Lepidagathis fischeri C.B. Clarke

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Photo: Nicholas Wightman
Tondwa GMA, Nsama District, Northern Province, Zambia

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Synonyms:	Lepidagathis lindauiana De Wild.; Lepidagathis rogersii Turrill
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Description:	Suffruticose herb with prostrate, decumbent or erect leafy stems branching from a woody base and/or rootstock, leafy stems 5–40 cm long, rarely undeveloped at flowering; stems 4-ridged, sparsely or rarely densely pale pilose when young or glabrous throughout. Leaves (sub)sessile, linear to broadly (ovate-)elliptic, 1.5–13 × 0.15–3 cm, base cuneate to rounded or subcordate, margin entire, apex acute-apiculate, glabrous or sparsely pale-pilose, rarely densely so when young; prominently 3(5)-veined from base. Inflorescence basal and/or at lower, usually leafless nodes, often compounded into dense cushion-like synflorescences, 3–11.5 cm in diameter, subsessile or on short peduncles with reduced sterile bracts; sterile floral bracts brown-scarious or green to purple-brown when young, lanceolate, 11–25.5 × 2.8–6.5 mm, apex attenuate to acuminate, margin white-pilose to -plumose, surface glabrous or often minutely pubescent; fertile bracts similar but often thinner, 12–22.5 × 2.5–4 mm, acumen often more pronounced, often with long pilose hairs along midrib. Calyx lobes green, usually with dark purple or brown acumen, surface with short or mixed short and long ascending white hairs, margin with dense long ± spreading hairs, often shorter on acumen; anterior lobes (elliptic-)lanceolate, 10.5–18 × 2–3.7 mm, acumen linear, ± straight; posterior lobe 12–19 × 2.5–5 mm, with 5 or 7 parallel veins ± prominent. Corolla 11.5–18 mm long, white or pale purple, palate of lower lip with yellow to orange markings centrally and with purple markings towards margin and/or in throat, limb silky-hairy externally; tube 5.5–11 mm long; upper lip 3.5–5 mm long; lower lip 4.5–7 mm long including lobes 2.5–3.7 mm long. Capsule 8–9 mm long, glabrous; seeds c.5 × 3.5 mm.
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Derivation of specific name:	fischeri: named after Dr. Gustav Fischer (1848-1886), German doctor and naturalist, who collected in Kenya and Tanzania.
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Flowering time:	Apr – Aug(-Nov)
Worldwide distribution:	DRC, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania
Growth form(s):	Perennial.
Endemic status:
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Darbyshire, I., Vollesen, K. & Kelbessa, E. (2015). Acanthaceae (Part 2) Flora Zambesiaca 8(6) Page 35.

Other sources of information about Lepidagathis fischeri:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Lepidagathis fischeri
Flora of Zambia: Lepidagathis fischeri

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Lepidagathis fischeri
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Lepidagathis fischeri
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Lepidagathis fischeri
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Lepidagathis fischeri
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Lepidagathis fischeri
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Lepidagathis fischeri
JSTOR Plant Science: Lepidagathis fischeri
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Lepidagathis fischeri
Plants of the World Online: Lepidagathis fischeri
Tropicos: Lepidagathis fischeri
Wikipedia: Lepidagathis fischeri