Siphonochilus aethiopicus (Schweinf.) B.L. Burtt

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Cascades road to Morumbodzi Falls, lower slopes Mt Gorongosa

Photo: David Gwynne-Evans
Eastern lower slopes below Mt Mabu.

Photo: Bart Wursten
Nhahomba area, Chimanimani National Reserve

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Synonyms:	Kaempferia aethiopica (Schweinf.) Benth. Kaempferia evae Briq. Siphonochilus evae (Briq.) B.L.Burtt
Common names:	Mauve ginger (English)
Frequency:	Locally frequent
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb Flowers large and showy, produced in successive pairs at ground level, before the leaves appear.Often flowering after fires, when the large mauve flowers make a short but spectacular display on the bare ground.
Type location:	Sudan and Ethiopia
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	aethiopicus: of Ethiopia, a historic name for large parts of Africa
Habitat:	In deciduous woodland and wooded grassland
Altitude range: (metres)	350 - 900 m
Flowering time:	Nov - Jan
Worldwide distribution:	Senegal and Ethiopia to Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and KwaZulu-Natal.
FZ divisions:	N,Z,T,MS
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Physcaeneura pione (Food plant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Saturday 27 April 2019
Literature:	Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 240 - 241. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 368. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 51. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 142. Lock, J.M. (2010). Zingiberaceae Flora Zambesiaca 13(4) Pages 129 - 130. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Moriarty, A. (1975). Wild Flowers of Malawi Purnell & sons Cape Town. Pages 35 - 36. as Kaempferia aethiopica (Includes a picture). Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 243. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Plowes, D.C.H. & Drummond, R.B. (1990). Wild Flowers of Zimbabwe. Revised edition. Longman, Zimbabwe. No. 27, plate 46

Other sources of information about Siphonochilus aethiopicus:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Flora of Malawi: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Flora of Zambia: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Siphonochilus aethiopicus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Siphonochilus aethiopicus
African Plant Database: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Siphonochilus aethiopicus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Siphonochilus aethiopicus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Siphonochilus aethiopicus
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iNaturalist: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Siphonochilus aethiopicus
JSTOR Plant Science: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Plants of the World Online: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Tropicos: Siphonochilus aethiopicus
Wikipedia: Siphonochilus aethiopicus