Ruellia patula Jacq.

J. R. Timberlake, E. S. Martins (2013). Flora Zambesiaca, Vol 8 (5) Acanthaceae Part 1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Type

Cult. in Hort. Vienna from seeds from India, probably not preserved.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial or shrubby herb or subshrub; stems to 0.5(1) m long, erect to decumbent, rarely creeping and rooting at nodes, when young sericeous to sericeous-puberulous or sparsely so with downwardly directed hairs, rarely puberulous, often with longer broad glossy curly hairs to 2 mm long, occasionally with stalked capitate glands

Morphology Leaves

Leaves puberulous or sparsely so, densest along veins; petiole 2–20(32) mm long; lamina ovate to elliptic, largest 1.5–6(8) × 0.8–3(3.8) cm; apex acute to rounded; base attenuate to truncate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers solitary or in 3-flowered axillary cymes, rarely with two 3-flowered cymes per axil; pedicels (peduncles in cymes) 0.5–6(8) mm long, glabrous to puberulous; bracteoles (bracts in cymes) 6–20 × 3–15 mm, ovate to elliptic or narrowly so

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 4–8 mm long, divided to 1–2 mm from base, uniformly puberulous or with ciliate lobes and midribs; lobes narrowly triangular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla falling early in morning, white to mauve; tube 12–33(50) mm long of which basal cylindric part 2–21(32) mm and throat 9–16(20) mm long; lobes 5–13 × 6–15 mm, ovate-elliptic or broadly so with entire to crenate- dentate margin

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens included in throat, didynamous, anthers not or slightly overlapping; filaments fused for 1–3 mm at base, free parts 2–8 and 4–10 mm long; anthers 2–3 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary glabrous; ventral stigma lobe 1–1.5 × c.0.5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule clavate, glabrous, 15–20 mm long, 4–18-seeded

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds broadly ellipsoid to circular, dark brown, 3–4.5 × 2.5–4.5 mm.

Distribution

Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique. Also in Niger, Central African Republic, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and India.

Ecology

In a wide range of grassland, woodland, forest margins and riverine forest, persisting in disturbed areas; 400–1400 m.

Conservation

Widespread; not threatened.

Recognition

Ruellia patula is an extremely variable species, but without extensive fieldwork not much progress can be made in separating out infraspecific or specific taxa. The lower cylindrical part of the corolla tube is normally longer than the throat (9–20 vs 9–15 mm), but specimens where the basal part is shorter than the throat (3–5 vs 10–12 mm) occur throughout the region. This is opposite to the situation in East Africa where long-tubed flowers only occur occasionally. In all other characters the plants are identical and the exact cause for this phenomenon needs to be sorted out experimentally before any decisions can be made about potential division of the species.

Acanthaceae (part 2), Kaj Vollesen. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2008

Type

Type: Cult. in Hort. Vienna from seeds from India, probably not preserved

Morphology General Habit

Perennial or shrubby herb or subshrub; stems to 0.6(–1) m long, erect to trailing, when young subglabrous to densely puberulous, pubescent or pilose, sometimes with stalked capitate glands

Morphology Leaves

Leaves with petiole 2–32 mm long; lamina ovate to elliptic or narrowly so (rarely lanceolate), largest 1–6 × 0.5–3.7 cm, apex acute to rounded (rarely retuse), base cuneate to truncate, sparsely to densely puberulous to pubescent (rarely subglabrous), densest along veins, sometimes with scattered capitate glands. Flowers solitary or in 3(–5)-flowered axillary cymes; peduncles in cymes 1–6(–12) mm long; pedicels 0–2(–5) mm long, glabrous to puberulous; bracteoles (bracts in cymes) ovate-elliptic or narrowly so, 7–18 × 3–8 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 3–8(–9) mm long, divided to 1–2 mm from base, uniformly puberulous or with ciliate lobes and midribs or glabrous; lobes narrowly triangular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla falling early in the morning, white to mauve or purple; tube (10–)12–34 mm long of which the basal cylindric part 3–12(–20) mm and the throat (7–)9–19 mm long; lobes 4–15 × 3–15 mm, ovate-elliptic or broadly so with entire to crenate-dentate margin. Stamens included in throat (rarely slightly exserted), didynamous, anthers not or slightly overlapping; filaments fused for 1–3 mm at base, free parts 2–5 and 3–7 mm long; anthers 1.5–2.5 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Ventral stigma lobe 1–1.5 × ± 0.5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule clavate, glabrous, 11–20(–22) mm long, (4–)6–14(–16)-seeded

