Gisekia pharnaceoides

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Prostrate and creeping herbs, several branches from above the strong tap root portion, reddish , rooting at nodes. Leaves opposite or apparently whorled, unequal,1.5-3 x 0.5-1 cm, obovate-spathulate, base cuneate, apex obtuse, apiculate, reddish to green, fleshy, pubescent; petiole to 3 mm long. Flowers in axillary fascicles or cymes, greenish-white; pedicels filiform, 5-8 mm long. Sepals 5, green, c. 2 mm long, broadly elliptic to suborbicular, concave, obtuse. Petals absent. Stamens 5; filaments broadening to base. Ovary of 5 free carpels, each with a single ovule, styles 5. Capsule 5-celled, c. 2 mm long, papillose, indehiscent. Seeds reniform, minutely pitted, compressed, dark red or black.

Flowering and fruiting: July-August
Deciduous forests, also in the plains and sandy sea coasts
India, Sri Lanka and South Africa
Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi)
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Gisekia pharnaceoides L. SN Nov 10 : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (2)
Gisekia pharnaceoides L., Gisekiaceae,
wlid prostrate herb found in the rain fed agriculture field from Krishnagiri dt of Tamilnadu
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Hypertelis cerviana – YS Apr2020-13 : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (4)

This is Hypertelis cerviana (L.) Thulin (syn. – Mollugo cerviana (L.) Ser.).
Fam. – Molluginaceae
Date of Photos – Aug., 2019
Place – Rewari, Haryana

Very beautiful up load. For me the ID is correct.

I think it may be Mollugo disticha (L.) Ser. as per images and references herein.
Looks different from  Mollugo cerviana (L.) Ser. as per images and references herein.
Pl. check with GBIF specimens like this one.
Do you have image of the habit and basal portion ?

Photos on our eFI’s Mollugo cerviana page looks different in terms of habit.
But in photos on eFI’s Mollugo disticha page plant looks very different; the inflorescence is different, calyx size relative to the seed size is different and also the seed number, fruits in my photos have 4-5 seeds almost equal to the sepals in size but fruits in photos on eFI’ Mollugo disticha have numerous fruits smaller in size than sepals..!
And I don’t have any other good photo for habit sir.. I will observe this plant more carefully in this upcoming August because looks different from both.

I further examined our images, including your post, at Mollugo disticha w.r.t.  eFlora of Karaikal District  Flowers of India  GBIF  Specimen  Specimen 2  Flora of Ranga Reddi District Andhra Pradesh, India By T. Pullaiah, M. Silar Mohammed  Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 3 By T. Pullaiah (2007) and found these to be OK.

The aspects you are pointing out may be variations.

… collection is not Mollugo disticha, my collection is one from a rocky-sand area, another from sea-shore, further it is variable due to environmental conditions; we collected the seed and germinated in another locality it differs, it is compared with herbarium specimens in Amsterdam by Alexander Sukhurov of Moscow University. who is working on Mollugo sps

I am baffled by your one image with basal leaves at Submission of Mollugo disticha as I do not find any such specimen in GBIF

May I request you to pl. confirm this as Mollugo disticha (L.) Ser. or otherwise.

Hopefully you are safe. The link to Mollugo disticha I have opened really shows the plants of M. disticha.

Four images attached are not M. disticha. Many Molluginaceae looks the same, In your case I am almost sure it is Gisekia pharnaceoides (Gisekiaceae, not Molluginaceae), a common plant in India (except Himalaya). I don’t see the seeds, but Gisekia has 3-5 seeds compared with Molluginaceae usually having more than 10-15 seeds. Additinally, the leaves show C4-photosynthesis (a characteristic trait of Gisekia). The dry leaves and perianths of Gisekia always have «white stripes» indicating the presence of raphids (a special crystal type). The author of the images can check the leaves when they are dry. My conclusion is that the four images sent (besides M. disticha when clicking on this name) are indeed Gisekia pharnaceoides.

Thanks a lot … for concluding the final identification.


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ID request for this roadside herb from Haryana (300509SCS2) : Attachments (2). 5 posts by 3 authors.

I photographed this prostrate herb today (30.5.09) noon-time. Sonepat, Haryana.
Could not work out its ID. Any guess please?
Is it species of Convolvulus?

It look like Chamaesyce serpyllifolia.

Thank you for the ID, based on this, I searched the net and the plant resembles with :

Chamaesyce parryi
English : Parry’s Spurge
Wonder if it is found in India too.

It reminds me of something in Caryophyllaceae or Mollugonaceae (both Caryophyllales).  Regardless, not Euphorbia/Chamaesyce. Both Euphorbia/Chamaesyce serpillifolia and E. parryi are restricted to the Americas

Zaleya Sp. Could be Z. pentandra,

Looks different from images at Zaleya pentandra (L.) C. Jeffrey

I think this is Gisekia pharnaceoides L., as per images and details herein.