Strobilanthes

Persian shield Strobilanthes dyerianus, copyright Kristine Paulus.

Belongs within: Acanthoideae.

Strobilanthes is a diverse genus of flowering plants, mostly herbs and shrubs, found in tropical regions of Asia.

Characters (from Flora of China): Herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, or rarely small trees, isophyllous or weakly to strongly anisophyllous, woody species commonly pliestesial (living for several years then dying after flowering and fruiting). Stems and branches usually 4-angled, often sulcate, basally becoming woody and hollow with age. Leaves opposite, petiolate or sessile; leaf blade adaxially usually with prominent linear cystoliths and sometimes also abaxially, margin variously dentate, serrate, crenate, undulate, or entire. Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal, bracteate heads, headlike clusters, spikes (sometimes distinctly secund), or less commonly of pedicellate flowers forming an open panicle; sterile bracts usually resembling reduced leaves and often present in compound inflorescences; floral bracts usually different from leaves, persistent or caducous as flowers open, very variable in size and shape, sometimes of two types with basal sterile bracts (outermost bracts in a capitate inflorescence) differing from inner or apical fertile ones; bracteoles 2 per pedicel, usually small, sometimes absent. Calyx usually 5-lobed to base, commonly accrescent in fruit; lobes equal or with middle one distinctly longer than others, sometimes partially fused to form a bipartite or tripartite calyx. Corolla nearly always bluish, rarely white, yellow, or pink, tubular or funnel-shaped, inside usually glabrous apart from trichomes retaining style; tube either gradually widened from base or narrowly cylindric and then abruptly widened, campanulate or gibbous; limb 5-lobed; lobes usually ovate, equal or subequal, spreading, contorted in bud. Stamens usually 4 and didynamous (rarely 2, 2 fertile with 2 staminodes, or 4 fertile with a central staminode), basally monadelphous; usually 2 filaments distinctly longer than other 2; anthers included or exserted, bithecous; thecae oblong or subspherical, parallel, erect or incurved, glabrous, basally muticous, rarely with connective extended to a mucronate tip; pollen spherical or ellipsoid, echinulate and/or variously ribbed, usually tricolporate. Ovary oblong to obovoid, 2-locular, with 2(-8) ovules per locule; style filiform, long, slender, simple, sometimes persistent after corolla falls, retained in place by trichomes on one side of corolla tube; stigma 2-cleft with one branch longer. Capsule characteristically oblong to narrowly obovoid but sometimes fusiform to narrowly ellipsoid, (2-)4(-16)-seeded; retinacula strong, curved. Seeds usually ovate or orbicular in outline and lenticular by being flattened, usually pubescent with appressed mucilaginous trichomes which become spreading when wetted, trichomes caducous in a very few species with seed glabrescent; areola usually very small but occasionally extending as a glabrous area over much of seed surface.

