Endostemon

Endostemon
Pink flowers of the plant Endostemon tereticaulis
Endostemon tereticaulis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Nepetoideae
Tribe: Ocimeae
Genus: Endostemon
N.E.Br.
Synonyms[1]
  • Pseudocimum Bremek.
  • Puntia Hedge

Endostemon is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae, commonly called keepsafes. There are 21 species, the majority of which are found in eastern Africa. Some species are present in central and southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent each have one.[1]

Description

Members of this genus are aromatic annual or perennial herbs, woody herbs, or low subshrubs. The stems may be prostrate or erect, branching above and becoming woody at the base. The leaves are opposite.[2]

The flowers are bisexual and borne in lax inflorescences of whorls with two to six flowers. The bracts are small and may form a weak terminal tuft. The calyx is persistent, shortly tubular to tubular-campanulate and two-lipped, with an ovate posterior lip and a four-lobed anterior lip. In fruit, the calyx enlarges, with the throat either open and glabrous, closed by converging lobes, or occluded by a dense ring of hairs.[2]

The corolla is white, pink, purple, or bluish, slightly two-lipped and four-lobed, with a straight tube that widens at the throat. Four stamens are held within the corolla, with short hairy filaments and dorsifixed anthers. The ovary is deeply four-lobed, with a gynobasic style and capitate stigma.[2]

The fruit consists of smooth black or brown nutlets, ovoid to narrowly ovoid, which produce variable amounts of mucilage when wetted.[2]

Taxonomy

The genus is divided into four sections.[3]

Section Endostemon

Sources:[3][4]

Calyx shortly tubular; throat glabrous and open in fruit. Anterior lip with lanceolate teeth, the lateral lobes not extending towards the posterior lip. Pedicels terete. Ovary glabrous or hairy at the apex. Nutlets narrowly ovoid, triangular in cross section, truncate, glabrous or hairy at the apex.

Section Diffusi

Sources:[3][5]

Calyx tubular to tubular-campanulate; throat of fruiting calyx open but closed by a dense ring of long hairs. Anterior lip with deltate to lanceolate lateral lobes extending towards the posterior lip; median lobes linear and longer. Pedicels slightly flattened. Ovary glabrous. Nutlets ovoid with rounded apex.

Section Leucosphaeri

Source:[3]

Calyx appearing spherical; fruiting calyx membranous with an open, glabrous throat. Posterior lip enlarged with coiled lateral lobes; anterior lip with lanceolate, slightly asymmetric lobes. Pedicels terete. Corolla lobes flat and spreading in a single plane. Ovary glabrous. Nutlets narrowly oblong-cylindrical, rounded to slightly angled in cross section, flattened at the base, with a rounded apex. Restricted to eastern Ethiopia and Somalia.

Section Oblongi

Source:[3]

Calyx tubular; fruiting calyx throat glabrous and closed by convergent lobes of the anterior lip pressed against the posterior lip. Pedicels flattened. Ovary glabrous. Nutlets narrowly ovate, rounded in cross section, with a rounded apex.

References

  1. ^ a b "Endostemon N.E.Br". Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Paton, A.J.; Bramley, G.; Ryding, O.; Polhill, R.M.; Harvey, Y.B.; Iwarsson, M.; Willis, F.; Phillipson, P.B.; Balkwill, K.; Lukhoba, C.W.; Otieno, D.F.; Harley, R.M. (2009). Flora of Tropical East Africa: Lamiaceae (Labiatae). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-84246-372-7. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e Paton, Alan; Harley, M.M.; Harley, R.M.; Weeks, S. (1994). "A Revision of Endostemon (Labiatae)". Kew Bulletin. 49 (4). Springer Nature: 673–716. Bibcode:1994KewBu..49..673P. doi:10.2307/4118065. JSTOR 4118065. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  4. ^ Goyder, D.J.; Davies, N.; Finckh, M.; Gomes, A.; Gonçalves, F.M.P.; Meller, P.; Paton, A.J. (September 2023). "New species of Asclepias (Apocynaceae), Baphia (Leguminosae), Cochlospermum (Bixaceae) and Endostemon (Lamiaceae) from the Kalahari sands of Angola and NW Zambia, with one new combination in Vangueria (Rubiaceae)". PhytoKeys (232): 145–166. Bibcode:2023PhytK.232..145G. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.232.110110. PMC 10534249. PMID 37780180.
  5. ^ Ryding, Olof; Paton, Alan; Thulin, Mats; Springate, David (2003). "Reconsideration of the Genus Puntia and a New Species of the Genus Endostemon (Lamiaceae)". Kew Bulletin. 58 (4). Springer Nature: 919–927. Bibcode:2003KewBu..58..919R. doi:10.2307/4111205. JSTOR 4111205. Retrieved 16 January 2026.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.