| Home | > | List of families | > | Acanthaceae | > | Ruspolia | > | australis |
| Synonyms: |
Ruspolia hypocrateriformis (Vahl) Milne-Redh. subsp. australis Milne-Redh. |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Scrambling or decumbent shrub to 4m tall; plant drying black. Leaves opposite, ovate to elliptic, largest 7-14 cm long, narrowed below into a decurrent base, hairless or sparsely hairy; petiole ill-defined, to 2 cm long. Flowers borne in 3-7-flowered cymules forming dense cymes, 2-6 cm long; lower nodes in inflorescence to 1(-2) cm long. Inflorescence axis bearing curly hairs, without any stalked capitate glands. Calyx 5-9 mm long, curly-hairy. Corolla bright red with darker spots towards the centre and on the outside of the lobes with scattered stalked capitate glands but no hairs; tube linear, 2-3 cm long; lobes elliptic, 7-12 mm long. Capsule 3.8-4.8 cm long. Inner surface of the seed smooth. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | australis: southern |
| Habitat: | |
| Altitude range: | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. |
| Mozambique distribution: | N,T,M |
| Growth form(s): | Shrub over 2 m. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Darbyshire, I., Vollesen, K. & Kelbessa, E. (2015). Acanthaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 8(6) Pages 134 - 135. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 274. As Ruspolia hypocrateriformis australis Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 388 - 389. as Ruspolia hypocrateriformis var. australis (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 14. as Ruspolia hypocrateriformis var. australis Plowes, D.C.H. & Drummond, R.B. (1990). Wild Flowers of Zimbabwe. Revised edition. Longman, Zimbabwe. No. 131, plate 172 Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust. Durban. Pages 78 - 79. as Ruspolia hypocrateriformis (Includes a picture). Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 612 - 613. as Ruspolia hypocrateriformis var. australis (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 19. as Ruspolia hypocrateriformis australis |
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