Strobilanthes scrobiculata

Strobilanthes scrobiculata Dalzell ex C.B.Clarke, Fl. Brit. India 4: 445 1884. (Syn: Supushpa scrobiculata (Dalzell ex C.B.Clarke) Suryan. (Unresolved));
 

Images
by Adittya Dharap (Identified by Shrikant Ingalhalikar) & Shrikant Ingalhalikar (Inserted by J.M.Garg)

 
 

Dalz. ms. ; leaves elliptic acuminate at both ends nearly glabrous, spikes numerous subsessile along the naked branches, corolla 1 in. blue.

BOMBAY GHAUTS ; Dalzell ; Mahabeleshwur, Ralph.
Woody branches elongate, much divided, leafless, covered with flowers, tips leafy. Leaves 3 by 1 in., nearly entire ; nerves 7 pair ; petiole 1/2 in. Spikes 1 in., subsessile, viscous hairy ; bracts 1/4 in., narrowly obovate, persistent in fruit ; bracteoles 1/3 in., sublinear. Calyx 1/2 in., divided nearly to the base ; segments linear, hairy. Corolla symmetric, nearly glabrous, pale below, a beautiful blue upwards ; ventricose part rather narrow longer than the contracted ; lobes ovate, crenulate. Stamens included glabrous. Style with a few hairs. Capsule 1/3 in., 4-seeded. Seeds 1/10 in., thin, ovate, densely covered with fine long hairs, elastic when wet, except the small areoles.—Appears to be the most beautiful species of the genus ; it is allied to S. ixiocephalus.
(From The Flora of British India (1884) from IBIS Flora )

 

 

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For Identification: AVD01 16092013 : Attachments (3). 4 posts by 3 authors.
Please help me identifying the plant in images posted herewith.
I found these images while sorting old data. I have no clue what they are and the images are from year somewhere 2001.
Hence am unable to provide any detail related to plant features.

Looks like an Acanthaceae member, may be a Strobilanthes sp.

Supushpa scrobiculata, Acanthaceae. These shrubs grow only on cliffs.
They are expected to bloom this October (2013) after a gap of 12 years. Pls go back there to enjoy.

Thank you so much for identifying this. I will try and go to the location this october !

 

 

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Flora Picture of the Year 2015-Shrikant Ingalhalikar : 10 posts by 9 authors. Attachments (1)
Shrubs of Strobilathus group are intriguing in respect of phenoloy. Remembering flowering years of several species is extremely interesting. Supushpa scrobiculata, a shrub occupying steep rocky cliffs of western ghats has a very special place in my mind due to its rareness, inaccessible locations and due to unknown lap between flowering years. I remember having crawled over the top of a cliff to take some bad pictures of its flowers in the year 2000. Later I kept visiting a spot in Mahabaleshwar each year in October only to find leafy twigs winking at me.
This year too I reached the not so difficult spot religiously and was delighted to watch leafless braches greeting me with abundant blue blooms.
I do not know how I missed the rare bloom in 2008 if the cycle was of 8 years.
I hope the plant shows me its bloom again sometime to let me guess its cycle.

Thanks, …, for showing this incredible species through your lens & persistence.
And what a picture!!!

Wonderful determination, …, the flowers are beautiful !!

Yes … great determination…Beautiful find after long wait….  

Beautiful picture and I appreciate your passion 
Thanks for sharing this rare beauty 

Thanks everyone for the appreciation.
Let me add here that one of the plant was close enough to allow images on my mobile phone. This one is from my Samsung.

 

  
 
 

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