Ruspolia decurrens (Hochst. ex Nees) Milne-Redh.

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Ruspolia decurrens

Photo: James Varden
Chewore Safari Area

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Synonyms: Eranthemum decurrens Nees
Eranthemum senense Klotzsch
Pseuderanthemum decurrens (Nees) Radlk.
Pseuderanthemum senense (Klotzsch) Radlk.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Scrambling or decumbent shrubby herb to 1 (-1.5) m tall with ascending flowering branches; plant drying green. Leaves opposite, ovate to elliptic, largest 5.5 - 17.5 cm long, abruptly narrowed below into a long decurrent base, hairless or sparsely hairy. Flowers solitary or in 3(-5)-flowered cymules forming unbranched cymes to 40 cm long; lower nodes in inflorescence to 1-4 cm long. Inflorescence axis finely hairy and with stalked capitate glands. Calyx 5-9 mm long, with hairs and stalked capitate glands. Corolla salmon-pink to orange-red with numerous darker spots towards the centre and on the outside of the lobes with long curly hairs but no stalked, capitate glands; tube linear, 1.8-2.8 cm long; lobes elliptic, 8-14 mm long. Capsule 2-3 cm long. Inner surface of the seed with irregular ridges.
Notes: Although the specific name of this species refers to the decurrent leafbase, this is not a reliable identification characteristic as in fact all three species in Zimbabwe have decurrent leaf bases.
Derivation of specific name: decurrens: decurrent, running down, referring to the leaf base running down the petiole.
Habitat: In riverine forest, shady places in woodland and rocky hills and on termite mounds.
Altitude range: (metres) 350 - 1300 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: CAR, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe distribution: N,W,E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated: Friday 23 October 2015
Literature:

Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 48.

Darbyshire, I., Vollesen, K. & Kelbessa, E. (2015). Acanthaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 8(6) Pages 137 - 138.

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 19.


Other sources of information about Ruspolia decurrens:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Ruspolia decurrens
Flora of Malawi: Ruspolia decurrens
Flora of Mozambique: Ruspolia decurrens
Flora of Zambia: Ruspolia decurrens

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ruspolia decurrens
African Plant Database: Ruspolia decurrens
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ruspolia decurrens
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ruspolia decurrens
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ruspolia decurrens
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ruspolia decurrens
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ruspolia decurrens
JSTOR Plant Science: Ruspolia decurrens
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ruspolia decurrens
Plants of the World Online: Ruspolia decurrens
Tropicos: Ruspolia decurrens
Wikipedia: Ruspolia decurrens


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Ruspolia decurrens.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=154040, retrieved 19 March 2024

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