| Your Home Page | Contact Us |

• Taxonomy
• Physical Description
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Notes
• Keep Exploring

Taxonomy

Physical Description

Family Acanthaceae:

The Acanthaceae are mostly herbs or shrubs comprising about 250 genera and 2,500 species, including twining forms. The leaves are simple, opposite and decussate; stipules are lacking. The flowers are bisexual, zygomorphic, and usually are associated with conspicuous, often brightly colored bracts. The calyx is usually deeply 4-5 lobed or sometimes is highly reduced with more numerous minute teeth. The corolla is sympetalous, usually 5-merous, mostly zygomorphic, and commonly 2 lipped. The androecium usually consists of 4 didynamous stamens or only 2 stamens adnate to the corolla tube or epigynous zone, alternate with the lobes. The gynoecium consists of a single compound pistil of 2 carpels, a single style, and a superior ovary with 2 locules, each with usually 2-10 axile ovules in one or two collateral vertical tiers. An annular nectary disk is usually found around the base of the ovary. The fruit is commonly an elastically dehiscent loculicidal capsule. The seed stalk or funiculus of each seed is modified into a hook shaped jaculator or retinaculum that functions in flinging out the seeds during dehiscence. -- Gerald Carr.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Yeatesia:

There are approximately 4 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: Y. laete-virens · Y. mabryi · Y. platystegia (Montell Bractspike) · Y. viridiflora (Yellow Bractspike)

Members of the genus Xenacanthus:

There are approximately 4 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus: X. heteromallus · X. leschenaultianus · X. pulneyensis · X. zenkerianus

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CA L | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
• Translate this page using Google: Arabic | Chinese | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Japanese | Korean | Português

Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 28, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
• Species Fungorum 2006.

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14837569
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1001803-2
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2890574