- Family:
- Acanthaceae Juss.
- Genus:
- Blepharis Juss.
Blepharis pratensis S.Moore

[FTEA]
Acanthaceae (part 1), Kaj Vollesen, Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2008
- Morphology General Habit
- Erect to procumbent much branched perennial or shrubby herb with creeping branched rootstock; stems up to 1 m long, sparsely to densely and finely sericeous or puberulous.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves with the smaller 1/2–2/3 of larger; lamina narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblong, largest 4–8 × 0.9–1.8 cm, margin entire or some with 1–2 indistinct teeth near base, subglabrous to sparsely sericeous or uniformly puberulous, densest along midrib.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Heads on upper part of stems only; peduncle up to 4 cm long, indument as branches; axes puberulous; floral leaves and outer bracts lanceolate to narrowly ovate, up to 2(–3) cm long, subglabrous to puberulous, no capitate glands; inner bracts similar, up to 19 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Sepals puberulous (sericeous-pubescent along veins), no capitate glands; dorsal elliptic-obovate, 15–17 mm long, apical part ligulate with acute apex (rarely with truncate to retuse apex with 3 small teeth or with central vein forking near tip to give two terminal teeth); ventral ovate-elliptic, 13–15 mm long, with slightly ligulate apical part, with 2 acute teeth up to 2 mm long; lateral 10–12 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla bright blue or mauvish blue, 23–30 mm long of which the tube 3–6 mm; limb distinctly 3-lobed, callus ribbed and with 3 very distinct apical flanges.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
- Filaments 5–7 mm long; appendage ± 1 mm long, broadly rounded, not curved; anthers 4–5 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Capsule ± 9 mm long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seed not seen.
- Distribution
- Range: Kenya. Range: Not known elsewhere Flora districts: K4 K7 Range: Not known elsewhere
- Ecology
- Damp shallow depressions on sandy soil in coastal bushland, hot springs, dry Acacia-Commiphora bushland; 0–50(–1000) m
- Note
- Napper 1936 has the central vein in the dorsal sepal forking near the tip to give two apical teeth, but this is probably best considered an abnormality. In Makin 416 the dorsal sepal is truncate or retuse with two small lateral teeth.
Native to:
Kenya
Blepharis pratensis S.Moore appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 1, 2007 | Festo, L. [2668], Kenya | K000438387 | No | ||
Jan 1, 1997 | Hildebrandt, J.M. [1906], Kenya | K000394323 | isotype | Yes |
First published in J. Bot. 15: 294 (1877)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.
- Vollesen, K. (2008). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Acanthaceae(1): 1-285.
Literature
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- F.T.A. 5: 99 (1899), quoad specim. ex Kenya
- J.B. 15: 294 (1877)
- Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 474 (1997)
- P.O.A. C: 369 (1895)
- Vollesen, Blepharis: 265 (2000).
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0