7971.000 Lepidagathis Willd.

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

Description of the genus

Perennial herbs and subshrubs. Leaves opposite, decussate. Cystoliths numerous, often conspicuous. Inflorescences of axillary or terminal, unilateral, fasciculate to spiciform cymes often aggregated into dense compound inflorescences; rarely a dichasial cyme or flowers solitary. Calyx deeply and unequally 5-lobed; posterior lobe broader than other lobes, anterior pair sometimes partly fused. Corolla 2-lipped; tube cylindric below, campanulate in throat; upper lip hooded; apex 2-lobed; lower lip with 3-lobed apex; palate upraised with a central furrow. Stamens 4, fertile, didynamous; anterior pair longer, 2-thecous, posterior pair shorter, 1-thecous or 2-thecous. Ovary 2-locular with 1-2 ovules per loculus. Capsule flattened, 2-seeded. Seeds held on retinacula, clothed with hygroscopic hairs.

Worldwide: c. 100 species in the tropics and subtropics

Malawi: 6 taxa.

Lepidagathis nemorosa

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
andersoniana LindauS
eriocephala LindauN,S
fischeri C.B. ClarkeN
lanatoglabra C.B. ClarkeN,C
nemorosa S. MooreNDescription, Image
pallescens S. Moore subsp. pallescens N,C

Other sources of information about Lepidagathis:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Lepidagathis
Flora of Caprivi: Lepidagathis
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Lepidagathis
Flora of Mozambique: Lepidagathis
Flora of Zambia: Lepidagathis
Flora of Zimbabwe: Lepidagathis

External websites:

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

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Genus page: Lepidagathis.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1338, retrieved 19 March 2024

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