Flora of Dominica, Part 2 - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Family Treatments
ACANTHACEAE
(by D. Wasshausen)
Asystasia gangetica (Linnaeus) T Anderson, which would
here key to Ruellia tuberosa but has rounded leaf-bases, is
cultivated at Baiac (Whitefoord 4218,4219).
Crossandra infundibuliformis (Linnaeus) Nees from India,
with leaves 4 in whorl, salmon flowers with only one (lower)
lip, and four l-celled anthers, is commonly cultivated in the
tropics, including Dominica: Roseau Botanic Garden (Hodge
966,982,3931).
Graptophyllum pictum (Linnaeus) Griffith from New
Guinea, with leaves yellow-mottled along midrib, large (8 cm
long) reddish purple flowers, 2 fertile stamens and 2
staminodia, is widely cultivated in tropical Americas, including
Dominica: Roseau Botanic Gardens (Hodge 3953).
Hemigraphis alternata (N. Burman) T Anderson of Malesia
was reported as subspontaneous from garden borders by
Adjanohoun et al. (1985, pl. 1) as Hemigraphis colorata
(Blume) Hallier.
Pseuderantherum carruthersii (Seemann) Guillaumin var.
atropurpureum (Bull) Fosberg of the Pacific, with leaves dark
purple above, was collected on Dominica by Hodge (non vidi),
probably at the Roseau Botanical Gardens.
Many other genera of Acanthaceae are in cultivation but, as
yet, have not been collected on Dominica.
Excluded Acanthaceae
Barleria lupulina Lindley, Dicliptera sexangularis (Linnaeus)
Jussieu (as Dicliptera assurgens (Linnaeus) Jussieu),
and Dicliptera martinicensis (Jacquin) Jussieu were attributed
to Dominica by VBlez (1957:72) based on his own collections
(now mostly lost). Dicliptera martinicensis was attributed to
Dominica with an exclamation mark by Howard (1989,6:366)
but I have not seen material.
1. Plants vines; capsule abruptly beak&, retinacula none
........................ Thunbergia
1. Plants herbaceous or shrubby; capsule oblong or clavate;
seeds borne on hook-like retinacula.
2. Perfect (fertile) stamens 4.
3. Calyx segments dissimilar, the posterior and anterior
much larger than laterals; corolla 2-lipped
..................... Teliostachya
3. Calyx segments similar, corolla k equally 5-lobed.
4.
4.
Flowers in dense terminal spikes; bracts large,
imbricate ................. Blechum
Flowers in loose axillary or terminal cymes; bracts
small, not imbricate. ........... Ruellia
2. Perfect stamens 2.
5. Staminodes absent.
6. Flowers in axillary and terminal racemes; anther
cells i- equal, awnless, bearded at base ......
................... Andrographis
6. Flowers in terminal dense spikes or loose panicles;
anther cells i- superposed, one or both apiculate or
tailed.. ................. Justicia
5. Staminodes present.
7. Bracts small (2-4 mm long), inconspicuous, not
imbricate nor reticulate; corolla magenta or reddish
purple ................ Odontonema
7. Bracts large (15-25 mm long), conspicuous,
imbricate and reticulate; corolla scarlet to reddish
orange ................
Pachystachys
Andrographis Wallich ex Nees
Andrographis paniculata
Andrographis panicdata (N. Burman) Wallich ex Nees in Wallich, 1832,
3:116.--Lindauin Urban, 1900,2:211.
Justicia panicdata N. Burman. 1768:9.
Erect herb to 1 m with tap root; leaves lanceolate, to 9 cm x
2.5 cm, glabrous; flowers in axillary and terminal racemes,
these collected into panicles; bracts and bractlets small; corolla
white below with dark purple markings above, -1 cm long,
stamens 2, anthers bilocular, dark purple, anther cells k equal,
awnless, bearded at base.
Indian subcontinent but widely cultivated and escaping; in
Dominica expected in disturbed areas but only collected by
Eggers: Wallhouse (Eggers 503, same? (Eggers 753, teste
Lindau).
Blechum Browne
Blechum pyramidatum
Blechwn pyramidatwn (Lamar&) Urban, 1918b:323; 1921,8:650.
Rueltia btechwn Linnaeus, f759a:1120, "blechnwn."
Barleria pyramidafa Lamarck, 1783. 1:380.
Blechwn brownci Jussieu, 1807:270.-Lhdau in Urban, 1900,2:186.
Blechwn brownei f. puberulwn Leonard, 1942:184.
Sprawling or erect perennial herbs with ovate leaves; flowers
in dense terminal spikes; bracts imbricate, ovate, 1.0-2.5 cm
long, puberulent; corolla white or purplish, slightly exceeding
subtending bracts, limb f equally 5-lobed; stamens 4, fused in
pairs at base of filaments; capsule 16-seeded.
Neotropical weed of dry or moist habitats; common weed in
Dominica to 530 m: between Capucin and Bellevue (Wasshausen
& Ayensu 382), Carib Reserve (Hodge 3378), Clarke Hall
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