8154.000 Pentas Benth.

Description of the genus

Perennial herbs, subshrubs or shrubs. Stipules divided into filiform segments. Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3-5. Flowers bisexual, mono-, di- or (rarely) tri-morphic, mostly in branched terminal cymose inflorescences. Calyx lobes usually 5, either equal or unequal with 1-3 larger than the others, sometimes leaf-like. Ovary 2-locular. Capsule ovoid or obtriangular, ribbed, beaked, opening at apex. Seeds minute.

Worldwide: 34 species from Africa to Arabia and Madagascar

Malawi: 13 taxa.

Pentas schimperiana subsp. schimperiana

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

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
angustifolia (A.Rich. ex DC.) Verdc.SDescription, Image
bussei K. KrauseN,S
decora S.Moore var. decora NDescription, Image
lanceolata (Forssk.) Deflers subsp. quartiniana (A. Rich.) Verdc. var. oncostipula (K. Schum.) Verdc.[NrEnd]C
lindenioides (S.Moore) Verdc. N
longiflora Oliv.S
nobilis S. MooreCDescription, Image
pubiflora S. Moore
purpurea Oliv. subsp. purpurea N,C,SDescription, Image
schimperiana (A.Rich.) Vatke subsp. schimperiana NDescription, Image
schumanniana K. KrauseN,C
zanzibarica (Klotzsch) Vatke subsp. milangiana (Verdc.) Verdc.SDescription, Image
zanzibarica (Klotzsch) Vatke subsp. zanzibarica var. zanzibarica SImage

Other sources of information about Pentas:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Pentas
Flora of Mozambique: Pentas
Flora of Zambia: Pentas
Flora of Zimbabwe: Pentas

External websites:

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

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: Pentas.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1366, retrieved 28 March 2024

Site software last modified: 12 October 2020 11:05pm
Terms of use