Acanthopale pubescens

Description

Acanthopale pubescens is a species of the genus Acanthopale of the Acanthaceae plant family. The species occurs in East and Southern Africa (except in South Africa). Acanthopale pubescensis also known as Herayye in Ethiopia. A. pubescens is an erect, soft-wooded shrub or a shrubbery herb that can grow up to 2.5 m tall. The leaves are oppositely arranged and the largest leaves are 8–24 cm long, ovate to elliptic with distinct drip-tip and are narrow at the base and apex. The Flowers are hermaphroditic and have radial symmetry and the Inflorescences are lateral with terminal racemose heads and hairy on the inside. The flower is white with purple marking and the corolla is hairy on the outside. Corollas can be up to 3 cm long and vary in size. The corolla consists of the whorl of petals. The capsule is 11–14 mm long and seeds are ellipsoid to circular, and range from 3–4 mm. The species was first but incorrectly described by Gustav Lindau as Dischistocalyx pubescens in 1895. Adolf Engler later validly published the species (ex Engler). In 1899 C.B.Clarke transferred the species to the genus Acanthopale and published this in the Flora of Tropical Africa. Acanthopale pubescens is located in the moist Afrotropic region, like Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The Altitude range is 275-1150m and is found along the forest trails and in forest gaps.