Acanthaceae
Thunbergia

Thunbergia microchlamys S.Moore

First published in J. Bot. 45: 88 (1907)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SW. Uganda to W. Tanzania. It is a climbing perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Acanthaceae (part 1), Kaj Vollesen, Flora of Tropical East Africa, 2008

Morphology General Habit
Herbaceous twiner to 3 m long; stems terete, glabrous or with thin lines of setose hairs at nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves palmately veined; lamina ovate-cordiform, largest 6.5–17 × 3.5–10.5 cm, apex acute to acuminate, apiculate, base deeply cordate with hastate or rounded lobes, margin entire or slightly crenate, glabrous or finely puberulous along major veins; petiole 2.5–8 cm long, glabrous or puberulous apically.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in (1–)4–8-flowered axillary racemes; peduncle and axis (1–)4.5–25 cm long, glabrous but for lines of glossy setose hairs at nodes or sparsely puberulous upwards; bracts persistent, linear to ovate-cordiform, up to 2 mm long, more rarely leafy and up to 2.5 cm long; pedicels 1–2.5 cm long, glabrous or with a few glandular hairs apically or puberulous; bracteoles pale green, with conspicuous raised dark green reticulation, ovate to elliptic, 1.1–2.2 × 0.4–0.7 cm, acute to acuminate, apiculate, glabrous to puberulous and with long (longest 2–3 mm) glossy glandular hairs on veins and edges.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx glabrous, ± 1 mm high of which the broadly triangular lobes about half.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla limb and upper part of tube purple or bluish purple, lower part of tube tube whitish, throat deep yellow; tube 2.5–4.5 cm long; lobes 1–2 × 2–3 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments ± 12 mm long, glabrous; anthers ± 3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style with scattered glands apically.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule and seed not seen (see note).
Distribution
Range: Congo-Kinshasa Range: Tanzania. Range: Congo-Kinshasa Flora districts: U2 T4 Range: Uganda.
Ecology
Evergreen forest and riverine forest, often overhanging streams; 800–1550 m
Note
The type specimen has attached to the sheet an envelope containing a corolla and two loose seeds. It is not certain that the two seeds belong to the rest, and they have not been included in the description. The specimen itself is a flowering branch with no traces of thickened fruiting pedicels.
[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: not 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

  • 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 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