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''Microloma'' is a small genus of ''
Ceropegia ''Ceropegia'' is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in his ''Genera plantarum'', which appeared in 1737. Linnaeus referre ...
''-like twiners and twiggy bushes occurring in mainly arid or
fynbos Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...
regions in South Africa. They are generally nondescript when not in bloom, but the flowers of most species are incongruously decorative.


Overview

''Microloma'' R. Br. in Mem. Werner. Soc.1: 53, (1809), is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of herbaceous
perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
,
dicotyledon The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, t ...
ous
plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
s . ''Microloma'' species were originally described as members of the genus
Ceropegia ''Ceropegia'' is a genus of plants within the family Apocynaceae, native to Africa, southern Asia, and Australia. It was named by Carl Linnaeus, who first described this genus in his ''Genera plantarum'', which appeared in 1737. Linnaeus referre ...
, in the
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Asclepiadaceae, but
Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...
separated them and created the new genus, still in the family Asclepiadaceae. More recently the Asclepiadaceae have been re-classified as the
subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Asclepiadoideae The Asclepiadoideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Apocynaceae. Formerly, they were treated as a separate family under the name Asclepiadaceae, e.g. by APG II, and known as the milkweed family. They form a group of perennial herbs, twin ...
of the dogbane family
Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (from ''Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the ...
. Common names of ''Microloma'' species are various and regional; Manning mentions "wax creeper" and "melktou" (literally "milk-string", a curious name because the plants do not in general produce latex). Other names include "wax twiner" and "bokhorinkies" (literally "little goat- or antelope-horns, a reference to the shape of the fruit). Marloth said: "The Dutch name is ''suikerkannetje'', as the flower produces so much nectar that in the morning one may shake out a drop of it from each flower."Marloth, Rudolf. “The Flora of South Africa” 1932 Pub. Cape Town: Darter Bros. London: Wheldon & Wesley. "Suikerkannetje" means little "sugar-can". Marloth adds:"In spite of this proffered feast, visitors are rare and one must have much patience if one wants to know who the visitors are that respond to the invitation — they are small moths and tiny butterflies like the Lycaena or still smaller kinds." More recent work however has shown that such insects are incidental visitors; the main pollinators are sunbirds; the
pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...
stick to their tongues in a striking example of specialised mutualism. Microlomas are perennials. Some are delicate twiners and some are shrublets; ''Microloma massonii'' (now = ''Microloma armatum'') is so densely branched, with the branches so spiny at their tips, that the colloquial name is "ystervarkbossie", meaning "porcupine bush". Unlike many of the Asclepiadoideae Microlomas have clear sap without any conspicuous latex. Their leaves are opposite, usually
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
and
simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by Johnn ...
. The
inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s are
umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
-like
cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...
, borne outside the axils. The flowers usually are red or reddish, sometimes yellow, orange or pink. There are five
sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s, with the corolla usually longer than the calyx. The five petals are usually glossily waxy, consistently with some of the common names. The corolla tube is usually pentagonal and urn-shaped or oblong, with tufts of downward-pointing hairs low down in the tube opposite the lobes. The petals are arranged spirally and practically close the tube. The stamens arise from the base of the corolla. The
anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
s generally are sagittate at their bases, and bear
pollinia A pollinium (plural pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of mil ...
.Dyer, R. Allen, “The Genera of Southern African Flowering Plants”. , 1975 Most species grow a fascicle of fleshy roots around the base of the stem and thus may shed shoots and leaves in dry seasons or when fires pass over.


Traditional uses

An infusion of the fleshy root fascicle of ''Microloma saggittatum'' has been used in traditional medicine for relief of griping pains in the abdomen. The infusion is red in colour. If water is unavailable the patient may chew a piece of the root instead.Watt, John Mitchell; Breyer-Brandwijk, Maria Gerdina: The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa 2nd ed Pub. E & S Livingstone 1962 Country children would suck the very sweet nectar from the flower clusters of some species. This was rather as a treat or a whim than as a serious contribution to their nutrition, because the plants are small and not usually plentiful. ;SpeciesThe Plant List, genus ''Microloma''
/ref> # '' Microloma burchellii'' N.E.Br. - South Africa # '' Microloma calycinum'' E.Mey. - near Goedemanskraal in Western Cape Province # '' Microloma gibbosum'' N.E.Br. - South Africa # '' Microloma glabratum'' E.Mey. - Western Cape Province # '' Microloma hereroense'' Wanntorp - Namibia # '' Microloma incanum'' Decne.- South Africa # '' Microloma longitubum'' Schltr. - Namibia # '' Microloma namaquense'' H.Bol. - Namibia, Western Cape Province # '' Microloma penicillatum'' Schltr. - Damaraland in Namibia # '' Microloma poicilanthum'' Huber - Damaraland in Namibia # '' Microloma sagittatum'' (L.) R.Br. - South Africa # '' Microloma tenuifolium'' (L.) K.Schum. - South Africa ;formerly included *''Microloma pyrotechnicum'' (Forssk.) Spreng, synonym of ''
Leptadenia pyrotechnica ''Leptadenia pyrotechnica'' ( hi, खींप; pa, ਖਿੱਪ) is the botanical name of a desert herb of the family Apocynaceae. It is widespread from Senegal to India. It is known as in Hindi and Urdu, and in Punjabi.L. R. Burdak (1982): R ...
'' (Forssk.) Decne.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1931519 Flora of Southern Africa Apocynaceae genera Plants used in traditional African medicine