Mendoncia
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Authority
Wasshausen, Dieter C. & Wood, John R. I. 2004. Acanthaceae of Bolivia. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 49: 1-152.
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Family
Mendonciaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Herbaceous or suffrutesccnt twining vines; stems articulated when young, glabrous or pubescent with simple or stellate, glandular and eglandular trichomes; cystoliths lacking; leaves petiolate, opposite, simple, entire; flowers solitary or clustered in leaf axils, each pedunculate and subtended by 2 large, flat or keeled, spath-like bracteoles (called bracts previously by this and other authors); bracteoles green, variously shaped and vestured, often equaling corolla tube, valvate, often partially connivent or connate, remaining closed around the flower, often widely spreading in fruit; calyx inconspicuous, annular or cupular or truncate to irregularly dentate or lobed; corolla sympetalous, hypocrateriform, not inflated above, contorted, whitish, greenish, or reddish, often with purplish markings within, tube cylindric to funnelform, limb subequally 5-lobed or bilabiate with upper lip comprised of 2 lobes and lower lip comprised of 3 lobes, lobes spreading or reflexed; stamens 4, didynamous, included, attached to corolla tube alternate with lobes; anthers bilocular with parallel, subequal to unequal thecae that are pubescent at base: staminode, if present, 1, inconspicuous; a prominent, cupular nectar-disk present around base of ovary; gynoecium of 2 carpels united to form a compound, superior, bilocular ovary, or one locule reduced or even suppressed; ovules 2 in each locule, or 2 in the one fertile locule, collateral, presumably unitegmic and tenuinucuellar, the modified luniculi of the ovules lacking; stigma shallow ly and unequally bibbed; fruit drupaceous, ovoid to ellipsoid, the mesocarp fleshy, the endocarp osseous; seeds 1-2.
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Discussion
A genus of ca. 60 species occurring from southern Mexico to southern Brazil and also in tropical Africa and Madagascar. Due to the superficial similarity of many of the species and the fact that lianas and vines are generally poorly known and collected in South America, the taxonomy of the genus is rather difficult. Mendoncia is sometimes placed into its own family, Mendonciaceae. However, most current specialists retain the genus in the Acanthaceae. For a somewhat detailed examination of this relationship see Brummtit (Acanthus 5: 1-3. 1989), Against separating Mendonciaceae from Acanthaceae.