Orthosiphon cladotrichos Gürke

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 349 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/179297/1574381

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Lamiaceae (Labiatae), A.J. Paton, G. Bramley, O. Ryding, R.M. Polhill, Y.B. Harvey, M. Iwarsson, F. Willis, P.B. Phillipson, K. Balkwill, C.W. Lukhoba, D.F. Otieno, & R.M. Harley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2009

Type
Type: Tanzania, Lushoto/Tanga District: Usambara, Nyika steppe, Holst 3922 (B†, holo. BM!, fragment, drawing)
Morphology General Habit
Perennial woody herb, 0.3–1 m tall, with an indumentum of dendroid hairs only, not recorded as aromatic
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or ascending, quadrangular, often striate, pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate, often ascending, sometimes clasping the stem at base; blade narrowly ovate, 1.5–4.5 × 0.5–1.2 cm, serrate, apex obtuse, base cuneate or shortly attenuate, pubescent to tomentose with short patent dendroid hairs and yellow sessile glands; petiole 3–10 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence lax, with 6flowered verticils 1 cm apart; bracts small, inconspicuous; pedicels spreading or ascending, 3–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3–4 mm long at anthesis, pubescent with short dendroid hairs and scattered yellow sessile glands; fruiting calyx horizontal or slightly downward-pointing, 7 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla pale pink, 9–10 mm long; tube straight, parallel-sided, dilating slightly towards throat, 6–9 mm long; posterior lip perpendicular to tube; anterior lip, cucullate, enclosing stamens, curving upwards, becoming vertical and parallel to posterior lip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets brown, broadly ovoid, 2 mm long, minutely tuberculate, producing a small amount of mucilage when wet.
Ecology
Seasonally waterlogged grassland, black cotton soil; 500–550 m
Conservation
Procter 3612 describes as common, Greenway 4081 as ‘local’, and Greenway & Kanuri 15240 as ‘not common’. Also collected later in Mikumi National Park, 20 Apr. 1984, de Nevers & Charnley 3332. Not known from other collections, but the species can easily be mistaken for O. parvifolius which has a similar habitat preference.
Note
Close to O. parviflorus but differing in the dendroid indumentum and petiolate leaves.
Distribution
Range: Not known elsewhere Flora districts: T3 T6
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0