bulbous bases
Indumentum	407	Farinose, mealy or covered in a powder (which may be brightly coloured)
Indumentum	408	Bearing scales
Stipules	500	Stipules intrapetiolar
Stipules	501	Stipules falcate
Stipules	502	Stipules pinnate
Stipules	503	Stipules interpetiolar
Stipules	504	Stipules (or pseudostipules) present in families generally without stipules	The specific families which generally lack stipules but which have a few species with (generally, false) stipules, are: Asteraceae Convolvulaceae
Stipules	505	Stipules present
Stipules	506	Stipules absent
Stipules	507	Stipules auriculate, amplexicaul or semi-amplexicaul
Stipules	508	Stipules fimbriate or laciniate
Stipules	509	Stipules bifid or with 2 lobes
Stipules	510	Stipules conspicuous	A somewhat vague character of plants with stipules which are very noticeable in some way - perhaps usually because of their size.
Petiole / rhachis	600	Petiole channelled above
Petiole / rhachis	601	Petiole (markedly) swollen at apex
Petiole / rhachis	602	Petiole (markedly) swollen at base
Petiole / rhachis	603	Petiole wrinkled
Petiole / rhachis	604	Petiole and/or rhachis winged
Petiole / rhachis	605	Petiole and/or rhachis bearing glands
Leaves	700	Leaves reduced to scales or 0
Leaves	701	Leaves whorled
Leaves	702	Leaves both alternate and whorled or opposite on same plant
Leaves	703	Leaves alternate in families with generally opposite leaves
Leaves	704	Leaves opposite in families with generally alternate leaves	The specific families which generally have alternate leaves but which have a few species with opposite leaves, are: Euphorbiaceae
Leaves	705	Leaves anisophyllous
Leaves	706	Leaves peltate
Leaves	707	Leaves both simple and compound on the same plant
Leaves	708	Leaves 3-foliolate
Leaves	709	Leaves imparipinnate with more than 3 leaflets
Leaves	710	Leaves paripinnate with 2 leaflets only
Leaves	711	Leaves paripinnate with more than 2 leaflets
Leaves	712	Leaves digitately compound with more than 3 leaflets
Leaves	713	Leaves palmately lobed	This character includes palmatifid and palmatisect leaves (i.e leaves which may be deeply dissected) but not those that are truly compound.
Leaves	714	Leaves pedate
Leaves	715	Leaves pinnatifid	Also included here are leaves that are pinnatisect and pinnatilobed; i.e. all cases where the leaf is divided in a pinnate manner but is not completely divided to the mid-vein and therefore not truly pinnate.
Leaves	716	Leaves flabellate
Leaves	717	Leaves 2(-3 or more) pinnate
Leaves	718	Leaves simple (or 1-foliolate) in predominantly compound families or genera	The specific families which have species with mainly compound leaves but with a few with simple leaves, are: Anacardiaceae Caesalpiniaceae Capparaceae Fabaceae Mimosaceae Rosaceae Sapindaceae
Leaves	719	Leaves with translucent gland dots (visible when held up to light)	These pellucid glands usually occur throughout the lamina and may be seen by looking through the leaf while holding it against a bright light source.
Leaves	720	Leaves with translucent streaks or lines (visible when held up to light)
Leaves	721	Leaves bearing spines or prickles
Leaves	722	Leaves with domatia
Leaves	723	Leaves with markedly rough surfaces
Leaves	724	Leaves (or leaflets) consistently emarginate (i.e. excluding plants with rarely emarginate leaves)
Leaves	725	Leaves sensitive
Leaves	726	Leaves ericoid	Resembling plants of the family Ericaceae, namely with small, usually linear, sharply pointed leaves.
Leaves	727	Leaves with midrib raised above and beneath
Leaves	728	Leaves bullate
Leaves	729	Leaves plicate
Leaves	730	Leaves turning black on drying
Leaves	731	Young leaves flushing red/ reddish-brown
Leaves	732	Leaves producing strong red/yellow autumn coloration
Leaves	733	Leaves with cystoliths
Leaves	734	Leaves (or leaflets in compound leaves) 3(-5)-veined from the base
Leaves	735	Leaves with a submarginal vein
Leaves	736	Leaves with parallel lateral veins
Leaves	737	Leaves dimorphic
Leaves	738	Leaf base sagittate
Leaves	739	Leaves opposite
Leaves	740	Leaves alternate	Spiral leaf arrangements are included here
Leaves	741	Leaves simple	1-foliolate leaves included here.
Leaves	742	Leaves basal	Leaves all or predominantly basal; cauline leaves or bracts may be present to a minor degree
Leaves	743	Leaves clustered at branch ends or on short shoots
Leaves	744	Leaves amplexicaul
Leaves	745	Leaves 2 (-3 or more) pinnatifid	Included here within pinnatifid are variants such as pinnatisect, pinnatipartite etc.
