Lobelia anceps L.F.

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Campanulaceae > Lobelia

Characteristics

Herb to c. 40 cm long, usually much less, with vegetative parts glabrous; sap clear. Stems erect to widespreading or prostrate, not usually rooting at nodes; branchlets narrowly winged, grooved. Lvs very variable; petioles flat, to c. 10 mm long. Lamina submembranous to ± succulent, entire or variously toothed; lamina of lower lvs (10)-15-40-(50) × (5)-8-20 mm, broad-ovate to oblong-ovate, sometimes purplish, decurrent at base. Lvs becoming narrower and petioles shorter above; uppermost lvs sessile, narrow, linear to lanceolate or spathulate, 10-60 × 1-5 mm (sometimes lf shape varies little from base to shoot apex). Peduncles 2-5-(7) mm long, usually puberulent. Calyx lobes 0.9-1.5 mm long, linear to triangular, acute or acuminate. Corolla 6-10 mm long, white, pale blue (often deeper blue on lower lip), less commonly pale pink; lobes of lower lip 5-8 mm long, linear to oblong. Capsule 6-12 mm long, narrow-clavate to almost cylindric.
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Glab. herb with erect to spreading stems and branches, up to ± 4 dm. tall, us. less; branchlets grooved and angled, ± narrowly winged. Lvs of rather diverse form, on flat petioles up to ± 10 mm. long. Lamina entire to obscurely to distinctly toothed, fleshy to submembr.; of lower lvs broad-to oblong-ovate, narrowed into winged decurrent petiole, (10)-20-40-(50) × (5)-8-15 mm.; of mid lvs subsessile, narrow-oblong to lanceolate, ± 20-50 × 5-10 mm.; of upper and subfloral lvs sessile, lanceolate to linear, 10-30 × 1-5 mm. On many plants the lf-shape is more constant. Fls ± 5-10 mm. long, on very slender peduncles up to ± 10 mm. long, occ. confined to uppermost part of branchlets. Receptacle cylindric, grooved. Calyx-lobes short, triangular to linear, acute to acuminate. Corolla white to pale blue, 6-7 mm. long; lobes linear to oblong, acute. Capsule ± 8-12 mm. long, narrow-clavate.
A small herb. It grows each year from seed. It has slender winged stems. It grows 30 cm high. The leaves are alternate , simple and well spaced. The upper leaves are long and narrow. The leaves near the base are 3 cm long. The leaves have small teeth. The flowers are small and pale blue. They are along stalks that can be at the end of the stems or in the axils of leaves. The fruit are dry narrow capsules.
Stamens 4–11 mm. long, attached to the corolla at the base; filaments linear, connate for most of their length, sparsely pubescent mainly at the base; anther–tube 1–2·4 mm. long, the two lower anthers with a short hyaline appendage and a tuft of hairs at the apex, the three upper anthers usually with a tuft of hairs on the back near the apex.
Corolla 6–15(18) mm. long, blue or violet, split to ± 0·5 mm. from the base on the back, short pubescent on the inside of the tube near the base, glabrous or sparsely and minutely hairy on the outside; upper lobes linear, not broadened at the base.
Leaves somewhat fleshy, usually glabrous; lower ones linear–oblong to spathulate, often petiolate and ± obtuse at the apex, up to 80 x 21 mm., sparsely dentate–serrate or denticulate; upper ones narrower, sessile, often acute.
Racemes often lax; pedicels 2–8(10) mm. long, puberulous, shorter or longer than the bracts; bracteoles ± 1 mm. long, at base of pedicel.
Perennial decumbent to erect herb up to 60 cm. tall; stems usually glabrous, winged, often rooting at lower nodes.
Capsule cylindrical–obconical, up to 12 mm. long, puberulous or glabrous, 10–nerved; valves ± 1·5 mm. long.
Seeds broadly elliptic to subcircular in outline, somewhat compressed, ± 0·4 mm. long, finely striate.
Calyx–lobes narrowly triangular, erect, 1–3 mm. long, glabrous or puberulous.
Hypanthium narrowly obconical, c. 10–nerved, puberulous or glabrous.
Life form
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in damp places. It can be be near streams and on coastal sand. In Tanzania it grows from sea level to 1,800 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The young leaves are chopped and cooked. Caution:
Uses medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 15 - 20
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment stratification
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Lobelia anceps unspecified picture
Lobelia anceps unspecified picture

Distribution

Lobelia anceps world distribution map, present in Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique, Norfolk Island, New Zealand, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:142941-1
WFO ID wfo-0000814176
COL ID 6QLTV
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 455986
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Lobelia anceps Lobelia saxicola Rapuntium anceps Rapuntium ottonianum Enchysia repens Lobelia decumbens Lobelia uncinata Laurentia repens Lobelia repens Lobelia rudatisii Lobelia ottoniana Lobelia longiracemosa Rapuntium cuneiforme Rapuntium alatum Dortmanna anceps Lobelia angustifolia Lobelia alata Lobelia cuneiformis Lobelia rhizophyta Lobelia rupincola Lobelia pubescens Lobelia erecta Lobelia stricta Dobrowskya anceps Lobelia alata var. cuneiformis Lobelia alata var. stolonifera Lobelia anceps var. cuneiformis Lobelia anceps var. minor Lobelia alata var. minor Lobelia anceps var. alata Lobelia alata var. ottoniana Lobelia anceps var. vagans Lobelia alata var. rudatisii Lobelia alata var. longisepala Lobelia alata var. angustifolia