Photo Gallery (54 Images) |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-01 Photo of the plant with its white flowers. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-02 Photo inflorescence which consists of a lax raceme of white flowers. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-03 Photo of the 4-petalled flower, each petal being at right angles (perpendicular) to each other hence forming a shape of a cross. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-04 Photo of white flower characterised by a long and narrow limb (basal part) and a wide claw (upper part). |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-05 Photo of a few flowers in blossom. Flowering period March-April, sometimes even earlier in February and end of January. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-06 Photo of 2 cross shaped flowers and some buds. Note the deep violet veins in the petals of the blossoming bud. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-07 Photo of a flower (lateral view), showing that the central style (having a pale green stigma) is longer than the six, yellow stamens found around it. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-08 Close up photo of a flower showing the 6 stamens with yellow anthers and a central style with swollen stigma. The flower have 4 central stamens that are longer from the 2 lateral ones. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-09 Photo of a flower with its spathulate (spoon shaped) petals. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-10 Photo of a flower. They measure about 20-25mm across. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-11 Close up photo of a young flower showing its reproductive organs at the centre. In this specimen, the central style and stigma are hidden at the centre between the anthers. With time the ovary and style elongate and adult flowers will have a longer style than the stamens. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-12 Photo of a flower (lateral view) showing the 4 sepals making the calyx. They are often reddish-purple (sometimes green), narrow oblong (almost linear), non-overlapping and erect, sometimes with few bristles. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-13 Close up photo of a flower sometimes referred as having the shape of a Greek cross. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-14 Dissected parts of a flower which consists of 4 free sepals, 4 free petals, 6 stamens and a single pistil. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-15 Close up photo of a young fruit. The apex is the swollen stigma, followed by the green style and finally the reddish ovary which contains rows of developing seeds. Flower parts (sepals, petals, stamens) fall off during the maturation of the fruit. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-16 Scanned image of a flower (dark background). The arrangement of the 6 stamens can be easily seen, that is 4 central and 2 shorter and lateral stamens. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-17 Scanned image of another flower (dark background). |
IMAGE: RPHRA-18 Scanned image of inflorescence known as a racemes. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-19 Photo of the abaxial (underside) surface of flower showing the contrasting dark-purplish veins. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-20 Photo of the abaxial (underside) surface of petals showing the veins which are much more prominent on this side rather than that on the other (adaxial) surface. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-21 Annotated scanned image of a longitudinal section of flower showing its flowering parts, namely the sepals, petals, stamens and pistil. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-22 Close up photo of a mature bud. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-23 Scanned image of a cylindrical, purple red buds. These can be also found green. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-24 Scanned image of various petals scanned from the underside (back) and upper side. As it can be seen, the deep purple-blue veins are more prominent on the underside part. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-25 Magnified scanned image of a petal against a dark background. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-26 Magnified scanned image of a petal and its pattern of deep purple-blue veins. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-27 Photo of plant in a fallow field, the common habitat of this species in Malta. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-28 Photo of a young plant in an fallow field. Leaves are initially arranged as a basal rosette. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-29 Photo of a plant in situ. Height varies between 30 to 100cm. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-30 Close up photo of the stem, showing the tiny, white, bristles. In many plants, the stem has a reddish-brown colour. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-31 Scanned image of 3 leaves taken from different plants. Generally, adult leaves have opposite pairs of basal lobes and a single and larger apical leaf lobe. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-32 Scanned image of a young leaf (right) and the morphological changes that take place with maturation of leaves. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-33 Enlarged annotated scanned image of a typical adult leaf. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-34 Photo of an adult leaf consisting of small basal leaf lobes and a terminal, large leaf lobe. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-35 Another photo of leaves of this species. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-36 Photo of basal leaves in situ. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-37 Photo of several erect fruit pods called siliqua. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-38 Close up photo of a single siliqua . The fruit pedicel is perpendicular to the stalk (spreading out). |
IMAGE: RPHRA-39 Close up photo of 2 fruit pods. They are have constrictions between the seeds and a sabre-like seedless head. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-40 Photo of fruit pods in situ; glabrous, stalked and having a tapering tip. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-41 Photo of siliqua showing its characteristic constrictions located between the seeds inside. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-42 Scanned image of several fruit pods (siliqua) at increasing maturity level (left to right). The internal, well-spaced, dark seeds can be noted against the bright background. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-43 Magnified scanned image of one siliqua. It has a long, pointed, red-tipped beak and few constrictions around the gaps between the seeds inside. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-44 Some plants had these curious outgrowths most probably caused by Albugo candida (White rust). Note how the flower changes and suffers from lack of diversity, and gigantism. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-45 Photo of plant with White Rust disease. Note the white powder released from the effected part. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-46 Photo of plant with White Rust disease. Note that the diseased part has an abnormal white or pale green layer. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-47 Photo of plant with White Rust disease. Note the difference in flower structure - enlarged, lacking in diversity and function. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-48 Photo of plant with part of the flowering stem being diseased with White Rust and covered in a whitish pale green layer. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-49 Photo of plant with White Rust disease. Most of the apical structures are diseased flowers which have loss of diversity, function and are swollen. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-50 Image of the reddish brown seeds. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-51 Photo of seedling in situ. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-52 Colour illustration of the plant and some of its parts taken from Flora Danica Online. |
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IMAGE: RPHRA-53 |
IMAGE: RPHRA-54 Magnified image under light microscope of pollen. They have a rugby-ball shape, pitted and possess 3 grooves. |
IMAGE: RPHRA-55 |
IMAGE: RPHRA-56 |