Blepharis spinipes Vollesen

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Acanthaceae > Blepharis

Characteristics

Dome-shaped shrub, ± 30 cm tall; young branches minutely puberulous on one side, glabrous on the others. Leaves with scattered minute bulbous-based hairs, otherwise glabrous; lamina narrowly elliptic-obovate, largest ± 2.5 x 0.4 cm; margin conspicuously thickened, white, on each side with 3-5 spreading triangular mucronate teeth; persistent base of petiole on each side with 1-2 teeth to 5 mm long. Spikes 1.5-2 cm long, 2-flowered; peduncle 2-4 mm long, with 4-5 pairs of sterile bracts, 2 upper pairs like fertile; fertile bracts green to pale brown, becoming straw-coloured, glabrous, obovate, ± 18 x 8 mm of which the straight or slightly recurved triangular spinose tip ± 5 mm, on each side with 4-5 teeth of which the longest 3-4 mm. Bracteoles ± 12 x 1 mm, narrowly oblanceolate, acute and mucronate. Sepals sparsely minutely sericeous-puberulous towards apex (dorsal), otherwise glabrous, ciliate; dorsal ± 14 mm long, 4-veined from base, ovate with a long subligulate apical part, apex acute with 1-3 small teeth; ventral ± 11 mm long, 4-veined from base, broadly ovate, narrowing gradually to an apex with two narrowly triangular mucronate teeth ± 1.5 mm long; lateral ± 7 mm long, ovate. Corolla very pale whitish blue, ± 20 mm long of which the tube ± 5 mm; limb spathulate, ± 12 mm wide, uniformly hairy beneath with upward-directed hairs, central lobe wider than long, truncate, slightly narrowed at base; filaments ± 6 mm long, sparsely glandular, all hairy towards base; appendage 1-2 mm long, oblong, rounded; anthers ± 3 mm long. Capsule ± 9 mm long; seed not seen.
Life form -
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.3
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Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 7-9
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Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

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Distribution

Blepharis spinipes world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1017543-1
WFO ID wfo-0000566751
COL ID M5ZF
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Blepharis spinipes