Justicia sphaerosperma

Primary tabs

Justicia sphaerosperma

Description

Woody climber, 0.35-3 m tall; branches spreading. Stem subterete, slightly sulcate, glabrous to sparingly puberulous, trichomes retrorsely curved. Petiole 5 mm long, puberulous, trichomes antrorsely appressed; blade rather firm, lanceolate, 6-15 x 1.25-3.5 cm, margin entire, acuminate at apex, acute to attenuate at base, sparingly pubescent on both surfaces, especially on primary vein and secondary veins (6-8 pairs); primary vein and secondary veins prominent on lower surface, obscure on upper surface, cystoliths numerous. Inflorescence a terminal, compound, dense thyrsoid spike to 7 cm long, this imbricate from a leafy base, axillary spikes shorter, undivided, 1.3 cm long; bracts and bracteoles similar, rather thick, linear-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 10.5-20 x 0.75-1.5 mm, hirtellous, trichomes ascending, apically sometimes glandular, ciliolate. Flowers secund, sessile to subsessile; calyx 5-lobed, lobes linear-lanceolate, 10-12.5 x 1.5-1.75 mm, densely puberulent, trichomes appressed, central vein rather prominent, margin white, membranous, not ciliolate; corolla red, pink, pink-salmon or light pinkish-red, lobes with yellow horizontal stripes, 30-45 mm long, glabrous or veins sparingly and minutely hirtellous, tube 20 mm long, gradually enlarged from base, 4-6 mm wide at mouth, upper lip erect, narrowly ovate, 12-14 mm long, slightly shorter than lower lip, apically minutely 2-dentate, lower lip spreading, 15 mm long, lobes subequal, oblong-linear, 10-12 mm long, obtuse; stamens whitish, exserted 10-12 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, filaments yellow, anther thecae yellow and brown, subequal, superposed, upper theca attached to connective 1 mm above basal appendaged theca; style 25-40 mm long, glabrous, stigma minutely 2-lobed. Capsule 12-14 x 5-6 x 4-5 mm, stipe 5-6 mm long, body ovoid to subspheric to ellipsoid-obovoid, 6-7 mm long, often with a slight medial constriction; seeds 4, subspheric, light brown, 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.75 mm, puberulous, when mature glabrous, smooth and nitid.

Distribution

Amazonian Ecuador present, Amazonian Venezuela present, Guyana present, Los Llanos present, Southern America: Bolivia (Bolivia present); Colombia (Colombia present)
Colombia (Los Llanos), Amazonian Venezuela, Guyana, Amazonian Ecuador and Bolivia and Brazil; 27 collections studied of which 15 from Guyana (GU: 15).

Phenology

Flowering , fruiting .