Endostemon tereticaulis
| Endostemon tereticaulis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Endostemon |
| Species: | E. tereticaulis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Endostemon tereticaulis (Poir.) M.Ashby
| |
Endostemon tereticaulis, commonly called the purpling keepsafe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.[2]
Description
This species is an aromatic annual or short-lived perennial woody herb 15–40 cm (5.9–15.7 in) tall, with a taproot. The stems are erect, much branched, woody at the base, and rounded to weakly four-angled, sometimes forming low cushions. They are pubescent with mostly forward-pointing hairs, occasionally spreading.[3][4]
The leaves are borne on short stalks, with narrowly elliptic to obovate blades 0.5–3.5 cm (0.20–1.38 in) long. The surfaces are hairy and dotted with sessile glands. The margins are crenate, with rounded to blunt tips and wedge-shaped to shortly narrowed bases.[3][4]
The inflorescence is lax, with whorls of usually six flowers spaced 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) apart; the lowest internode is much shorter than those above. The bracts are leaf-like or smaller, erect near the apex and spreading below. The calyx is 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long at flowering and densely hairy with sessile glands, enlarging to 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) in fruit. The corolla is purplish, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, with a short, straight tube and four lobes, the uppermost broader and often notched.[3][4]
The fruit consists of smooth, brown nutlets about 2 mm (0.079 in) long, which produce mucilage when wetted.
Distribution and habitat
Endostemon tereticaulis grows in dry, sandy or gravelly soils in grassy, open woodland at 30–1,300 m (98–4,265 ft) in altitude. Its geographic range extends from Senegal to Somalia, south to northern South Africa, and across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.[2]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Endostemon tereticaulis". Red List of South African Plants. SANBI. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Endostemon tereticaulis (Poir.) M.Ashby". Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Paton, A.J.; Bramley, G.; Ryding, O.; Polhill, R.M.; Harvey, Y.B.; Iwarsson, M.; Willis, F.; Phillipson, P.B.; Balkwill, K.; Lukhoba, C.W.; Otieno, D.F.; Harley, R.M. (2009). Flora of Tropical East Africa: Lamiaceae (Labiatae). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 206–207. ISBN 978 1 84246 372 7. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Codd, L. E. W., Dyer, R. A., Rycroft, H. B., de Winter, B. (1985). Flora of Southern Africa: The Republic of South Africa, Basutoland, Swaziland and South West Africa. Vol. 28. Govt. Printer. pp. 129–130. ISBN 0621082686.
External links
- SANBI Biodiversity Advisor
- Flora of Zimbabwe
- Media related to Endostemon tereticaulis at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Endostemon tereticaulis at Wikispecies