Leaves	746	Leaves with entire margin
Leaves	747	Leaf base cordate
Leaves	748	Leaves with auricles	[Note - still not clear to me how this differs from amplexicaul leaves]
Leaves	749	Leaves with black dots	The black dots are bacterial nodules in the following genera in the Rubiaceae: Pavetta, Psychotria and Sericanthe.
Leaves	750	Leaves (or leaflets in compound leaves) with toothed margin	The margin may be serrate, crenate or dentate but not lobed.
Leaves	751	Leaves markedly discolorous	Leaves coloured differently above and beneath; the difference strongly marked. (To some extent a matter of opinion as to whether a particular species qualifies).
Leaves	752	Leaves with veins markedly impressed above
Leaves	753	Leaf with (a few) special glands on the lamina	This spot character covers cases where a usually small number of distinctive glands are borne on the lamina. An example is the pair of glands which occur near the leaf base in Macaranga mellifera (see image). It is not intended to include cases where there are pellucid gland dots throughout the lamina (spot charcter 719) or cases where the lamina is covered with glands beneath (spot character 755).
Leaves	754	Leaves with a fissure on the underside of the lamina
Leaves	755	Leaves bearing numerous (non-translucent) glands	Compare spot characters 719 and 753. This character is intended to cover cases where there are numerous glands on a leaf (usually covering the lower surface) which are not translucent. An example is Macaranga capensis (see image).
Leaves	756	Leaf base asymmetric
Inflorescence	800	Inflorescence leaf-opposed
Inflorescence	801	Inflorescence supra-axillary
Inflorescence	802	Inflorescence epiphyllous
Inflorescence	803	Inflorescence an umbel or pseudumbel
Inflorescence	804	Inflorescence a cone
Inflorescence	805	Inflorescence a catkin
Inflorescence	806	Inflorescence partly or wholly enclosed within an involucre
Flowers	900	Dicotyledons with parts in threes
Flowers	901	Calyx accrescent
Flowers	902	Calyx with an epicalyx
Flowers	903	Calyx (or phyllaries in Asteraceae) spiny
Flowers	904	Corolla / petals fimbriate/2-fid	Either individual petals 2-lobed or notched or the corolla lobes themselves 2-lobed or notched
Flowers	905	Corolla / petals with appendages
Flowers	906	Corolla / petals with a spur
Flowers	907	Sepals with a spur
Flowers	908	Corolla resupinate
Flowers	909	Flowers appearing before the leaves
Flowers	910	Staminal tube present
Flowers	911	Ovary inferior or semi-inferior
Flowers	912	Flowers bicoloured
Flowers	913	Perianth absent
Flowers	914	Calyx winged
Flowers	915	Calyx circumscissile	The upper part of the calyx splits off transversely from the base.
Flowers	916	Ovary superior
Flowers	917	Calyx with hooked hairs or bristles
Flowers	918	Corolla hairy
Flowers	919	Calyx spathaceous	Calyx resembling a spathe, as in the Araceae, usually surrounding or enclosing the corolla.
Fruits	1000	Fruits winged
Fruits	1001	Fruit prickly or spiny
Fruits	1002	Fruit with hooks or hooked bristles	Included are fruits with glochidia.
Fruits	1003	Ripe fruit blue
Fruits	1004	Ripe fruit red
Fruits	1005	Ripe fruit white
Fruits	1006	Ripe fruit yellow
Fruits	1007	Ripe fruit black
Fruits	1008	Fruit compound
Fruits	1009	Fruit like a string of beads
Fruits	1010	Fruit like acorns
Fruits	1011	Fruit markedly ribbed
Fruits	1012	Fruit with a 3-locular capsule
Fruits	1013	Fruit inflated
Fruits	1014	Fruit with horny or wing-like protuberances
Fruits	1015	Fruit pendulous
Fruits	1016	Fruit circumscissile, opening with a lid
Fruits	1017	Fruits beaked
Fruits	1018	Fruit lobed
Fruits	1019	Fruit a capsule
Fruits	1020	Fruit a berry
Fruits	1021	Fruit covered in warts	May extend this to enclude other protuberances such as tubercles.
Seeds	1100	Seeds winged
Seeds	1101	Seeds with an aril or aril-like structure	In the term aril-like structure, we include a pseudaril (as in Commiphora) and an arillode (as in various genera in the Sapindaceae).
Seeds	1102	Seeds with long hairs	Includes seeds with a coma.
Seeds	1103	Seeds "red and black"	By this, we mean that the seed is partly coloured black and partly red. The red colour may be because of an aril (e.g. Afzelia quanzensis) or simply (apparently) a bicoloured seed as in Abrus precatorius.
Seeds	1104	Seeds with floss (long cottony hairs)	E.g. cotton!
Miscellaneous	1200	Forest grasses	These are grasses occurring in deep shade in forests; either riverine or montane forests. Species which occur in more open habitats such as forest edges and clearings are not included here. These grasses are often relatively broad-leaved.
Miscellaneous	1201	Grasses with broad leaves	Grasses where the shape of the leaf is at least as broad as lanceolate or narrowly ovate

Number of spot-characters: 184