Compilation
Blepharis linariifolia

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Name

Identification
Blepharis linariifolia Pers. [family ACANTHACEAE ] (stored under name); Verified by Data not digitized,
Related name
  • Acanthodium hirtum
  • Blepharis linariifolia
Common name
  • wiwintin wilinwitin (K&B) (UPPER VOLTA, MOORE), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1
  • nãman (Dieterlen) nanam doñolo ya (Dieterlen) nyame danga (Dieterlen) (MALI, MANDING-BAMBARA), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1
  • nãman (Dieterlen) nãman doñolo ya (Dieterlen) (MALI, DOGON), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1
  • kuru ulu (JB) (SENEGAL, MANDING-BAMBARA), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1
  • daúdàr-maáguzaáwaa protection for boys who have been circumcised (RES; ZOG) fàskàrà toòyí = resistant to burning (JMD; ZOG) gagi, gigi (ZOG) gandarin damo (AST) (NIGERIA, HAUSA), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1
  • gigi (NIGERIA, HAUSA (West)), Burkill, H.M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1

Flora

Entry for Blepharis edulis (Forssk.) Pers. [family ACANTHACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (2008) Author: Kaj Vollesen
Names
Blepharis edulis (Forssk.) Pers. [family ACANTHACEAE], Syn. Pl. 2: 180 (1806); T. Anderson in J.L.S. 7: 36 (1863); Lindau in P.O.A. C: 369 (1895); C.B. Clarke in F.T.A. 5: 102 (1899) pro parte; Broun & Massey, Fl. Sudan: 341 (1929); Chiovenda, Fl. Somala: 251 (1929) & Fl. Somala 2: 350 (1932); Vollesen, Blepharis: 103 (2000); Friis & Vollesen in Biol. Skr. 51(2): 438 (2005); Ensermu in F.E.E. 5: 353 (2006); Thulin in Fl. Somalia 3: 380 (2006). Type: Yemen, Lohaje, Forsskål 905 (C!, holo.)
Acanthus edulis Forssk. [family ACANTHACEAE], Fl. Aegypt-Arab.: 114 (1775); Vahl, Symb. Bot. 1: 48 (1790)
Acanthodium spicatum Del. [family ACANTHACEAE], Fl. Aegypt.: 97 & tab. 33, fig. 2 (1813); Nees in DC., Prodr. 11: 274 (1847); Solms-Laub. in Schweinf., Beitr. Fl. Aeth.: 102 (1867). Type: Egypt, Suez, Delile s.n. (P, holo.; K!, iso.)
Acanthus tetragonus R. Br. [family ACANTHACEAE], in Salt, Voy. Abyss., App. IV: 65 (1814), nom. nud.
Blepharis hirta Martelli var. latifolia [family ACANTHACEAE], Fl. Bogos: 65 (1886). Type: Eritrea, Keren, Beccari s.n. (FT!, holo.)
Blepharis edulis Terrac. var. oblongata [family ACANTHACEAE], in Bull. Soc. Bot. Ital. 1892: 424 (1892). Type: Somalia, El Anot, Baudi & Candeo s.n. (FT!, holo.)
Blepharis linariifolia [family ACANTHACEAE], [sensu C.B.Clarke in F.T.A. 5: 100 (1899) pro parte; Chiovenda, Fl. Somala: 251 (1929) & Fl. Somala 2: 340 (1932); Napper, Israel J. Bot. 21: 166 (1972); U.K.W.F.: 579 (1974); Blundell, Wild Fl. E. Afr. 389 & fig. 848 (1987); Iversen in Symb. Bot. Ups. 29(3): 160 (1991); Kokwaro, Med. Pl. East Afr. (ed. 2): 22 (1993), non Pers. (1806)]
Blepharis hirta [family ACANTHACEAE], [sensu Chiovenda, Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., N. S. 26: 101 (1919) & Atti Ist. Bot. Pavia, ser. 4, 7: 146 (1936), non (Nees) Martelli (1886)]
Blepharis obovata Chiov. [family ACANTHACEAE], Agric. Colon. 20: 48 (1926). Type: Somalia, Gorini 64 (FT!, holo.)
