Taxonomy
Anthotroche Endl., in Endl. & Fenzl, Nov. Stirp. Dec. 6 (1839); from the Greek anthos (a flower), and trochos (a wheel), in reference to the resemblance of the corolla to a wheel.
Type species: A. pannosa Endl.
Shrubs, densely tomentose with non-glandular and inconspicuous glandular hairs. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, petiolate or almost sessile. Flowers solitary or clustered, axillary or terminal, bisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx campanulate to cupular, 5–lobed. Corolla campanulate to rotate; tube narrowly funnel-shaped or dilated, greenish-yellow, rarely whitish, striated; limb of 5 (sometimes 4 or 6) short, broad lobes, induplicate in bud, violet, rarely whitish. Stamens 5, equal or subequal, inserted at base of corolla-tube; anthers unilocular, not cohering, dehiscing by a semicircular slit. Ovary bilocular. Stigma capitate, very shortly bilobed. Fruit a smooth capsule, opening from apex by 4 valves, more or less enclosed by calyx. Seeds subreniform. n=31; L.Haegi, Telopea 2: 174 (1981).
A genus of 3 species endemic in arid and temperate W.A.
L. Haegi, Australian genera of the Solanaceae, in J.G. Hawkes et al. Linn. Soc. Symp. Ser. 7: 121–124 (1979); L. Haegi, A conspectus of Solanaceae tribe Anthocercideae, Telopea 2: 173–180 (1981).
Changes since the Flora of Australia treatment
There have been no changes in the number of species since the Flora of Australia treatment.
Phylogenetic studies by Garcia & Olmstead (2003) on the Tribe Anthocercideae using two chloroplast DNA regions indicated that Anthotroche is monophyletic.
Reference: V.F.Garcia & R.G.Olmstead (2003). Phylogenetics of Tribe Anthocercideaea (Solanaceae) based on ndhF and trnL/F sequence data. Systematic Botany 28: 609-615.
Key to species
1 Leaves mostly obovate to obovate-elliptic; flowers funnel-shaped; corolla-lobes ovate-triangular; stamens included
A. myoporoides
1: Leaves usually ovate, elliptic or orbicular; flowers broadly rotate; corolla-lobes broadly ovate or broadly ovate-truncate; stamens exserted
2 Leaves woolly-tomentose with much-branched hairs; pedicel less than 2.5 mm long, woolly-pubescent with non-glandular hairs
A. pannosa
2: Leaves closely-tomentose with dendritic hairs; pedicel usually 5–15 mm long, pubescent with glandular hairs
A. walcottii