Tricyrtis

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Tricyrtis

Description

Erect puberulous or glabrescent herbs. Leaves cauline, alternate, flat, with several veins and a strong midrib, sessile, entire, lanceolate to ovate, with a sheathing base. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, simple or branched, or flowers in the axil of vegetative leaves. Ovary superior, sessile, oblong, 3-celled, 3-angled; Capsule septicidal. Seeds oblong or ovoid.

Distribution

Asia-Temperate: Korea present; Manchuria present; Taiwan (Taiwan present), Asia-Tropical: Philippines (Philippines present), Himalayas present, Japan present, North Malesia present
Possibly c. 20 spp., largely in Japan, also in Manchuria, Korea, throughout China to the Himalayas, Taiwan, and North Malesia: Philippines.

Notes

Hutchinson placed this genus in the tribe Tricyrtideae possibly with a South African genus Sandersonia as the only other member. Krause placed it in the Tricyrteae with the closely related, possibly congeneric, Brachycyrtis. The genus appears to be taxonomically rather isolated, but probably closest to Gloriosa of the Malesian genera.
A thorough revision of the species is badly needed.

Citation

Hutch. 1959 – In: Fam. Fl. Pl., ed. 2: 608
Krause 1930 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam., ed. 2, 15a: 269