Verbenaceae
Lippia

Lippia multiflora Moldenke

First published in Phytologia 3: 168 (1949)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tropical Africa to Sudan and N. Angola. It is a subshrub or shrub 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]

Verbenaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1992

Morphology General Habit
Robust woody perennial or shrub, aromatic, 0.9–3.6 m. tall; stems ridged, sparsely adpressed strigillose-pubescent and glandular or subglabrous, brown or purplish, often ± shining, striate.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves mostly in whorls of 3; blades narrowly oblong-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 5.5–13(–17) cm. long, 1–3.3(–5.5) cm. wide, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, widely to very closely serrulate, with venation impressed when dry above, rugulose and strigillose with bulbous-based hairs but ± smooth to the touch, densely adpressed puberulous and ± resinous-glandular beneath, soft, with longer hairs on the prominent nervation or sometimes ± glabrous in West Africa; petioles 2–10 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences terminal, up to 20 cm. long, 10 cm. wide, of numerous subcapitate to cylindric-oblong spikes 0.5–2 cm. long, 7–8 mm. wide; main branches 3–10 cm. long, ultimate stalks 0.5–2 cm. long, densely adpressed pubescent; main bracts similar to the leaves; secondary bracts narrowly ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 6 mm. long, 3 mm. wide; lower bracts of actual spikes ovate, 3–4 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, the upper more rounded, smaller, densely imbricated and pale yellowish hirsute.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx subglobose, ± 1 mm. long, densely spreading pubescent; lobes very short.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or pale yellow; tube funnel-shaped from a narrow base, 2 mm. long, densely puberulous outside; limb ± 3 mm. across, 2-lipped, the largest lobe oblong ± 1.5 mm. long and wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits enclosed in calyx, breaking into 2 half-ovoid nutlets 1–1.5 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide.
Habitat
‘Near river’ [Nile], probably coarse grassland; ± 1200 m.
Distribution
U1 Sierra Leone to Nigeria
[FTEA]

Verbenaceae, H. Huber, F. N. Hepper & R. D. Meikle. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
Robust woody perennial up to 12 ft. high
Morphology Leaves
Large oblong-lanceolate bluish-green leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Pleasantly aromatic flowers, small, whitish in branched inflorescences
Ecology
In savanna.
[FWTA]

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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