Strobilanthes barbata Nees, Pl. Asiat. Rar. (Wallich). iii. 85. (syn: Nilgirianthus barbatus (Nees) Bremek.; Ruellia barbata Wall. Cat. ex Nees; Ruellia ciliata Herb. Madr. ex Wall. (ambiguous synonym); Strobilanthes barbatus var. bonaccordensis E. S. S. Kumar &
Raj Vikr.; Strobilanthes tetrapterus Dalz.) as per Catalogue of Life and efi thread;
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SW-India (Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu) as per Catalogue of Life;
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Gregarious shrubs, 3-4 m high, sometimes subscandent; stems quadrangular, often winged, sulcate, glabrous. Leaves opposite in unequal pairs, ca 15 x 8 cm, elliptic-lanceolate, decurrent at base, entire, crenulate or repand at margin, acute at apex, coriaceous, glabrous, rarely puberulous, lineolate above; lateral nerves 7-12 pairs, raised beneath; petioles winged, ca 5 cm long, often swollen at leaf base, auriculate at base (when winged). Inflorescences spikes, ca 5 cm long, sometimes subsessile 2-4-fascicled heads interrupted at base, dense-flowered; bract imbricate, orbicular, caudate at apex, ca 1.8 cm long, green, glabrous when young, ciliate and glandular-hairy in fruit, grooved in adaxial face, recurved; bracteoles ovate- lanceolate, ca 1.5 cm long, pubescent, ciliate. Calyx ca 1.2 cm long, united to 1/3 at base; lobes subequal, linear-lanceolate, minutely ciliate or not. Corolla tubular-campanulate, ca 2.5 cm long, glabrous outside, hairy inside, white; tubular base slightly shorter than upper campanulate portion; limb nearly erect; lobes 5, ovate-acute, ca 6 mm long, ciliate. Stamens 4, included or slightly exserted, didynamous, united; staminal sheath extending beyond cylinder base; shorter pair ca 3 mm long, hairy only at base; longer pair ca 5 mm long, hairy throughout; filaments arising from different levels on staminal sheath; staminode absent. Ovary glandular-hairy above; ovules 2 in each locule with lower pair smaller and suppressed in seed; style slender, ca 2 cm long. Capsules elliptic, ca 1.2 cm long, 2-seeded; seeds obovate-orbicular, subacute at apex, ca 6 mm across, thin, glabrous, exareolate.  

Flowering and fruiting: September-December
Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests
Western Ghats (Endemic)
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal
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Images by A. Shivaprakash (Identified by Giby Kuriakose) (Inserted by J.M.Garg)

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please find few photos of a Strobilanthus spp with winged stem and petiole; Is it S. ixiocephalus or S. neesianus?
Seen at Iruppu, Kodagu, Karnataka on 30.07.2011

This is Strobilanthes barbatus of Acanthaceae family. Flowers once in 7 years.

I doubt stem of S. ixiocephalus has wings or even quadrangular!
Another distinguishing character for these two species;
stem glabrous – S. barbatus
stem hairy- S. ixiocephalus
I am not familiar with S. neesianus/ (I think S. neesiana).


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Nilgirianthus barbatus (Nees) Bremek SN 41 : 2 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (2).
Nilgirianthus barbatus (Nees) Bremek,
erect tall wild under shrub from Bramhagiri area (Irpu falls) of coorg

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158 ID wild plant Strobilanthes:

Please ID wild plant,
Location: near Reserve Forest, Chathamattom, Ernakulam District, (Kochi) Kerala PIN:686671
Altitude: 1400fsl
Flower date: 03.09.2021, 01.15pm
Habitat: wild, moisture, nearby streaming or river, filtered sunlight
Plant habit: under shrub, erect, branches, hard stem 02cm diameter, perennial, roots from stem, stilt roots, died after blooming
Height: 09 feet
Leaves: opposite, ovate, oblong, apex, toothed margins, projected veins either side, purple under leaves, size:13×7cm or less
Flower: racemose, diameter:17mm, white, good fragrance
Fruit: capsule, green into brown, size:12×4×2mm
Seed: brown, 2 nos., pear shaped compressed, size:3×2mm
Camera: mobile Samsung Galaxy A21s

Could not find a match as per comparative images at Strobilanthes

Is it Strobilanthes or something else?


This is Strobilanthes barbatus Nees var. bonaccordensis Santhosh & Raj Vikraman, Journ. Econ. Tax. Bot. 25: 742. 2001. Unfortunately, this has been considered as a synonym of S. barbatus Nees now. I strongly felt that this variety might be standing alone as the typical variety has a winged stem and var bonaccordensis is a wing less stem often rounded in appearence.


I think this is Strobilathes barbata Nees. The gaping white corolla covered covered in long glandular hairs is characteristic.


 


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References: