Agapetes serpens (Wight) Sleumer

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ericaceae > Agapetes

Characteristics

Shrubs 40–60 cm tall. Rootstock tuberous. Twigs terete, 1–2 mm in diam., densely spreading glandular setose. Leaves crowded; petiole ca. 1 mm, glabrous; leaf blade pale green abaxially, deep green adaxially, narrowly ovate or ovate-oblong, 1.2–2 cm × 5–8 mm, leathery, abaxially smooth, adaxially drying transversely rugose, glabrous, secondary veins ca. 3 pairs, usually inconspicuous, base rounded, margin slightly recurved, serrate above middle, apex acute or obtuse, distinctly mucronulate. Inflorescences fasciculate, 1–3-flowered. Pedicel erect or pendulous, 0.7–2.5 cm, densely spreading glandular setose, slightly thicker at apex. Calyx tube 3.5–4 mm, 5-winged, along wings sparsely glandular setose; limb divided nearly to base; lobes ovate-triangular, 3.5–4.5 mm, glandular ciliate, apex acute or subobtuse. Corolla bright red, orange, or pinkish white, with dark red zig-zag bands, tubular, 1.2–2.8 cm, 5-angled, sparsely glandular; lobes recurved, triangular, 2–3(–6) mm. Filaments ca. 3 mm, glabrous; anthers ca. 1.9 cm, thecae papillate, base apiculate, tubules to 2 × as long as thecae, without spurs. Berry obovoid, 5-winged, ca. 6 mm in diam.; persistent calyx lobes enlarged. Fl. May–Jun, fr. May–Nov.
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A shrub which grows attached to other plants. The branches droop downwards. They grow from a large woody tuber. It is about 1 m high. The stems are bristly and brown. The leaves have short stalks. Leaves are 0.8-2 cm long by 0.8-0.4 cm wide. They are oval and thick and the edges are curved. The flowers are red and like tubes. Each flower has 5 distinct angles and a pattern of V shaped bars of darker red. The fruit is a berry. It has five wings.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 1.0 - 1.5
Mature height (meter) 1.0 - 1.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a subtropical plant. It grows between 1200-3000 m in Nepal in shady places. It suits hardiness zones 9-10.
Light 4-6
Soil humidity 5-7
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-11

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. The flowers are used to make chutney and pickles.
Uses -
Edible flowers fruits
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings of the branch.
Mode cuttings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Agapetes serpens unspecified picture

Distribution

Agapetes serpens world distribution map, present in Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:326131-1
WFO ID wfo-0000523142
COL ID 65MLX
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Agapetes serpens Thibaudia myrtifolia Pentapterygium serpens Vaccinium serpens