Glinus L., Sp. Pl. 1: 463 (1753).

Sukhorukov, Alexander P., Sennikov, Alexander, Veranso-Libalah, Marie Claire, Kushunina, Maria, Nilova, Maya V., Heath, Roger, Heath, Alison, Mazei, Yuri & Zaika, Maxim A., 2021, Evolutionary relationships, biogeography and morphological characters of Glinus (Molluginaceae), with special emphasis on the genus composition in Sub-Saharan Africa, PhytoKeys 173, pp. 1-92 : 1

Genus Glinus L., Sp. Pl. 1: 463 (1753).

Mollugo Glinus ≡ Mollugo sect. Glinus (L.) Benth. in Benth. & Mueller, Fl. Austr. 3: 333 (1866).

Rolofa ≡ Rolofa Adans., Fam. Pl. 2: 256 (1763), nom. illeg.

Glinus lotoides Type: Glinus lotoides L.

Physa = Physa Touars, Gen. Nov. Madagasc.: 20 (1806).

Physa madagascariensis Type: Physa madagascariensis DC., Prodr. 1: 393 (1824) (= Glinus oppositifolius (L.) Aug.DC.)

Plenckia = Plenckia Raf., Specch. 1: 194 (1814), nom. rej.

Plenckia setiflora Type: Plenckia setiflora (Forssk.) Raf. (≡ Glinus setiflorus Forssk.).

Tryphera = Tryphera Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 11: 549 (1826).

Tryphera prostrata Type: Tryphera prostrata Blume, Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 11: 549 (1826) (= Glinus oppositifolius (L.) Aug.DC).

Wycliffea = Wycliffea Ewart & A.H.K.Petrie, Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria n.s. 38: 167 (1926).

Wycliffea obovata Lectotype (designated here): Wycliffea obovata Ewart & A.H.K.Petrie, Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria n.s. 38: 167 (1926).

Description.

Annual, rarely perennial, prostrate herbs or erect subshrubs with a rootstock, covered with stellate or simple (multiseriate, soft and crispate) hairs, in the latter case additionally with multiseriate, stout thick-walled and broad-based hairs (prickles). Stems branched from the base, often forming mats, rarely erect ( G. orygioides ). Leaves in false whorls, lanceolate to obovate, entire or denticulate (mostly in their upper half), with several lateral nerves that can be adaxially recessed and abaxially prominent. Flowers usually several to many (up to 20) in leaf axils forming loose or rarely dense inflorescences, bracteate, sessile or pedicellate. Perianth of 5 free oblong, ovate or roundish segments, green (brown) abaxially and white, pinkish or yellowish adaxially, with a green or brown midvein, horizontally spreading when fully opened, sometimes white petaloid staminodes present, always shorter than perianth segments. Stamens (2-4)5-30, outer stamen series corresponding to another staminode whorl (if stamen number is more than 5) often with filaments terminating with teeth (and without anthers), 0.3-1.8 mm, oblong or roundish; anthers yellow; pollen tricolpate (studied in G. lotoides : Perveen and Qaiser 2000). Stylodia 3-5, free or united in lower half into a style. Anthocarp (fruit enclosed by perianth) cylindrical or ovate to roundish. Fruit a hydrochastic loculicidal capsule. Ovary three- or five-carpellate, ovules arranged in two rows. Seeds usually more than 50, yellow, red, brown or black, up to 1.0 mm long, ovoid or reniform, smooth or with numerous colliculae; seed aril divided into two parts: a white, very noticeable hood covering the funiculus and a large ribbon-like appendage, sometimes the hood is reduced. Embryo curved; perisperm abundant and easily visible (in larger seeds) or scanty (in small seeds).

The basic chromosome number in G. radiatus is x = 9 ( Lane and Keil 1976), which corresponds with that of other Molluginaceae ( Bogle 1970, with references therein). However, Mitra and Datta in Löve (1967) indicated the basic number x = 18 for the Indian populations of Glinus lotoides and G. oppositifolius .