Araceae
Anubias

Anubias heterophylla Engl.

First published in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 435 (1879)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Central Tropical Africa, Angola. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet 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]

CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org

Diagnostic
Spathe oblong-ovate or oblong-eliptic, never reflexed, and more or less fleshy. Sometimes spadix a little exserted. Spathe up to 4.5 cm long; almost twice to 4.5 times as long as broad.
Phenology
Flowering from July to January, fruiting from July to March
Habitat
Growing as a rule on rocky grounds on the banks of or in watercourses, on shady places in the forest.
Distribution
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cabinda, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola.
General Description
Rhizome creeping, prostrate and rooting, 5-17 mm thick. LEAVES: Petiole 3-66 cm long, 0.7-1.7 x as long as the leaf-blade, glabrous or minutely puberulous. Sheath small or up to 1/2 of the petiole. Geniculum 1/2- 2 1/2 cm long. Leaf-blade 10-38 cm long, 3-13 cm broad, 2 to 6 times as long as broad, elliptic-ovate or elongate-lanceolate, obtuse, glabrous or (sometimes very sparsely) puberulous on the midrib and lateral nerves below, flat or more or less undulate, coriaceous, apex acute or acuminate, base acute, cuneate-obtuse, subtruncate, short sagittate or hastate. Basal lobes short or absent, obtusely rounded, separated by a very wide sinus. Numerous prominent lateral nerves with 2-4 less prominent lateral nerves between them, which unite mostly with the more prominent nerves before they reach the margin, at the edge anastomosing in 2-3 marginal nerves. Between the lateral nerves numerous slender, transverse veinlets. INFLORESCENCE: Peduncle one third as long as to equalling the petiole, up to 27 cm long, slender, glabrous or minutely puberulous. Spathe l.5-4.5 cm long, 0.4-1.5 cm broad, almost twice to 4.5 times as long as wide, oblong-elliptic or ovate-oblong, glabrous, at the apex minutely apiculate, green or dark purple, opening to the base when flowering, but not reflexed. Sometimes spadix more or less exserted. After anthesis closing again tightly around the spadix. Spadix cylindrical, somewhat thick, equalling to twice as long as the spathe, 1.5-4.5 cm long. female part somewhat shorter or up to 2 x as long as the male part, 0.6-2.5 cm long. Anthers 4-6. Thecae on the side of the synandrium, sometimes only in the upper part (especially when dried the thecae may seem to be placed on the edge of the synandrium, as in A. gilletii), oblong-elliptic. Between the male and female part sometimes sterile bisexual flowers. male part densely, female part somewhat less densely flowered. Ovaries depressed-globose, green. Style short, stigma discoid, green. INFRUCTESCENCE: Berries depressed-globose. Seeds small, 0.8-1.5 mm long, 0.5-1 mm broad; about 1.3-1.7 x as long as broad, yellowish, without any other coloured spots when dried.
[CATE]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/185527/8429281

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Uses

Use
The plant is used as a stomachic for children (Pierlot 1194).
[CATE]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • CATE Araceae

    • Haigh, A., Clark, B., Reynolds, L., Mayo, S.J., Croat, T.B., Lay, L., Boyce, P.C., Mora, M., Bogner, J., Sellaro, M., Wong, S.Y., Kostelac, C., Grayum, M.H., Keating, R.C., Ruckert, G., Naylor, M.F. and Hay, A., CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011.
    • 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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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