Blepharis edulis Chiov. forma minima [family ACANTHACEAE], in Fl. Somala 2: 350 (1932). Type: Somalia, Mogadishu, Senni 563 (FT!, holo.)
Blepharis persica [family ACANTHACEAE], [sensu F.P.S. 3: 171 (1956); E.P.A.: 952 (1964), non (Burm. f.) Kuntze (1891)]
Blepharis ciliaris [family ACANTHACEAE], [sensu Collenette, Fl. Saudi Arabia: 29 (1985); Miller, Pl. Dhofar: 8 (1988); Lebrun et al., Cat. Pl. Vasc. Djibouti: 212 (1989); Hepper & Friis, Pl. Forssk. Fl. Aeg.-Arab.: 64 (1994); Audru et al., Pl. Vasc. Djibouti, Fl. Ill. 2,2: 720 (1994); U.K.W.F., ed. 2: 274 (1994); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 473 (1997); Wood, Handb. Yemen Fl.: 268 (1997), non (L.) B. L. Burtt (1956)]
Information
Erect or procumbent annual herb; stems up to 60 cm long, subglabrous to densely scabrid-puberulous when young. Leaves: lamina linear to lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, largest 2.5–12≈0.3–1.2 cm, margin entire to sinuate-dentate, scabrid-puberulous or sparsely so, below also with longer hairs on midrib. Spikes terminal (in larger plants seemingly axillary due to development of lateral branches), 1–9(–12) cm long; peduncle 0–1(–2.5) cm long, with 1–2 pairs of small sterile bracts; fertile bracts elliptic to slightly obovate, 1.2–3.8 cm long, narrowing abruptly to a recurved pungent tip of 1/3–1/2 the total length, each side with 3–8 straight teeth 1–7 mm long, pubescent to pilose or sparsely so (rarely puberulous) on veins, puberulous or sparsely so between; bracteoles 7–17 mm long, puberulous and with long pilose hairs. Sepals pubescent to pilose; dorsal ovate to elliptic with ligulate apical part, 10–18 mm long, 5-veined, apex truncate with 1–3 teeth; ventral elliptic or oblong, 8–12 mm long, 5-veined; lateral 5–9 mm long. Corolla bright blue or bluish mauve, with darker veins; tube 2–4 mm long; limb (9–)12–20(–23) mm long. Filaments 4–8 mm long, anterior pair hairy at base; appendage 3–5 mm long, as long or longer than the 2–4 mm long anthers. Capsule 7–9 mm long. Seed ± 5≈5 mm. Fig. 16, p. 103.
Range
DISTR. U 1; K 1–4, 6, 7; T 2, 3, 6, 7 West Africa to Ethiopia and Somalia, north to Egypt and through Arabia and Iran to NW India
Altitude range
150–1450 m
Distribution
KENYA Turkana District Lake Turkana [Rudolph], 17 May 1953, Padwa 157A!KENYA Garissa District Garissa–Jara Jila road, 26 Nov. 1978, Brenan et al. 14747!KENYA Masai District Nairobi–Magadi road, 11 Aug. 1951, Bally 8016!TANZANIA Masai District road to Engaruka, 27 Feb. 1970, Richards 25550!TANZANIA Lushoto District 8 km SE of Mkomazi, 1 May 1953, Drummond & Hemsley 2324!TANZANIA Iringa District 90 km N of Iringa, 17 July 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 11176!UGANDA Karamoja District near Moroto, 28 Oct. 1939, A.S. Thomas 3078! & Karasuk, Amudat, Sep. 1959, Tweedie 1904! & Karita, 10 Oct. 1964, Leippert 5091!
Notes
Blepharis edulis shows an enormous plasticity. Plants from the beginning of the rainy season (or in dry years) are small and often only have a single spike. Through the rainy season (and into the dry where moisture prevails) the plants continue to grow and become increasingly branched, in the end producing large procumbent plants with thick semi-woody stems up to 60 cm long.

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