<==Strobilanthes WS09 (see below for synonymy)
    |--S. accrescens WS09
    |--S. affinis [=Tarphochlamys affinis] WS09
    |--S. apoensis (Elmer) Merr. 1923 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. assimulata [=Psacadopaepale assimulata] WS09
    |--S. atropurpurea WS09
    |--S. auriculata WS09
    |--S. autapomorpha WS09
    |--S. axilliflora WS09
    |--S. barisanensis (Bremek.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. bilabiata Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. borii Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. calcicola WS09
    |--S. calycina SV00
    |--S. candida WS09
    |--S. capitata WS09
    |--S. celebica (Bremek.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. chaffonjonii SV00
    |--S. chrysodelta Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. consanguinea SV00
    |--S. crispa WS09
    |--S. cruciata (Bremek.) Terao 1980 [=Tetragoga cruciata Bremek. 1944; incl. T. nagaensis Bremek. 1944] WS09
    |--S. cuneata WS09
    |--S. cusia [=Baphiacanthus cusia] WS09
    |--S. cuspidatus VD03c
    |--S. decipiens WS09
    |--S. diandra (Nees) Alston 1931 (see below for synonymy) VA06
    |--S. disparifolia Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. dupeni Bedd. ex Clarke 1884 [incl. *Kanjarum palghatense Ramamurthy 1971] VD03b
    |--S. dyerianus SV00
    |--S. echinata WS09
    |--S. erecta [incl. S. orbicularis] WS09
    |--S. exsertus Clarke 1884 [=Stenosiphonium zeylanicum Anderson 1867] VD03a
    |--S. filiformis WS09
    |--S. flexicaulis WS09
    |--S. fragrans Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. fusca Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. gardneriana VA06
    |--S. gigantoides WS09
    |--S. glabrata WS09
    |--S. glomerata WS09
    |--S. gossypina Anderson 1867 WS09
    |--S. helicoides VA06
    |--S. henryi [=Paragutzlaffia henryi] WS09
    |--S. hookeri SV00
    |--S. hossei WS09
    |--S. humilis VA06
    |--S. hypomalla WS09
    |--S. inflata WS09
    |--S. insularis WS09
    |--S. involucrata WS09
    |--S. isophyllus B00
    |--S. jeyporensis VA06
    |--S. kjellbergii Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. koordersii WS09
    |--S. kunthiana WS09
    |--S. labordei WS09
    |--S. lamiifolia WS09
    |--S. lanatus [incl. S. gossypinus] VD03c
    |--S. lancifolia SV00
    |--S. lanyuensis WS09
    |--S. lawsoni Gamble 1923 (see below for synonymy) VD03c
    |--S. longipedunculata Terao ex Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. longistaminea Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. lurida SV00
    |--S. maculata SV00
    |--S. mastersii WS09
    |--S. microcarpa WS09
    |--S. mogokensis WS09
    |--S. multangula WS09
    |--S. muratae Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. neilgherrensis VD05
    |--S. orientalis Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. panichanga WS09
    |--S. paniculiformis WS09
    |--S. parvifolia Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. pentstemonoides WS09
    |--S. persicifolia (Lindl.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |    |--S. p. f. persicifolia WS09
    |    `--S. p. f. isophylla (Nees) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. pterygorrhachis WS09
    |--S. pulneyensis Clarke in Hooker 1884 (see below for synonymy) VD05
    |--S. pusilla Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. ramulosa Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. refracta WS09
    |--S. renschiae WS09
    |--S. rhamnifolia SV00
    |--S. rhombifolia WS09
    |--S. rufescens WS09
    |--S. rufopaupera WS09
    |--S. sabiniana WS09
    |--S. schomburgkii (Craib) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. sessilis VD03b
    |--S. simonsii Anderson 1867 WS09
    |--S. simplex WS09
    |--S. stenodon WS09
    |--S. straminea WS09
    |--S. sulawesiana Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. tanakae Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. tashiroi WS09
    |--S. teraoi WS09
    |--S. tetracantha WS09
    |--S. tibetica WS09
    |--S. tomentosa (Nees) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 (see below for synonymy) WS09
    |--S. trichantha Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. urceolaris WS09
    |--S. urophylla WS09
    |--S. vallicola WS09
    |--S. walkeri SV00
    |--S. warburgii WS09
    |--S. wardiana Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 WS09
    |--S. wilsonii WS09
    |--S. winckelii WS09
    |--S. zenkeriana WS09
    `--S. zeylanica WS09

Strobilanthes WS09 [incl. Adenacanthus SV00, Adenostachya SV00, Baphiacanthus WS09, Buteraea SV00, Ctgenopaepale SV00, Didyplosandra SV00, Diflugossa SV00, Ditrichospermum SV00, Dossifluga SV00, Echinopaepale WS09, Endopogon SV00, Eriostrobilus SV00, Gutzlaffia WS09, Gymapsis SV00, Hymenochlaena SV00, Kanjarum Ramamurthy 1971 VD03b, Kjellbergia SV00, Lamiacanthus SV00, Larsenia SV00, Leptacanthus WS09, Lissospermum SV00, Listrobanthes SV00, Mackenziea SV00, Microstrobilus SV00, Nilgirianthus SV00, Pachystrobilus SV00, Parachampionella SV00, Paragoldfussia SV00, Paragutzlaffia WS09, Parastrobilanthes SV00, Parasympagis SV00, Perilepta SV00, Phlebophyllum Nees 1832 SV00, C49, Pleocaulus SV00, Psacadopaepale WS09, Pseudaechmanthera SV00, Pseudostenosiphonium WS09, Pteroptychia SV00, Pyrrothrix SV00, Semnostachya SV00, Semnothyrsus SV00, Sinthroblastes SV00, Supushpa SV00, Sympagis SV00, Taeniandra SV00, Tarphochlamys WS09, Tetraglochidium SV00, Tetragoga SV00, Tetragompha SV00, Thelepaepale SV00, Triaenacanthus SV00, Xanthostachya SV00]

