Teliostachya
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Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1951. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, I. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: 1-117.
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Family
Acanthaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Herbs; leaves entire, bearing cylindrical cystoliths; flowers borne in cylindrical or ovoid spikes composed of verticillasters, the spikes solitary or several, borne at the tips of the branches, the verticillasters (subtended by 3-nerved bracts or the lowermost by a pair of ordinary leaves) consisting of 3 to 7 flowers, the lateral flowers subtended by 1- to 3-nerved bracts; bractlets 1-nerved; calyx divided nearly to base, the upper lobe the largest, 3-nerved, the lateral lobes 1-nerved, the lower lobes slightly longer than the lateral ones, 1- or 2-nerved; corolla about as long as the calyx, the tube cylindric, the throat slightly enlarged, the limb 2-lipped, the upper lip obtuse, emarginate, or subentire, the lower lip 3-parted, the lobes subequal, obtuse; stamens 4, didynamous, barely exserted; anthers 2-lobed, the lobes attached at unequal heights, the lower or sometimes both lobes apiculate at base; ovules 2 in each cavity; style 2-lobed, the lobes semi-globose; capsules oblong, sexangular, acute, each valve bearing 2 seeds; retinacula short; seeds lenticular, yellow, covered with mucous hairs. Herbs up to 50 cm. high, usually much branched, erect, decumbent or ascending, sometimes rooting at the lower nodes, short-pilose; leaf blades thin, ovate to elliptic, 3 to 8 cm. long, 2 to 3 cm. wide, acute or obtuse at apex, narrowed at base, repand or entire; spikes usually terminal, 2 to 8 cm. long, 1 to 1.5 cm. in diameter, many-flowered; bracts lanceolate to oblong, about 6 mm. long, venose, ciliate; calyx segments unequal, 4 to 6 mm. long, the anterior pair lanceolate, con-nate at the base, the lateral pair linear, the posterior segment obovate; corolla white or violet, about as long as the calyx; stamens 4, free at base, the anther sacs parallel, slightly unequal, blunt at base; capsules sessile, glabrous, 4-seeded, about 4 mm. long.