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Thunbergia alata Sims [family ACANTHACEAE]

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

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
Thunbergia alata Sims [family ACANTHACEAE], in Bot. Mag. 52: t. 2591 (1825); Hook., Exotic Fl.: t. 166 (1827); Nees in DC., Prodr. 11: 58 (1847); Klotzsch in Peters, Reise Mossamb., Bot.: 196 (1861); Burkill in F.T.A. 5: 16 (1899); De Wild., Pl. Beq. 1: 443 (1921); Lugard in K.B. 1933: 93 (1934); F.P.N.A. 2: 266 (1947); U.O.P.Z.: 470 & 472 (1949); F.P.S. 3: 189, fig. 51 (1956); Heine in F.W.T.A. (ed. 2) 2: 400 (1963); E.P.A.: 927 (1964); Benoist in Fl. Madag. 182, Acanthacées 1: 10 (1967); Binns, Checklist Herb. Fl. Malawi: 16 (1968); U.K.W.F.: 575 & 578 (1974); Clutton-Brock & Gillett in Afr. J. Ecol. 17: 154 (1979); Champluvier in Fl. Rwanda 3: 489 (1985); Blundell, Wild Fl. E. Afr.: 396, pl. 128 & 403 (1987); Iversen in Symb. Bot. Ups. 29(3): 162 (1991); U.K.W.F., ed. 2: 267, pl. 115 (1994); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 505 (1997); White et al., For. Fl. Malawi: 119 (2001); Friis & Vollesen in Biol. Skr. 51(2): 455 (2005); Ensermu in F.E.E. 5: 353 (2006); Thulin in Fl. Somalia 3: 376 (2006). Type: Zanzibar, Bojer s.n. (K!, holo.; K!, iso.) Valentia volubilis Rafin. [family ], Specchio 1: 87 (1814), non Thunbergia volubilis Pers. (1806). Type: Ethiopia, Salt s.n. (BM!, neo; selected by Friis in Taxon 35: 360 (1986) Endomelas alata (Sims) Rafin. [family ], Fl. Tellur. 4: 67 (1836) Thunbergia alata Hook. var. albiflora [family ACANTHACEAE], in Bot. Mag. 63: t. 3512 (1836); Gordon in Gard. Chron. 1845: 169 (1845). Type: Cult. in Glasgow Bot. Gard. (not seen) Thunbergia alata Paxton var. alba [family ACANTHACEAE], Mag. Bot. 3: 28 (1837); Nees in DC., Prodr. 11: 58 (1847). Type: Cultivated by Mrs. Lawrence of Ealing (not seen) Thunbergia manganjensis Lindau [family ACANTHACEAE], in E.J. 17: 92 (1893) & in P.O.A. C: 366 (1895); Fries in Schwed. Rhod. Congo Exp. Bot.: 302 (1916). Type: Malawi, Manganja Hills, Kirk s.n. (B†, holo.; K!, iso.) Thunbergia fuscata Lindau [family ACANTHACEAE], in E.J. 17, Beibl. 41: 40 (1893); Oliv. in Trans. Linn. Soc., ser. 2, 2: 345 (1886), nom. nud.; Engl., Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr.: 386 (1892), nom. nud.; Lindau in P.O.A. C: 366 (1895); Chiov., Racc. Bot. Miss. Consol. Kenya: 93 (1935). Type: Malawi, Manganja Hills, Meller s.n. (B†, holo.; K!, iso.) Thunbergia alata Burkill var. vixalata [family ACANTHACEAE], in F.T.A. 5: 16 (1899). Type: as for T. fuscata. Thunbergia alata Burkill var. retinervia [family ACANTHACEAE], in F.T.A. 5: 17 (1899). Types: Malawi, Nyika Plateau, Whyte s.n. (K!, syn.); Mpata, Whyte s.n. (K!, syn.); Zambesi Land, Kirk s.n. (K!, syn.) Thunbergia delamerei S.Moore [family ACANTHACEAE], in J.B. 38: 205 (1900); C.B. Clarke in F.T.A. 5: 507 (1900); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 506 (1997). Type: Kenya, Northern Frontier District: Lake Marsabit, Lord Delamere s.n. (BM!, holo.) Thunbergia alata S.Moore var. minor [family ACANTHACEAE], in J.B. 39: 300 (1901). Type: Kenya, Mombasa, W.E.Taylor s.n. (BM!, holo.) Thunbergia nymphaeifolia Lindau [family ACANTHACEAE], in E.J. 33: 184 (1902); T.T.C.L.: 17 (1949); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 506 (1997). Types: Tanzania, Lushoto District: Usambara, Eick 412 (B†, syn.); Iringa/Mbeya District: Uhehe, Utschungwe, Frau Prince s.n. (B†, syn.) Thunbergia oculata S.Moore [family ACANTHACEAE], in J.L.S. 38: 269 (1908); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 506 (1997). Type: Uganda/Congo-Kinshasa, Ruwenzori Mts, Wollaston s.n. (BM!, holo.) Thunbergia bikamaensis De Wild. [family ACANTHACEAE], in Pl. Beq. 1: 446 (1922); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 505 (1997). Type: Congo-Kinshasa, Bikama, Bequaert 2998 (BR!, holo.; BR!, iso.) Thunbergia kamatembica Mildbr. [family ACANTHACEAE], in B.J.B.B. 17: 84 (1943); Lebrun & Stork, Enum. Pl. Afr. Trop. 4: 506 (1997). Type: Congo-Kinshasa, Kamatembe, de Witte 1589 (BR!, holo.) Thunbergia sp. F [family ACANTHACEAE], of U.K.W.F.: 579 (1974); Iversen in Symb. Bot. Ups. 29, 3: 162 (1991); U.K.W.F., ed. 2: 267 (1994)
