Asystasia gangetica
Asystasia gangetica
Asystasia gangetica, in English-speaking countries also known under the trivial name "Chinese violet", is a species of the genus within the family of Acanthaceae Asystasia ( Acanthaceae ).
Description
Asystasia gangetica is an often low and creeping growing perennial herbaceous plant that sometimes grows bushy upright and sometimes slightly woody. The irregularly pressed fluffy hairy branches are drooping to erect. The thin leaves are oval to nearly circular and up to 6 inches tall. The leaf margin is smooth. There are no stipules present.
The terminal, racemose inflorescences are einseitswendig. The support and cover sheets are triangular in shape and about 1 to 2 mm long. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic, and have a double perianth fünfzählig. The five lanceolate calyx lobes are 5-7 mm long and hairy. The five purple, yellow or white, 3-4 cm long petals are fused into a 0.5 to 1 cm long, often slightly curved tube, which ends two-lipped with a width of about 15 mm. Here, the upper lip is divided into two and the lower three lobes. The lower middle Corolla lobe is the largest and has purple points. The capsule fruit is about 3 cm long. The brown seeds are irregular form of a discus.
Dissemination
The frequently occurring Asystasia gangetica is widespread throughout the tropics.
Use
In some parts of Africa, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable.
Asystasia gangetica is also used as an ornamental plant.
System
This species was in 1756 by Carolus Linnaeus in cents. pl., II, 3 first published as Justicia gangetica. It was in 1860 by Thomas Anderson in Thwaites, Enum.Pl.Zeyl. Pp. 235-236 placed in the genus Asystasia as Asystasia gangetica (L.) T.Anderson. The specific epithet is derived from the current gangetica Ganges in India.
Asystasia gangetica belongs to the genus Asystasia in the tribe Justicieae of the subfamily of Acanthoideae in the family Acanthaceae.
Swell
- Michael Jones: Flowering Plants of The Gambia AABalkeme, Rotterdam, 1970, ISBN 90-5410-197-0
- Amanda Spooner, James Carpenter, Gillian Smith & Kim Spence: Asystasia gangetica. Online 2008 (Section Description and systematics)