Strobilanthes bracteata

Strobilanthes bracteata (Wall. ex Nees) J.R.I. Wood, Edinburgh J. Bot. 51: 232 1994. (syn: Goldfussia bracteata Wall. ex Nees; Ruellia bracteata Wall.; Ruellia quadrangularis Wall.; Strobilanthes quadrangularis (Wall.) C. B. Cl.);
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India (C- to W-Himalaya), Nepal as per Catalogue of Life;
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As per efi thread:

Please note that S. atropurpurea has a glabrous corolla, foliose bracteoles and calyx with distinct subequal linear calyx lobes – the corolla is usually distinctly ventricose.
Strobilanthes bracteata and S. pentstemenoides are closely related and have one calyx lobe longer than the others at least in fruit. S. pentstemenoides is strongly anisophyllous with glabrous corolla. S. bracteata is isophyllous with a pubescent corolla. The leaves of S bracteata are pubescent. S. pentememoides var dalhouseana also has hairy leaves whereas var pentstemenoides has glabrous leaves. The bracts of S. bracteata are less obviously scarious than those of S. pentstemenoides. 
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Kailash-Manasarovar Yatra::Strobilanthes atropurpureus NSJ-OCT 16/08 : 8 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (3)
Strobilanthes atropurpureus for validation. Photo taken on the way to Gala from Sirkha (Uttarakhand) on Aug 14, 2016, height approx. 8000 feet.

I do not think it matches with images at Strobilanthes atropurpureus Nees

This is Strobilanthes bracteata (Nees) J.R.I.Wood and is the first photo I have seen of this species. It looks like Ipomoea pentstemonoides (Not at all like S. atropurpurea) but differs in the pubescent corolla (easily visible), pubescent bracts (I can’t really see the hairs but I think they are there) and the subequal leaves. I would be grateful for a more precise location if possible.

These Strobilanthes were located at several places between Sirkha (Altitude 8500 feet) to Gala (Altitude 7800 feet). On subsequent days of further trek at higher altitudes the flowers were not seen. Only at a particular stretch these flowers were located. I will further send these details on a google map.

Most pleased that there is input from … about Strobilanthes – I have struggled with a number of these over the years!
But can he, as this species is not in ‘The Plant List’ as an accepted species nor in ‘Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal’ nor ‘Flora of Bhutan’ what the synonyms are and which spp. it was likely to have been thought to have been, until S.bracteata was recognised and named?Might he also tell us what the current thinking as to how to separate Pteracanthus from Strobilanthes – both genera are included in the ‘Enumeration..’ above but only Stroblilanthes within ‘Flora of Bhutan’?

Strobilanthes bracteata is the correct name for the plant treated as Strobilanthes quadrangularis in the Flora of British India. It was originally described as Goldfussia bracteata by Nees and is I think is treated under this name in the Enumeration of the Flowering Plants  of Nepal. This species does not occur in Bhutan or Sikkim but is restricted to western Nepal and neighbouring parts of Uttaranchal.
The genus Strobilanthes was divided into many segregate genera by Bremekamp and others but there is no morphological, palynological  or molecular support for these segregate genera. Certain groups can be discerned but they intergrade with others and the “key” character is often lost in obviously closely related species or occurs elsewhere. To give one example the genus Aechmanthera (A. gossypina = Strobilanthes tomentosa) is based partly on having an excurrent anther connective and partly on having 6-8-seeded capsules. There is nothing odd about its pollen. The excurrent anther connective is found in various other species – for example Strobilanthes echinata and its allies while 6-8-seeded capsules are found in various other species unrelated to those with the excurrent anther connective. None of the segregate genera, which include Pteracanthus, Sympagis, Aechmanthera, Goldfussia, Sericocalyx,  Aechmanthera and over 20  others, can be accepted. I regard these all as Strobilanthes as do others working on Strobilanthes such as Venu in India and Deng in China besides Terao (Japan) and my colleagues at Oxford.
I hope this is helpful.
Yes, this helps a great deal.
Just goes to show the complexities involved. I imagine it is rather daunting for readers to appreciate that morphological characteristics (even those examined at x10-20 magnification or higher) cannot always be found to attempt to distinguish between species.
I am reminded of the numerous times during my involvement with attempting to identify plants in general and Himalayan ones in particular (the latter over a period of 35 years) of encountering people who believe and have the expectation that plant identification is a simple & easy process!
Also reminds us how invaluable it is to have those with familiarity and expertise in particular genera and families (who are willing to readily share it) – plus how much more study is required for Himalayan flora, sometimes for critical genera which need specialists to make sense of them.
And that for some species within some genera it is impossible to be sure which species a plant belongs to from a single, general image –
or even with the benefit of several close-ups.
But whether with a number of excellent close-up photos or a quality pressed specimens are available, some examples will be beyond us (at least for the time being).
The more one learns the more one realises how much one does not know…. Exhibiting caution with identifying plants is invariable a wise approach. Always mindful that the best one can say is “to the best of our current knowledge”.
Do not despair, challenges make life more interesting! Or at those of us, like myself, weird enough to enjoy the challenge. The world needs more eccentrics….

