Acanthaceae
Ruspolia

Ruspolia decurrens (Hochst. ex Nees) Milne-Redh.

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1936: 269 (1936)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central African Republic to Ethiopia and S. Tropical Africa. It is a subshrub or shrub 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]

Flora Zambesiaca Acanthaceae (part 2) by Iain Darbyshire, Kaj Vollesen and Ensermu Kelbessa

Morphology General Habit
Shrubby herb to 1(1.5) m tall, erect, scrambling or decumbent with ascending flowering branches; plant drying green; young stems puberulous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous or puberulous below along midrib and larger veins, glabrous or with uniformly scattered hairs above; petiole ill-defined, to 1.5 cm long; lamina ovate to elliptic, largest 5.5–17.5 × 2.5–7 cm; apex acute to acuminate with obtuse tip, basal part below middle abruptly (rarely gradually) narrowed to a long decurrent base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes 5–40 cm long, unbranched, very rarely with lateral cymes from lowermost internodes, occasionally also with cymes from upper leaf axils, lower internodes (0.5)1–4(5) cm long (if short then cymes over 15 cm long); flowers solitary or in 3(5)-flowered cymules (or 1 flower with 2 non-developing buds) towards base of cyme; peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm long; axis puberulous and with stalked capitate glands; lower 1–3 pairs of bracts usually foliaceous, others subulate, 3–9(12) mm long, indumentum as axis; pedicels 0.5–2(4 in fruit) mm long; bracteoles subulate, 3–5(7) mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5–9 mm long, puberulous with stalked capitate glands and non-glandular hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla salmon-pink to orange red, with numerous darker spots towards centre, with long curly non-glandular hairs outside, without capitate glands; linear tube 1.8–2.8(3.2) cm long, throat 2–3 mm long, lobes 8–14 × 5–9 mm, elliptic, broadly rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 3–4 mm long; anthers purple, 1.5–2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 2–3 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 5–7 × 5–7 mm, smooth on outer surface, with irregular ridges on inner surface.
Distribution
Also in Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Ecology
In riverine forest and scrub, shady places in woodland and rocky hills, on termite mounds; 350–1300 m.
Conservation
Conservation notes: Widespread; not threatened.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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