| Synonyms: |
Lobelia stolzii Schltr. Lobelia welwitschii var. albiflora Hiern |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Perennial, erect or ascending, rhizomatous herb, glabrous or very occasionally pubescent, 10-50 cm tall. Stems not or sparsely branched, angular, not or very narrowly winged. Leaves up to 12 x 1-6 mm, sparsely denticulate; upper leaves narrowly lanceolate, acute, generally erect; lower leaves lanceolate to elliptic or broadly ovate, sometimes obtuse, roughly spreading; epidermis above with large cells (0.05-0.1 mm long) particularly towards the apex and along margins. Flowers in lax racemes; pedicels up to 30 mm long; bracts similar to upper stem leaves; bracteoles c. 1 mm. long, linear, on lower half of the pedicel. Hypanthium obconical to obovoid, c. 10-nerved. Calyx lobes narrow, often subulate, erect, 2.5-6 mm long, with 1-2 pairs of teeth at the margin. Corolla 6.5-10.5 mm. long, blue or rarely white, with two bumps in the mouth of the tube, split to c. 0.4 mm from the base on the back, short pubescent inside on the bottom of the tube. Filaments linear, pubescent at the base, connate for most of their length, attached to the corolla–tube at the base. Anther tube 1.5-2 mm long, shortly pubescent on the back of the upper thecae or glabrous, the two lower anthers each with a tuft of hairs and a hyaline appendage at the apex. Ovary subinferior. Capsule c. 10-nerved with 2 valves c. 1 mm long, inferior part of capsule 4-7 mm long. Seeds elliptic-oblong in outline, somewhat compressed, 0.4-0.5 mm long, almost smooth, brown. |
| Type location: |
Angola |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | welwitschii: named after the Austrian botanist, Friedrich Martin Welwitsch (1806-1872) |
| Habitat: | |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Aug - Mar |
| Worldwide distribution: | Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique |
| FZ divisions: | N |
| Growth form(s): | Perennial. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 198. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 58. Under Lobeliaceae Thulin, M. (1983). Lobeliaceae Flora Zambesiaca 7(1) Pages 129 - 131. (Includes a picture). Thulin, M. (1985). Lobeliaceae Flore d'Afrique Centrale Botanic Garden Meise, Belgium Pages 23 - 25. (Includes a picture). |