It does not look like Strobilanthes bracteata (Nees) J.R.I. Wood as recently identified by Dr. Wood at link.

I think this is a more typical example of Strobilanthes bracteata – note the bracts. It is not S. atropupurea.
Please note that S. atropurpurea has a glabrous corolla, foliose bracteoles and calyx with distinct subequal linear calyx lobes – the corolla is usually distinctly ventricose.
Strobilanthes bracteata and S. pentstemenoides are closely related and have one calyx lobe longer than the others at least in fruit. S. pentstemenoides is strongly anisophyllous with glabrous corolla. S. bracteata is isophyllous with a pubescent corolla. The leaves of S bracteata are pubescent. S. pentememoides var dalhouseana also has hairy leaves whereas var pentstemenoides has glabrous leaves. The bracts of S. bracteata are less obviously scarious than those of S. pentstemenoides. 

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Strobilanthes penstemonoides (Nees) T. Anderson: 5 very high res. images.

Location: Jumla, Nepal
Altitude:  2481m.
Date: 18 August 2021 
Habit : Wild 

I think this is Strobilanthes bracteata (Nees) J.R.I. Wood. Note hairy corolla and subequal leaves in each pair. It is an isophyllous plant unlike the anisophyllous Strobilanthes pentstemonoides.

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SK 3157 21 November 2021: 5 very high res. images.

Location: Jumla, West Nepal
Altitude: 2481m.
Date: 18 August 2021
Habit : Wild
Strobilanthes … ??

I think this is Strobilanthes pentstemonodes (Nees) T Anderson.

It is Strobilanthes bracteata as per Strobilanthes

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Strobilanthes:
These two posts are the same images wrongly posted twice and differently identified.
Could you please look into this ?
https://groups.google.com/g/indiantreepix/EwAJ
https://groups.google.com/g/indiantreepix/IBgAJ

Do these two sp. look similar ? But ID yet unconfirmed.

Lookng again at the photos, I can exclude Strobilanthes pentstemonoides. S. pentstemonoides should have a glabrous corolla (Yours is hairy) and very unequal leaves (Yours are nearly equal in each pair). Your plant clearly has unequal sepals (one longer than the others) and a bent corolla. Amongst the best possibilities from the Kathmandu region there is Strobilanthes lamiifolia. Do you know this species. Flowers are usually in a distinctively bracteate head (the bracts are foliose not scarious as in S. pentstemenoides) but the bracts fall). It usually grows in relatively dry Himalayan valleys at around 1000-1800 m. I think your plant might be this species.

These two posts are the same images wrongly posted twice and differently identified.
Could you please look into this ?
https://groups.google.com/g/indiantreepix/JEwAJ
I am not sure I can resolve this. The inflorescence looks like S. pentstemoinides but the leaves (isophyllous) are equal and this suggests another species possibly bracteata. Does Saroj have a photo of the whole plant?
If it is from the Kathmandu valley area it is most likely to be pentstemonoides. If from western Nepal, possibly S. bracteata.

It is from Jumla, West Nepal. If you open the enclosed links you can see 7/8 images including the whole plant.

I have found it. It looks like Strobilanthes bracteata being isophyllous with a pubescent corolla.

 

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References:
Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1  IPNI  GBIF (with type specimen) BSI Flora of India  IBIS Flora

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