Asystasia gangetica (L.) T.Anderson
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Authority
Leonard, Emery C. 1953. The Acanthaceae of Colombia, II. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 31: i-viii, 119-322.
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Family
Acanthaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Erect or ascending shrubs sometimes climbing or trailing; stems subquadrangular, branching, glabrous or sparingly pubescent, the hairs downwardly curved, about 0.25 mm. long; leaves ovate, up to 9 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, acute to rather abruptly acuminate, obtuse, rounded or subcordate at base and decurrent on the petiole, sparingly pubescent, the hairs confined chiefly to costa and lateral veins (4 or 5 pairs); petioles up to 3 cm. long, pubescent, the hairs spreading or curved, about 0.25 mm. long; spikes terminating the branches, up to 20 cm. long, the peduncles up to 5.5 cm. long, these and the rachis sparingly and minutely pubescent, the flowers more or less secund, the spikes subtended by a pair of short-petioled (3 to 5 mm. long) leaves slightly smaller than the average stem leaves; bracts and bractlets similar, triangular, acuminate, 1.5 to 2 mm. long, 0.75 to 1 mm. wide at base, ciliate, the hairs 0.5 mm. long; calyx about 1 cm. long, the segments linear-lanceolate, acuminate, about 8 mm. long and 0.75 to 1 mm. wide at base, rather sparingly hirsute, the hairs spreading, about 0.25 mm. long, some of them glandular, the tube more densely hirsute with the glandular hairs predominating; pedicels up to 4 mm. long, minutely hirsute, the hairs both glandular and eglandular; corolla hirtellous, white or pale yellow, drying yellow, the tube yellowish, green or purple (fide A. S. Hitchcock No. 16536, U. S. Nat. Herb. No. 1055847, collected at Georgetown, British Guiana), 3 to 4 cm. long, 3 mm. broad near base, narrowed to 3 mm. at 8 mm. above base, thence enlarged to 13 mm. at throat, the enlarged portion of the tube obconic, the lobes rounded, about 1.5 cm. in diameter, conspicuously and coarsely reticulate-veined; stamens in pairs, the longer pair about 13 mm. long, the shorter about 1 cm. long, the filaments of the longer stamens bearing a line of minute, glandular, spreading hairs, the anthers 3.5 mm. long and 1.5 mm. broad, short-apiculate at tip; ovary conical, 3 mm. long, densely pilosulous; style 16 mm. long, pilosulous at and near base; capsule clavate, 20 mm. long or more, minutely pilosulous, some of the hairs glandular; seeds 2, gray, about 3.5 mm. broad, roughened, the margins crenate.