Gomphostemma

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Gomphostemma

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Description

Perennial herbs or undershrubs, sometimes with tuberous roots. Leaves opposite, large, mostly long-petioled. Flowers medium or large, in few- to many-flowered verticillasters, often forming densely sessile or laxly branched cymose inflorescences, rarely seemingly racemose. Stamens 4, pubescent, all ascending, the lower pair longer;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Lesser Sunda Is. (Bali present); Malaya present; Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Burma present, Continental SE. Asia present, E. India present, SW. China present, east of the Philippines present
About 30 spp., continental SE. Asia (E. India and Burma to SW. China); in Malesia: 8 spp., mostly in Sumatra and Malaya, not extending east of the Philippines, Celebes and Bali.

Notes

PRAIN l.c. subdivided the genus into 3 sections, essentially based on corolla characters and this has also been the basis for the key here. In addition, the structure of the inflorescence and shape and size of the calyx have been found useful to differentiate the Malesian species.

Citation

PRAIN 1891 – In: Ann. R. Bot. Gard. Calc.: 242
BTH. 1830–1831 – In: Wall., Pl. As. Rar. 2: 12
KENG 1969 – In: Gard. Bull. Sing.: 79
BRIQ. 1895 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam. 4: 223