Strobilanthes penstemonoides var. penstemonoides

Acanthaceae Fortnight :: Strobilanthes penstemmonoides :: Dharamshala, HP :: ARKMAR-68/80 :  1 post by 1 author. Attachments (5)
Attached are pictures of Strobilanthes penstemmonoides captured at Dharamshala, HP in October 2014.
Was posted on the forum earlier and identified by …

Not sure of ID; nice find; wonderful capture.

Sepals look different from … images at Strobilanthes penstemonoides var. dalhousieana 

This is Strobilanthes penstemonoides (Nees) T. Anderson.
 var dalhousiana (Strobilanthes dalhousiana) is simply a variant where the undersurface of the leaf is pubescent on the veins. I can’t see if that is the case in this example but it is fairly minor difference hardly worthy of recognition although it is more common further north (Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir).

I think this is Strobilanthes penstemonoides although it is hardly typical as the flowers are not truly “capitellate” and I can’t see any sign of the scarious caducous bracteoles. However  the corolla is glabrous, the sepals are glandular with one calyx lobe distinctly longer than the others so I think it must be that species. I would like to congratulate Ashwini Bhatia on the photos of the floral details. These show more clearly than I have ever seen the distinctive ellipsoid/suborbicular anthers, with the shorter anthers recurved, which are defining features of the “Goldfussia” group. 

Much branched shrubs, 1-3 m high; stems quadrangular, glabrous. Leaves in pairs clearly anisophyllous, ovate-elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, ca 16 x 6 cm, cuneate at base and decurrent on petiole, closely serrate at margin, acuminate at tip, glabrous, coriaceous, lineolate on both surfaces, dark green above and grayesh green beneath; secondary nerves ca 7 pairs arcuate, slightly raised beneath; petioles ca 1.5 cm; upper leaves completely sessile. Inflorescences capitate, subglobose, 1-3 heads enclosing by outer bracts on peduncles, 2-3 flowers in each head. terminal on main branches, much exceeding the subtending leaves, heads 1-2.5 cm, glandular and exactly globular when young; peduncles 2-8 cm long, glabrous, sometimes glandular-hairy, 1-2 together; bracts orbicular, concave, 8 mm-1.2 cm, obtuse, whitenend, glabrous, early caducous; bracteoles absent. Calyx 8 mm in flower, 1.2 cm in fruit, divided nearly to the base, lobes linear-lanceolate, acute at tip, invariably hairy; one of the lobes distinctly longer than others. Corolla 3.5 cm, minutely pubescent on narrow part of the tube, glabrous outside, pale purple, more or less curved at the base of ventricose portion; lobes 5, orbicular, sometimes sparsely long white hairy on margins, emarginated at apex. Stamens 4, included; staminal sheath extends 1/3 of ventricose portion, hairy on the margin; filaments in two heights; shorter filaments recurved, glabrous; longer filaments hairy; anthers 2-celled, muticous at base. Ovary on a disk; style puberulous, subexerted; stigma dilated above; one of the lobes suppressed. Capsules oblong-clavate, 1.5 cm, glandular-pubescent at apex, 4-seeded; seeds ovate, 3 mm, hairy; areoles very small.

Fl.& Fr.: August-March (flowering period varies in different places).

Habitat: Subtropical Himalaya, upto 2000-2500 m from Nepal to Bhutan, frequent, on river banks amidst grasses.

Distrib.: World: Bhutan, India and Nepal. India: Arunachal Pradesh (Tirap and Subansiri), Assam (Sibsagar), Nagaland (Naga hills) and Uttarakhand (Dehra Dun). 

Notes: S. pentstemonoides is known from extensive collections of Nepal. The leaves are very variable in size but are essentially elliptic in shape, flowers in pedunculate, bracteate heads terminal on axillary branchlets. The branchlets are usually relatively long, clearly exceeding the leaves and bearing a pair of relatively persistent leaflets at the branching point. The peduncles are usually glandular-pilose. The only difference between S. pentstemonoides and S. dalhousiana from the Western Himalaya is in the indumentum of the leaves and stem. In the former it is quite glabrous whereas in S.dalhousienana the stems and leaf veins are distinctly hairy.

Also refer to : J.R.I. Wood in Edinb. J. Bot. 51(2): & fig. 1994 & J.R.I. Wood, Acanthaceae in A.J.C. Grierson & D.G. Lal, Fl. Bhutan 2 (3): 2001.

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Yes. Pl. check comparative images in efi site.

The Blue trumphet flowering all around Kalatope.  Attachments (2)

I also was of the opinion that this is Pteracanthus sp. I think we had both on our trip. Yours is Pteracanthus with longer flowers and longer corolla tube on longer stalks and leaves greener beneath, whereas Aechmanthera gossypina (synj: Ruellia tomentosa) has smaller flowers (2-2.5 cm long) on shorter axillary cluster and leaves tomentose beneath. I will upload it separately.

Your plant resembles one on FOI but I think that identification is also wrong. Please see mine and decide.

Yes Sir As my id was solely based on FOI so i was wrong Thanks for correction and throwing light on matter

SK 2250 27 October 2019 : 11 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (4) – 1 mb or more.

Attachments (2)- 1 & 3 mb.

Pl. see more images.

It is difficult to be completely certain without a specimen but the form of growing, leaf shape and indumentum of the calyx looks right. However S… specimen has only one pair of flowers so not too easy to interpret. A well-developed inflorescence is important in identifying Strobilanthes. I attach an image of the type – there are very few collections of this species and more and better material is needed to be completely certain.
Attachments (1)

S.bheriensis do not occur in Kathmandu valley, I guess!

Strobilanthes pentstemonoides (Nees) T. Anderson var. pentstemonoides. according to …!

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SK 2819 03 November 2020 : 9 posts by 1 author. 8 images- 6 to 7 mb each.

Location: Kathmandu Valley

Date:  October 2020 

Elevation: 2800m.

Habitat  : Wild

ID for this Strobilanthes sp. please !

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I think this is Strobilanthes pentastemenoides (Nees) T. Anderson. It has the characteristic glabrous corolla and capitellate inflorescence. The bracts have fallen (as is common in more mature specimens) but one or two have fallen and are sticking to the glandular sepals and pedicels. I like the first (habit) photo as well as the details. By the way the type of S. pentastemonoides comes from the Kathmandu Valley.

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SK 2812 01 November 2020 : 16 posts by 3 authors. 1st correct 8 images- 5 to 7 mb each.

Location: Kathmandu Valley

Date:  October 2020 

Elevation: 2600m.

Habitat  : Wild

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Strobilanthes

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Absolutely.

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I missed this but it looks like an inflorescence rachis of Strobilanthes pentastemonoides from which most flowers (incl. calyx) have fallen- difficult to be certain.

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… some Strobilanthes species ?

… I am not sure of ID; … we will have to wait for comments.

Where did you find the name strobilanthes attracta var napaulensis, … ?
Strobilanthes pentstemonoides (Nees) T. Anderson var. pentstemonoides.

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SK 3658 04 December 2022: 9 very high res. images.

ID by Dr. Wood: Strobilanthes pentstemonoides (Wall. ex Nees) T.Anderson

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