Plumbago aphylla Bojer ex Boiss.

Plumbaginaceae, C. M. Wilmot-Dear. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1976

Morphology General Habit

Small shrub, virgate, scrambling or forming dense tangled clumps, up to 1 m. high.

Morphology Stem

Stems wiry, pale yellow-green, glabrous, bearing numerous fine longitudinal ridges, 4 per mm.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves often soon disappearing, only the petiole bases remaining on stem as brown scales; leaf-blades obovate, 5–12 mm. long, 5–6 mm. broad, acute, glabrous, chartaceous; petiole winged, base amplexicaul.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Peduncle bearing short dense white hairs; pedicels up to 0.5 mm. long. Bracts ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad, acute, bearing short dense white hairs beneath.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx not prominently ribbed, 6–7 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, bearing short dense white hairs and abundant evenly distributed stalked glands; stalks stout, less than 0.25 (–0.5) mm., glands small; calyx-teeth up to 2 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla white; tube 10–13 mm. long, 1.5–2 times length of calyx; lobes obovate, 6 mm. long, with shortly excurrent central nerve.

Figures

Fig. 3/8, p. 7.

Habitat

Near shore, on coral rock

Distribution

T6