Stictocardia, Hallier f.

Simões, A. R., Silva, H. & Silveira, P., 2011, The Convolvulaceae of Timor with special reference to East Timor, Blumea 56 (1), pp. 49-72 : 67

14. STICTOCARDIA Hallier f. (1893b) 159

Note — There seems to be a remarkable incidence of species from the genus Stictocardia in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Out of the 11 species known to occur in tropical Africa and Asia ( Austin & Eich 2001), four occur in Malesia ( S. cordatosepala , S. discolor , S. neglecta , S. tiliifolia ), and apart from the widespread S. tiliifolia , all are exclusive to the Lesser Sunda Islands, while one species is endemic to Timor ( S. discolor ) (Van Ooststroom & Hoogland 1953). Also, there is a Northeastern Australian endemic – S. queenslandica (Domin) R.W. Johnson , which apparently is rather similar to S. discolor . Both species differ from S. tiliifolia by their shorter sepals and corollas. However, S. discolor apparently has more slender peduncles and pedicels than the Australian endemic, and S. queenslandica does not have the extraordinary red colouration on the abaxial surface of the leaves that always occurs in S. discolor (and occasionally in S. neglecta ) ( Johnson 2004). Overall, it seems that the Australasian region is an important centre of species richness of Stictocardia , which would be interesting to investigate in the context of the evolution of the genus.