Strobilanthes gracilis Bedd. (syn: Mackenziea gracilis (Bedd.) Bremek.; Strobilanthes beddomei T. Anders.);
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India (SW-Ghats (Kerala,Tamil Nadu)) as per Catalogue of Life
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Common name: Slender Coneflower • Malayalam: Thokakurinji
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Thick shrubs; stems obtusely quadrangular, glabrous. Leaves 12-15 x 4-6 cm, elliptic, decurrent and auricled at base, acuminate at apex, serrate; lateral nerves 6-7 pairs; petiole 3-5 cm long. Spikes panicled, terminal and upper axillary; bracts 7 x 2 mm, oblanceolate, glandular hairy. Flowers 1-3 in a spike; sepals 9 x 1.5 mm, tube 1 mm long, lobes oblanceolate; corolla 30 mm long; tube narrow below, ventricose above, hairy; staminal filaments hairy. Capsule 14 x 7 mm, elliptic, compressed; seeds 3.5 x 3 mm, orbicular, flat.
Flowering and fruiting: April-June
Evergreen forests
Southern Western Ghats
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)

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Strobilanthes gracilis at Munnar- PKA14 : 7 posts by 5 authors. Attachments (6)- around 700 kb each.

Seen this tall Shrub (Almost 4 to 5 metre in height) in a Shola Forest near Munnar.
Profuse flowering of this sp. was treat to the eyes.
Bot. Name: Strobilanthes gracilis
Family: Acanthaceae


love it, nice series, … one more set of pictures of strobilanthes flowers of 2018. what’s striking is the candelabra like upward point buds and reminder calyces?


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Strobilanthes ¿ species ?
The shrub about 3m high; flower about 4 – 5 cm long, 2 – 2.5 cm across.
at Doddabetta, Ooty on November 17, 2011


… you are great to post this much nice images on account of Acanthaceae fortnight, it may be Strobilanthes zenkeriana T.Anderson, which is reported from Doddabetta (in PF Fyson flora of south indian Hill station)


Interesting plant …, could this be Strobilanthus foliosus?


Thank you very much … for suggesting the IDs.

I found botanical painting of Strobilanthes zenkeriana at Plant Illustrations ORG … the leaves are kind of round rather than elliptical.
At India Nature Watch I found one closeup of Strobilanthus foliosus flowers, and hint of a leaf.
Let me check the descriptions and then come back to this post.


Adding more photos with the hope that it helps in ID. These are cropped versions of the photos already put at the top of this thread.

The oily sheen on the plant (especially seen on the leaves) is the deposit of fuel emission from vehicles.
4 images.

Check for S.ciliatus as well


Many thanks … for resurfacing this query, seemingly a different Strobilanthes.

Many thanks to … too for his thoughts. But I am sure this would not be S. ciliatus – which is relatively a small herb/subshrub growing under cover of evergreen forest with very small flowers.


This is Strobilanthes gracilis Bedd. as per comparative images at Strobilanthes

 


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References: Catalogue of Life  GBIF (with type specimens) Flowers of India  India Biodiversity Portal  Kerala Tourism  POWO

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