Strobilanthes apoensis (Elmer) Merr. 1923 [=Hypoestes apoensis Elmer 1915, Goldfussia apoensis (Elmer) Bremek. 1944; incl. Strobilanthes boholensis Merr. 1926, Echinopaepale javanica Bremek. 1944, Hypoestes sibulanensis Elmer 1915, Strobilanthes sibulanensis (Elmer) Merr. 1926] WS09

Strobilanthes barisanensis (Bremek.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Paragoldfussia barisanensis Bremek. 1944; incl. P. caroensis Bremek. 1944] WS09

Strobilanthes celebica (Bremek.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Sericocalyx celebicus Bremek. 1944, Se. celebicus var. caudatus Bremek 1944; incl. Se. celebicus var. calcitrapa Bremek. 1944] WS09

Strobilanthes diandra (Nees) Alston 1931 [=Stenosiphonium diandrum Nees 1847, Str. diandrus, Str. exareolatus Clarke 1884] VA06

Strobilanthes kjellbergii Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Kjellbergia celebica Bremek. 1948 non S. celebica (Bremek.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009] WS09

Strobilanthes lawsoni Gamble 1923 [=Phlebophyllum lawsoni (Gamble) Bremekamp 1944; incl. S. pushpangadanii Kumar et al. 2002] VD03c

Strobilanthes persicifolia (Lindl.) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Ruellia persicifolia Lindl. 1826; incl. R. anisophylla Loddiges 1826, Goldfussia anisophylla (Loddiges) Nees 1832, Strobilanthes anisophylla (Loddiges) Anderson 1865] WS09

Strobilanthes persicifolia f. isophylla (Nees) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Goldfussia isophylla Nees 1832, S. anisophylla f. isophylla (Nees) Wood 1994, S. isophylla (Nees) Anderson 1865] WS09

Strobilanthes pulneyensis Clarke in Hooker 1884 [=Xenacanthus pulneyensis (Clarke) Bremekamp 1944; incl. S. circarensis Gamble 1923, Nilgirianthus circarensis (Gamble) Bremekamp 1944] VD05

Strobilanthes schomburgkii (Craib) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Hemigraphis schomburgkii Craib 1911, Sericocalyx schomburgkii (Craib) Bremek. 1944] WS09

Strobilanthes sulawesiana Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Sericocalyx collina Bremekamp 1948 non Strobilanthes collina Nees 1832] WS09

Strobilanthes tomentosa (Nees) Wood in Wood & Scotland 2009 [=Aechmanthera tomentosa Nees in Wallich 1832, A. wallichii Nees 1847 (nom. illeg.); incl. Strobilanthes blinii Lév. 1913, S. bodinieri Lév. 1913, S. cavaleriei Lév. 1913, Aechmanthera claudiae Bernardi 1963, A. wallichii var. gossypina subvar. fomentaria Nees 1847 (nom. illeg.), Ruellia gossypina Wall. 1830 non Strobilanthes gossypina Anderson 1867, A. gossypina (Wall.) Nees 1832, A. leiosperma Clarke 1884, A. wallichii var. gossypina subvar. leuconeura Nees 1847, A. tomentosa var. wallichii Clarke 1884 (nom. illeg.) non A. wallichii Nees 1847] WS09

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B00] Braby, M. F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and distribution vol. 2. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood (Victoria).

[C49] Crookes, M. W. 1949. A revised and annotated list of New Zealand Filicinae. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 77 (2): 209–225.

[SV00] Scotland, R. W., & K. Vollesen. 2000. Classification of Acanthaceae. Kew Bulletin 55 (3): 513–589.

[VA06] Venu, P., & W. D. Albertson. 2006. The identity of Stenosiphonium wrightii Bremek. (Acanthaceae). Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 48: 211–216.

[VD03a] Venu, P., & P. Daniel. 2003a. Is Hemigraphis venosa C.B. Clarke (Acanthaceae) extinct? Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 45: 91–96.

[VD03b] Venu, P., & P. Daniel. 2003b. What is Kanjarum palghatense Ramam. (Acanthaceae)? Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 45: 97–104.

[VD03c] Venu, P., & P. Daniel. 2003c. How distinct is Strobilanthes pushpangadanii E.S.S. Kumar & Al. from S. lawsoni Gamble (Acanthaceae)? Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 45: 105–110.

[VD05] Venu, P., & P. Daniel. 2005. Strobilanthes circarensis Gamble, a synonym of S. pulneyensis C.B. Clarke (Acanthaceae). Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 47: 87–92.

[WS09] Wood, J. R. I., & R. W. Scotland. 2009. New and little-known species of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) from India and south east Asia. Kew Bulletin 64 (1): 3–47.