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed broadly ellipsoid to circular, dark brown, 3–4.5 × 2.5–4.5 mm

Figures

Fig 31: 1-9, p206

Ecology

In a wide range of grassland, bushland, woodland, forest margins and riverine forest, persisting in disturbed areas, on an equally wide range of soil types; near sea level to 2100 m

Note

The lower cylindrical part of the corolla tube is normally shorter than the throat. But in scattered collections (e.g. Polhill & Paulo 2267, Singida District: Singida–Sekenke road) throughout Kenya and Tanzania the lower part of the tube is longer than the throat. In all other characters these collections are typical and I see no reason to treat them as a separate taxon. Further south in tropical Africa this latter condition becomes the norm; here scattered specimens with short lower tube occur throughout the area. Plants from the dry northern, eastern and central parts are usually erect, have a short often dense indumentum usually with capitate glands intermixed. Plants from the central and western highland areas are erect to decumbent and have a sparse to dense indumentum of longer pilose hairs. Similar trailing plants also occur along the coast where they have sometimes been named as R. cordata. But this is a species with – as the name implies – cordate or subcordate leaves from southern Africa only extending north into Zimbabwe and Mozambique R. patula is an excessively variable species, but without extensive field-work not much progress can be made in separating out infraspecific (? or specific) taxa.

Distribution

Flora districts: T1 T2 T3 T4 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K 7 T1 T2 T3T5 T6 T7 T8 Z P Range: Niger, Central African Republic, Congo-Kinshasa, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa; Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, India

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Vernacular

Gagaleh, harbo, jajaleh, shini (Som).

Morphology General Habit

Prostrate ascending or erect annual to perennial herb up to c. 40 cm tall

Morphology Stem

Stems dull greyish green, subglabrous to usually ± densely pubescent with c. 0.2 mm long appressed to patent or up to 2 mm long irregularly spreading hairs, rarely with c. 0.5 mm long glandular hairs in addition; old persistent stems whitish

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blades lanceolate to broadly ovate, up to 13–35 x 6–20 mm, apex obtuse to acute, base shortly attenuate to truncate; petiole up to 2–11 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers single or occasionally few together at upper nodes on peduncles c. 1 mm long; bracteoles leaf-like, up to 7–14 x 3–10 mm with petiole up to c. 3–8 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx-lobes narrowly triangular-subulate, often with a thin hyaline margin, densely pubescent with up to 0.3–0.5 mm long spreading hairs, up to 4–8 x 0.8–1 mm at flowering, slightly enlarged in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla blue or occasionally white, up to c. 16–32 mm long; tube narrowly funnel-shaped, 10–16 mm long; lobes free from each other for up to 4–8 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Anthers

Anthers c.1–2.5 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule c. 8–12-seeded, 8–16 mm long, glabrous.

Distribution

N1–3; C1, 2; S1–3; widespread in tropical Africa, also on the Arabian Peninsula and in Pakistan and India.

Ecology

Altitude range 5–1500 m.

Note

The description above is based on material from Somalia. R. patula is very variable in habit, indumentum, and in the size of flowers, capsules and vegetative parts. Several fairly distinct forms are represented, but as they are linked by collections with mixed character combinations, it has not been found possible to formally subdivide the species. Most plants could be characerized as relatively tall with erect stems mostly branched from the base with an indumentum of c. 1.5 mm long spreading hairs, and with narrowly ovate, acute leaves. Plants from dunes in S2 have been described as R. patula var. dumicola and could be characterized as low perennials with spreading to suberect stems, broadly ovate to almost orbicular, sometimes crenulated, greyish green leaves with a dense indumentum of c. 0.2 mm long whitish hairs, and blue, c. 30 mm long corollas.