Dicliptera pumila (Lindau) Dandy ex Brenan

Flora Zambesiaca Acanthaceae (part 2) by Iain Darbyshire, Kaj Vollesen and Ensermu Kelbessa

Morphology General Habit

Pyrophytic suffrutex, usually with many ± erect flowering shoots, 5–15 cm tall, later leafy shoots straggling or decumbent, to 30–40 cm long, rarely bearing flowers; stems 6-angular, furrowed, flowering shoots puberulous, sometimes also pilose (rarely densely so), with short capitate glandular hairs; leafy stems glabrous or sparsely puberulous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Flowering shoots often largely leafless; mature leaves elliptic, obovate or oblanceolate, 2–7 × 0.7–2 cm, base cuneate, apex acute, shortly ciliate and with short hairs on veins beneath; lateral veins 4–5 pairs; petiole to 5 mm long. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, 1(2) per axil, cymules usually solitary but appearing umbellately arranged at apex of branches; primary peduncle (2)7–35(95) mm long, puberulous, usually with interspersed capitate glandular hairs, sometimes also sparsely to densely pilose; main axis bracts absent; cymules several- to many-flowered, subcapitate or spiciform, to 1–5.5(9) cm long; flowers sessile, each subtended by one bract and a pair of bracteoles, except terminal flower where bracts paired; bracts green towards base, often darker blackish- or brown-green towards apex, linear-lanceolate, subulate or oblanceolate, bracts subequal throughout head/spike, 4–11 × 0.8–3.2 mm, apex abruptly or more gradually attenuate, apiculate, surface puberulous and with few to numerous capitate glandular hairs, margin and midrib often finely long-pilose, or whole surface rarely densely so, margin narrowly hyaline towards base; bracteoles linear, 3.5–10.5 × 0.6–1 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx lobes 2–5 mm long, puberulent and with sparse glandular hairs, ciliate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 10–22 mm long, white, pale pink, mauve or blue, with pink to purple guidelines, eglandular-pubescent externally; tube 5–11 mm long; lip held in upper position oblong(-ovate), 5–12.5 × 3–5.5 mm; lip held in lower position elliptic or obovate, 4.5–11.5 × 3–6.5 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Staminal filaments 4.5–13 mm long, sparsely hairy; anther thecae 0.75–1 mm long, superposed and becoming separated.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 5.5–8.5 mm long, puberulous, with interspersed short glandular hairs; placental base elastic.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1.5–2 mm in diameter, tuberculate.

Distribution

Also in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, D.R. Congo,Burundi, Tanzania and Angola.

Ecology

Recently burnt montane grassland, short grassland, periodically burnt miombo woodland, and bare ground by roadsides; 600–2350 m.

Conservation

Conservation notes: Common constituent of periodically burnt grassland and open woodland; Least Concern.