Lamiaceae
Orthosiphon

Orthosiphon parvifolius Vatke

First published in Linnaea 43: 87 (1881)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Ethiopia to N. & E. Tanzania. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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: Kenya, Kitui in Ukamba, Hildebrandt 2745 (B†, holo. BM!, K!, iso.)
Morphology General Habit
Aromatic perennial herb, 15–80 cm tall
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, quadrangular, arising from a woody rootstock, branching above, woody at base, pubescent with short retrorse, crisped or appressed eglandular simple hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile or subsessile, often ascending, glandular-punctate; blade narrowly ovate or oblong, (0.7–)1–4 × 0.5–1.5 cm, serrate, round or obtuse at apex, truncate to broadly cuneate at base, pubescent, densely pubescent or subglabrous with scattered simple hairs on veins beneath; petiole 0–3(–5) mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence lax, with flowers arranged in 6-flowered verticils 10–20 mm apart; bracts purplish, ovate, 1 mm long, erect above, deciduous below; pedicels spreading, 4–5 mm long, slightly curved
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx purplish, 3–4 mm long at anthesis; fruiting calyx 6–8 mm long, downward-pointing, pubescent with sessile glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla pale mauve or bluish, often with posterior lip darker, 6–12 mm long; tube straight, thick, 4–7 mm long; posterior lip perpendicular to tube; anterior lip cucullate, enclosing stamens, curving upwards to become vertical and parallel to posterior lip
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets brown, ovoid, 1.5 mm long, minutely tuberculate, producing a very small amount of mucilage when wet.
Ecology
Seasonally waterlogged grassland, black cotton soil; 1000–1850 m, but down to sea-level in Tanga District
Conservation
Least concern; widely distributed
Note
Closely related to O. thymiflorus, but differing in the thicker corolla tube, the vertical corolla anterior lip which is parallel to the posterior lip and the subsessile leaves with truncate bases. The leaves also tend to be more strongly ascending, narrower and more oblong than those of O. thymiflorus. O. parvifolius is also closely related to the O. cladotrichos.
Distribution
Range: Southern Ethiopia Flora districts: U1 K1 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5
[FTEA]

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. 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 2026. 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