Thunbergia coccinea Wall. ex D.Don

Adhikari, B., Pendry, C.A., Watson, M.F. et al. 2013. Kew Bulletin 68: 651. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-013-9481-x

Type

Type: “Napalia”, E. Gardner, 1818, (lectotype BM-000834068, selected here].

Morphology General Habit

Climbing shrub to 5 m or more

Morphology Stem

Stem terete to angular, glabrous to pubescent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves ovate to broadly ovate or lanceolate, 4 – 15 × 2.5 – 10 cm, base truncate, cordate, sometimes hastate, apex acute to acuminate, margin sinuate or irregularly minutely toothed, palmately 3 – 5-veined, glabrous or pubescent especially at veins; petioles 1 – 9 cm, gradually shorter upwards and sessile towards the inflorescence

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in axillary or terminal pendulous racemes, the raceme 7 – 45 cm, pedicels 1 – 4 cm; bracts ovate to lanceolate, 0.5 – 2.5 × 0.3 – 1.2 cm, glabrous; bracteoles dark red, ovate to oblong, 2 – 3 × 0.8 – 1.5 cm, apex acute or mucronate, pubescent, denser at margin

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx rim-like, unlobed, c. 2 mm high

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla orange-red with yellow throat, 2 – 3.5 cm, glabrous, tube gradually widening from base, 2 – 3 cm long, c. 0.8 cm wide; lobes ovate or oblong, 0.8 – 1.2 × 0.5 – 0.7 cm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments

Filaments subequal, 10 – 13 mm, glabrous, anthers smooth or slightly bearded, 5 – 8 mm, spurred, the spur 3 – 5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary glabrous, style 2 – 3 cm, stigma deeply 2-cleft

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule glabrous, basal part 0.8 – 1.5 cm wide, beak 3 – 4 cm long; seeds 8 – 10 mm, rugose

Distribution

From Western Himalaya through Nepal (Map 5) to Burma (Myanmar), SW China, Laos and Thailand; also widely cultivated.

Ecology

Climber in tropical and subtropical forests, alt. 100 – 2100 m.

Conservation

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread in Nepal and its range extends through the east Himalayas to Thailand.

Phenology

Flowering August to March; fruiting November to May.

Vernacular

Nepali. Singarne lahara.

Note

In the protologue of the species David Don cites two Nepalese collections, one by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton under the name Flemingia coccinea, and the other by Nathaniel Wallich under the name Thunbergia coccinea. Specimens of both of these collections would have been present in the herbarium of A. B. Lambert at the time. The Wallich specimen would not have been collected by Wallich himself, but rather by Edward Gardner and his team of collectors in Kathmandu, and only sent by Wallich to Lambert (Fraser-Jenkins 2006). Wallich did not visit Nepal until 1820, and the specimens he collected were not seen by Don in the preparation of his Prodromus. Lambert also distributed duplicates of the Gardner collections to J. E. Smith (now in LINN-SM), De Candolle (G-DC) and possibly a few others. The top set of the Buchanan-Hamilton Nepal herbarium was given to J. E. Smith, along with some drawings and notes, and only an incomplete set of herbarium specimens to Lambert. Lambert’s herbarium was sold after his death and the Nepalese specimens bought by Robert Brown and incorporated into the BM (Miller 1970; Fraser-Jenkins 2006). Don only worked on the material in the Lambert herbarium, which he curated, and was not permitted to see the specimens and drawings in Smith’s collection.

Of the original material seen by Don, only the Gardner specimen which was formerly in the Lambert herbarium has been traced and it has been selected here as the lectotype. It is worth noting that although the Buchanan-Hamilton specimen given to Smith has not been found, the coloured drawing based on it and prepared at the time of its collection is still present in the archives of the Linnean Society (Linnean Society 401D/1/16) with a copy in the Wellesley Natural History Drawings collections (British Library, NHD 25. f. 93).