Blepharis diversispina (Nees) C.B. Clarke

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Photo: Ton Rulkens
Close to Covane Community Lodge, west of Massingir Town, Massingir District.

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Synonyms:	Acanthodium diversispinum Nees Blepharis grisea S. Moore Blepharis pruinosa sensu Obermeyer in part, non Engl.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Erect or decumbent shrubby perennial herb, up to 1 m tall, sometimes cushion-forming. Leaves lanceolate, elliptic or slightly obovate, 2-6.5 cm long, more or less densely appressed hairy; margin with up to 20 triangular mucronate teeth on each side. Some leaf axils with rigid spines. Spikes 2-10-flowered, 1.5-5.5 cm long. Lower bracts modified into 2-4 pairs of straw-coloured spines, up to 25 mm long. Bracts more or less broadly elliptic-obovate with conspicuous transverse veins, more or less densely hairy, 15-34 mm long, spine-tip recurved, 5-16 mm long with 1-7 narrow spines on each side of the margin. Corolla pale to deep blue or dark mauve, rarely creamy-white with blue veins, 20-33 mm long; lip broadly spathulate hairy below, 10-22 mm wide, central lobe wider than long, more or less truncate, somewhat narrowing towards the base.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	diversispina: with diverse, different spines
Habitat:	On sandy and gravelly soils in various types of deciduous woodland, such as Brachystegia, Acacia, Combretum-Terminalia and Mopane woodland. Also in grassland, often in overgrazed and disturbed areas.
Altitude range:	Up to 1150 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa.
Mozambique distribution:	GI
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Sunday 29 November 2020
Literature:	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 13. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 17. Also as Blepharis pruinosa Vollesen, K. (2000). Blepharis (Acanthaceae). A taxonomic revision. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Pages 136 - 140. (Includes a picture). Vollesen, K. (2013). Acanthaceae (Part 1) Flora Zambesiaca 8(5) Pages 69 - 70.

Other sources of information about Blepharis diversispina:

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Flora of Botswana: Blepharis diversispina
Flora of Zimbabwe: Blepharis diversispina

External websites:

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