Table 1.
Floral traits of the nine species of asclepiads studied at Wahroonga, KwaZulu‐Natal
| Asclepias cucullata (Ollerton 246) | Asclepias woodii (Ollerton 255) | Aspidonepsis diploglossa (Ollerton 228) | Miraglossum pilosum (Ollerton 258) | Miraglossum verticillare (Ollerton 244) | Pachycarpus natalensis (Ollerton 254) | Sisyranthus trichostomus (Ollerton 245) | Xysmalobium gerrardii (Ollerton 251) | Xysmalobium involucratum (Ollerton 253) | |
| Flower diameter | |||||||||
| Mean | 15·1 | 14·6 | 13.0 | 12·0 | 15·1 | 40.0 | 7·9 | 7·9 | 7·7 |
| s.d. | 1·1 | 1·2 | 1.0 | 0·8 | 1·3 | 2·5 | 0·6 | 0·3 | 1·1 |
| Petal length | |||||||||
| Mean | 7·2 | 6·8 | 6.0 | 4·6 | 6·2 | 19.0 | 3·3 | 3·8 | 4·0 |
| s.d. | 1·1 | 0·7 | 1.0 | 0·6 | 0·6 | 1·4 | 0·3 | 0·3 | 0·5 |
| Corona* diameter | |||||||||
| Mean | 8·3 | 7·4 | 5.0 | 4·2 | 5·6 | 15.0 | 2·4 | 3·8 | 3·2 |
| s.d. | 0·8 | 0·5 | 0.0 | 0·4 | 0·5 | 0·5 | 0·3 | 0·4 | 0·2 |
| Flower depth | |||||||||
| Mean | 5·4 | 5·1 | 4.0 | 3·8 | 4·5 | 12.0 | 2·9 | 3·52 | 3·9 |
| s.d. | 0·4 | 0·7 | 1.0 | 0·3 | 0·5 | 0·8 | 0·4 | 0·3 | 0·3 |
| Flowers per plant | |||||||||
| Mean | 11·6 | 43·7 | 6.0 | 12·3 | 9·8 | 13.0 | 25·9 | 510·3 | 15·3 |
| Height of plant | |||||||||
| Mean | 25·0 | 42·3 | 35·0 | 36·2 | 28·9 | 34·0 | 54·6 | 32·8 | 24·0 |
| s.d. | 5·0 | 7·7 | 8·0 | 5·1 | 5·4 | 7·9 | 8·2 | 2·0 | 2·7 |
| Corolla colour | Light creamy‐ brown | Dull white to pale yellow | Bright yellow | Green | Green | Pale lime green | Creamy yellow | Green becoming yellow | Greeny‐white |
| Corona colour | Dull browny‐white | Vivid yellow, rarely paler | Vivid yellow‐orange | Green | Green | Dark purple | Creamy yellow | Green becoming yellow | Dark green, yellow with age |
| Patterning | None | Dark purple edging | Pale green style head | Fine purple spotting | Fine purple spotting | Heavy purple spotting | None | None | Greeny‐white style head |
| Scent | Very faint, sweet | None | None | Faint, sour‐musky | Faint, spicy | None | None | Strong, honey‐like | Strong, fragrant‐fresh |
| Nectar volume | |||||||||
| Mean | 0·4 | 0·7 | 0·1 | 0·2 | 0·3 | 4·2 | 0·2 | 0·9 | 0·2 |
| s.d. | 0·1 | 0·6 | 0·1 | 0·1 | 0·1 | 3·1 | 0·1 | 0·6 | 0·1 |
| Sample size | |||||||||
| Flowers (plants) | 5 (2) | 11 (3) | 5 (4) | 8 (1) | 8 (2) | 9 (4) | 17 (5) | 15 (4) | 11 (2) |
| Nectar concentration | |||||||||
| Mean | 43·6 | 29·0 | ? | 59·7 | 67·8 | 50 | 18·1 | 35·1 | 12·5 |
| s.d. | 3·0 | 9·2 | ? | 5·6 | 2·4 | 11 | 3·6 | 7·3 | 2·8 |
| Sample size | |||||||||
| Flowers (plants) | 4 (2) | 10 (3) | 5 (1) | 5 (2) | 7 (4) | 9 (4) | 14 (3) | 2 (1) | |
| Floral longevity (d) | <5? | 10 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 5? | >10 |
All dimensions are in millimetres.
Collection voucher numbers are given in parenthesis.
* Tube opening in Sisyranthus.