Mesosphaerum suaveolens (L.) Kuntze

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Photo: Bart Wursten
By the Vumba road, near Inn on the Vumba.

Photo: Martin Wesselink
C. 20 km from Mutare (around Zimunya), along Mutare-Birchenough Bridge road, before the toll gate

Photo: Mark Hyde
Northern side of Bulawayo Road, Kuwadzana, Harare

Photo: Mark Hyde
South of Shamva on A13

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Synonyms:	Ballota suaveolens L. Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit.
Common names:	Pignut (English) Spikenard (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Introduced
Description:	Erect, strongly aromatic branched annual or short-lived perennial herb up to 3 m tall. Stems 4-angled, velvety with longer hairs and gland dots. Leaves opposite, ovate, 2.5-10 cm long, cordate at the base, velvety on both sides, margin toothed; petiole 1-7 cm long. Young leaves often purple tinged, particularly on the margin. Flowers axillary pedunculate clusters. Calyx with 5 spine-like teeth, often dark purple, glandular. Corolla 2-lipped, mauve with dark purple lines at the base of the broad 2-lobed upper lip.
Notes:	The specimen in the photographs appears to represent the first record for the Eastern Division. Alistair Hull has supplied the following information about the history of the spread of this species in Zimbabwe. [Regarding the species establishing itself at Mana Pools ... ], perhaps the word 'established itself at Mana Pools' at this point is a bit premature but the image I took was on the river frontage at Mana and it certainly will not be long before it is 'established' there as it certainly is now well established along the Makuti/Chirundu road from the Nyakasanga river bridge going north towards Chirundu. So of interest with this species is that when Bob Drummond and myself went to the Bazaruto archipelago in 1995 to do a vegetation survey there, Bob pointed the species out to me not far from the border post on the Mozambique side and told me it was 'spreading fast' but had not yet been recorded in Zimbabwe. As you know, I then found the species growing at the 133 km peg on the Gokwe road on 17/6/1997. After that I found it growing near the Nyakasanga river bridge on the valley floor in about 2010 and then along the Binga/Karoi road in 2015, so all very interesting. Alistar Hull, in litt., 22 July 2017.
Derivation of specific name:	suaveolens: sweet-scented.
Habitat:	Along roadsides, in disturbed areas or as a weed of abandoned cultivation.
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:	All year
Worldwide distribution:	Native to Central America. Introduced in many tropical areas of the world
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,C,E
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:	Saturday 23 January 2010
Literature:	Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 840. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 55. Paton, A.J. et al. (2013). Lamiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 8(8) Pages 106 - 108.

Other sources of information about Mesosphaerum suaveolens:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Mesosphaerum suaveolens
Flora of Caprivi: Mesosphaerum suaveolens
Flora of Mozambique: Mesosphaerum suaveolens

External websites:

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