Blepharis maderaspatensis (L.) Heyne ex Roth

On bare gravelly ground and roadsides in the Punjab province.

All our material belongs to subsp. maderaspatensis var. maderaspatensis. Its close ally var. abyssinica Fiori differs from it in larger spikes (17-23 mm long including the calyx) and larger corolla (1.9-2.8 cm long).

A prostrate or suberect, much branched herb roothing at nodes. Leaves (3-) 4 in a whorl, unequal, petiole 1-5 mm long; lamina thin, elliptic-ovate to oblanceolate, 2-6 (-8) x 1-2.5 (-3) cm, entire or minutely denticulate, apex acutely apiculate, puberulous above, hairy on nerves below, basally attenuate. Inflorescence usually an axillary cluster of 2-3 flowers, 1-1.5 cm long or solitary. Flowers white to purplish-pink, 1.2-1.8 cm long; bracts in 4 opposite paris, broadly spathulate-obovate 7-8 x 2-4 mm, apex obtuse with up to 4 mm long stiff, reflexed hairy, slender bristles on margins and apex; bracteoles spathulate with 2-5 mm long hairy bristles. Calyx 4-lobed, lobes unequal, ciliate margined, outer lobes 1-1.5 cm long, inner ones 7-8 mm long, all sharp-pointed. Corolla tube urceolate, c. 4 mm long, pubescent, upper lip absent, lower lip c. 1.2-1.4 cm long, obscurely lobed. Stamens 4, filaments c. 4.5 mm long, glabrous, anthers oblong, c. 3 mm long. Style c. 7 mm long. Capsule ovoid, 6-7 mm long, shining. Seeds 2, ± orbicular, flattened, c. 4 x 3.5 mm.

Distribution: Tropical Africa, Pakistan (Punjab) and India.

Fl. Per.: November-February.

maderaspatensis: from the Madras region of India

Procumbent or scrambling perennial or rarely annual herb. Stems up to 2.5 m long, sometimes rooting at the nodes, often finely hairy. Leaves ovate, elliptic or slightly obovate, 2-10 cm long, more or less hairy, particularly along the veins, often greyish below; margin entire or with a few scattered teeth. Flowers solitary or in clusters of up to 15 flowers. Bracts greenish-brown, sometimes with purple veins, elliptic-obovate to almost round, puberescent to almost hairless, ending in a recurved bristle with 4-10 barbed bristles, up to 7 mm long, on each side of the margin. Corolla white or cream, with mauve or purple veins, 10-27 mm long; lip oblong-obovate, 4-13 mm wide, lobes more or less of same length, central lobe narrower than side lobes.

Common

Widespread in tropical Africa, South Africa, Madagascar and extending to Asia

Blepharis maderaspatensis is a species of suffrutescent herb in the family Acanthaceae found in seasonally dry to arid habitats from Africa over Arabia to Southeast Asia.