Lamiaceae
Syncolostemon

Syncolostemon petiolatus (Ashby) D.F.Otieno

First published in Pl. Syst. Evol. 261: 36 (2006)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Limpopo to S. Mozambique and Eswatini. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

J. R. Timberlake, E. S. Martins (2013). Flora Zambesiaca, Vol 8: part 8. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Type
Type: South Africa, Limpopo, Soutspansberg, Tshakoma, xi.1931, Obermeyer in TRV 31571 (PRE holotype, BM).
Morphology General Habit
Aromatic (mint and coconut) perennial woody herb or small shrub, 0.4–0.6(1) m tall
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or ascending, quadrangular above, round-quadrangular below, often branched from base, pubescent to villose with spreading or antrorse eglandular hairs and shorter glandular hairs, yellowish sessile glands
Morphology Leaves
Leaves petiolate; blade 20–55 × 6–30 mm, narrow ovate to ovate, apex acute to obtuse, cuneate to rounded, serrate, pubescent to densely so with glandular and eglandular hairs; glands stalked, stalk sometimes very short; petiole 6–14 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence lax, verticils (4)6-flowered, 15–30 mm apart; bract 5–10 × 3–5 mm, often coloured, ovate, forming a small apical coma, or absent, deciduous below; pedicel 2–3 mm, erect or ascending, slightly curved distally, ± flattened
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 5–6 mm long at anthesis, pubescent and with yellowish sessile glands; fruiting calyx 8–9 mm long; anterior lip with subulate teeth
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, pale pink or purple, 10.5–15 mm long; tube 7–12 mm, straight, dilating distally; lower lip deflexed, indumentum of adpressed hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Anterior staminal filaments glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style apex with linear lobes, adpressed at first, eventually spreading
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlets brown, 2 mm long, ovoid, smooth with a faint dorsal ridge; producing mucilage when wet.
Distribution
Mozambique. Also in South Africa (Soutspansberg area) and Swaziland.
Ecology
Wooded grassland and forest margins; 1000 m.
Conservation
Probably best regarded as Least Concern, although listed as Data Deficient for Swaziland in the Sabonet Red Data List (Golding 2002).
[FZ]

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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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