NEMESIA

Nemesia Vent., Jard. Malmaison: 41. 1804; New South Wales Flora Online

Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs. Leaves opposite, basal leaves +/- petiolate, upper leaves sessile. Inflorescence terminal racemes or rarely flowers solitary, bracteoles absent. Sepals 5, fused only at base, enlarged in fruit. Corolla 2-lipped; tube very short and produced into a sac or pouch; upper lip 4-lobed; lower lip entire or emarginate with a convex palate at base. Stamens 4, didynamous, inserted in mouth of the corolla tube; anthers monothecous, cohering around stigma. Sigma 2-lobed or simple. Capsule +/- laterally compressed, 2-locular, septicidally dehiscent, valves boat-shaped; seeds many, +/- ellipsoid, winged.

69 species

Nemesia strumosa

Nemesia strumosa Benth., Companion Bot. Mag. 2: 18. 1836; NSW Flora online; Antirrhinum strumosa Benth. in DC., Prodr. 10: 260. 1846.

Annual herb, 15-40 cm high, glabrous. Stem quadrangular, branched mostly from base. Leaves opposite, basal leaves petiolate, upper leaves sessile, linear to narrow elliptic or oblanceolate, 2.5-5 cm long and 3-12 mm wide, margins toothed, apex subacute. Inflorescence a few- to many-flowered, racemes up to 10 cm long; pedicels erect, 1.5-2.5 cm long, glandular-pubescent; bracteoles absent. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, hypogynous, ca. 1.5 cm across. Calyx 4-6 mm long; lobes 5, fused at base only, narrow linear-lanceolate, glandular pubescent. Corolla tube very short and produced into a 2-3 mm long pouch (or pinched spur) at base; limb 2-lipped, lips broad, 10-15 mm long, glandular-pubescent without, throat coarsely hairy inside; upper lip 4-lobed, spreading; lower lip emarginate with a convex palate at base; commonly corolla orange with pale yellow near throat, bluish marking towards the base of upper lip, purplish markings on outer surface of lips; corolla may also vary in colour from white, cream, pink, yellow, red, brown, blue or mauve with dark marks in throat or bicolor being upper and lower lips of different colour. Stamens 4, didynamous, inserted in mouth of corolla tube; anthers monothecous, cohering about stigma. Carpels 2, syncarpous; ovary 2-locular; stigma 2-lobed.

Capsule 12-15 mm long, +/- laterally compressed, oblong-ovoid, 2-locular, septicidally dehiscent, valves boat-shaped. Seeds many, ellipsoid, winged. (Fruits not observed)

Flowering and Fruiting: February-April, August-September
Common Names: Nemesia, Pouch Nemesia, Cape Jewels