Strobilanthes anisophylla (Wall. ex Hook.) T. Anderson 1865
- Dataset
- Forgotten types of Strobilanthes (Acanthaceae) in The Central National Herbarium, Kolkata, India
- Rank
- SPECIES
- Published in
- Anderson, T. (1865) In: Catalogue of Plants cultivated in the Royal Botanical Gardens, Calcutta from April 1861 to 28 th
Classification
- kingdom
- Plantae
- phylum
- Tracheophyta
- class
- Magnoliopsida
- order
- Lamiales
- family
- Acanthaceae
- genus
- Strobilanthes
- species
- Strobilanthes anisophylla
description
In his description of Ruellia anisophylla, Hooker stated that he “ received this singular plant at our Botanic Garden (that is, in Glasgow, where Hooker was then working) from Mr Mackay, nurseryman of Islington, to whom it was sent from the Calcutta Botanic garden, ” where it had been cultivated from plants collected by Wallich in Nepal. This indicates that the drawing was based on the cultivated plant but there is clearly an error about its native origin. Strobilanthes anisophylla is not known from Nepal and all the specimens in the Wallich herbarium are from Sylhet (Khasi Hills) and the Calcutta Botanic Garden. Examination of Hooker’s herbarium, now at K, reveals no suitable specimen which could be selected as a lectotype so the readily identifiable image in Hooker’s Exotic Flora is here selected as lectotype instead. Strobilanthes anisophylla has been widely cultivated, but is only known as a native plant from Bhutan, the West Bengal Duars and Meghalaya. It seems most likely that cultivated plants originated from Meghalaya as neither Bhutan not the West Bengal Duars had been visited by botanists at the time of its introduction to cultivation. It should be noted that Strobilanthes isophylla is merely a form of S. anisophylla only known in cultivation.