Anisotes Nees

Flora Zambesiaca Acanthaceae (part 2) by Iain Darbyshire, Kaj Vollesen and Ensermu Kelbessa

Morphology General Habit

Shrubby herbs, shrubs or small trees; cystoliths conspicuous or not.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, equal, entire to crenate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Plants often flowering when leafless, flowers in dorsiventral racemoid cymes with strobilate bracts or in 1–12-flowered axillary dichasia or short cymes with minute bracts; bracts persistent, from large and showy to minute; bracteoles small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx divided into 5 equal segments.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla glandular puberulous, sometimes also hairy (rarely glabrous) on the outside; basal part of tube short, cylindrical, widening slightly upwards; throat short, very indistinct; limb very distinctly 2-lipped with lips usually more than twice as long as tube and throat combined; upper lip hooded; lower lip usually pendent and coiled at anthesis, without rugula.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 2, no staminodes, inserted at top of tube; anthers bithecous, thecae subequal, one a little below others, parallel, both mucronate or lower with minute appendage at base.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style filiform, glabrous or hairy; stigma minutely bifid with 2 ellipsoid lobes.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule 2–4-seeded, clavate with a solid basal stalk, placentae solid and not splitting from capsule wall or splitting from base or wall splitting longitudinally.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds spheroid to discoid, compressed or not, smooth to rugose or reticulate-tuberculate.

Distribution

A genus of 24 species in tropical Africa, Arabia and Madagascar. The centre of diversity is from S Ethiopia and S Somalia through E Kenya to Tanzania, and to a lesser degree onwards through Mozambique to E Zimbabwe and N South Africa.