Information
Annual or perennial trailing or twining herb, when perennial with single or several stems from woody rootstock; stems to 5 m long, yellowish to whitish sparsely sericeous or sericeous-pubescent to pilose or tomentose. Leaves with petiole 0.8–7(–9.5) cm long, with a flat (rarely undulate) wing which on some or all leaves widens distinctly upwards or is parallel-sided, sometimes very narrow or absent on some (more rarely all) leaves, indumentum as stems; lamina triangular or triangular-ovate, largest 2–10(–12)≈1.2–7(–8.5) cm, apex acute or subacute, apiculate, base subcordate to deeply cordate (rarely truncate) with hastate or rounded basal lobes, margin entire to coarsely dentate, sericeous-pubescent or sparsely so to tomentose, below densest along veins, above uniformly. Flowers axillary, solitary (rarely paired or in 3’s); pedicels 2–9.5(–11) cm long, indumentum as stems; bracteoles green, sometimes with purple venation or mottled with purple, ovate to oblong, (1–)1.4–3.5≈0.5–1.6(–2.1) cm, acute to rounded, truncate to cordate and distinctly 4-angular at base, whitish to yellowish pubescent or sericeous-pubescent or sparsely so, densest on veins. Calyx puberulous and with scattered to dense stalked capitate glands, rim 0.5–2 mm high, segments linear, 1–5 mm long. Corolla pale yellow to brillant orange or brick red (rarely white) with deep purple to almost black throat; cylindric tube 3–6 mm long; throat straight or slightly curved, campanulate or narrowly so, (1.2–)1.5–2.8(–3.2) cm long and 0.7–1.8 cm in diameter apically; lobes 0.8–2≈1–2.5 cm, broadly emarginate. Filaments 2–7 and 4–9 mm long; anthers 3–5 mm long, indistinctly apiculate, densely bearded at base and along 2/3 of one side; spurs 1–1.5 mm long. Capsule densely puberulous, depressed globose, 6–9≈7–12 mm, beak 8–17(–19) mm long, constricted at base. Seed 4–6 mm in diameter, dark brown, echinate-lamellate or reticulate. Fig. 8, p. 57.
Range
DISTR. U 1–4; K 1–7; T 1–8; Z; P throughout tropical Africa, but especially common in the east, also in Madagascar, India and SE Asia and introduced in tropical America
Altitude range
near sea level to 2700 m
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier District Marsabit, 14 Jan. 1972, Bally & Radcliffe-Smith 14784!KENYA Masai District Ngerendei, 13 Apr. 1961, Glover et al. 490!KENYA Teita District Taita Hills, Mgange to Bura, 1 Sep. 1969, Bally 13506!TANZANIA Arusha District Mt Meru, 12 Dec. 1966, Richards 21694!TANZANIA Ufipa District 5 km W of Mtai on Mbuza road, 20 Nov. 1994, Goyder et al. 3755!TANZANIA Njombe District 15 km S of Njombe, 5 July 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 10964!TANZANIA Zanzibar Kisimboni, 10 July 1961, Faulkner 2866!UGANDA Karamoja District Mt Napak, 24 Jan. 1957, Dyson-Hudson 137!UGANDA Kigezi District Kachwekano Farm, May 1949, Purseglove 2822!UGANDA Mengo District Kampala, Makerere University Campus, 18 Sep. 1987, Katende 3226!
Notes
This widespread species contains a number of forms which I have found impossible to separate into any meaningful taxa. Certain forms can be distinct locally, but there are always intermediate specimens to other forms, and a lot of the variation seems correlated to the wide range of habitats occupied by this species. The typical form from Zanzibar, much of Tanzania, western Kenya and Uganda is quite uniform. In northern Tanzania and central, eastern and northern Kenya dry country plants (e.g.Richards 27208) become very hairy with narrow or absent petiole wings and shallowly cordate leaves. An upland forest form (e.g.Greenway12157)from northern Tanzania and central Kenya has large leaves, unwinged petioles and large flowers, but large flowered specimens also occur in typical material.
Thunbergia alata Sims [family ACANTHACEAE]
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