Red flame (Strobilanthes reptans)

Red flame (Strobilanthes reptans) is a species of plant in the Acanthaceae, perennial shrub, up to 50 cm tall, isophyllous, stems sometimes forming a rosette but usually falling, dark red, branching and forming colonies.

S. reptans has leaves with stalks 0.5-8 cm long, pubescent, glabrous and dark red. The leaves are oval or elliptical or oblong-ovate or suborbicular, 1.5-8 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, the upper surface is dark green and the lower surface is dark red.



Terminal inflorescence, spike-shaped, up to 6-8 cm long. Bracts oblanceolate to elliptical, 8-12 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, persistent and pubescent in veins. Petals 6.5-10 mm and 5 lobes to the base.

Capsule 7-9 mm, apical pubescent, 8-16 seeds, round and 1 mm in diameter. This plant grow vines and form dense colonies to cover the soil surface or moist vertical structures.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Subfamily: Acanthoideae
Tribe: Ruellieae
Subtribe: Strobilanthinae
Genus: Strobilanthes Blume in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 781 (1826)
Species: Strobilanthes reptans (G.Forst.) Moylan ex Y.F.Deng & J.R.I.Wood in Fl. China 19: 390 (2011)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Hemigraphis reptans (G.Forst.) T.Anderson ex Hemsl. in Rep. Challenger, Bot. 1(3): 173 (1885)
Ruellia reptans G.Forst. in Fl. Ins. Austr.: 44 (1786)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Hemigraphis acaulis Bremek. in Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 42: 383 (1948)
Hemigraphis batantensis Bremek. in Nova Guinea, n.s., 8: 141 (1957)
Hemigraphis cardiophylla Quisumb. in Philipp. J. Sci. 41: 359 (1930)
Hemigraphis chamaedrys Bremek. in Verh. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch., Afd. Natuurk., Sect. 2. 41(1): 123 (1944)
Hemigraphis diffusa Bremek. in Philipp. J. Sci. 80: 14 (1952)
Hemigraphis dorensis var. pilosibracteata Bremek. (1957)
Hemigraphis keiensis Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis lamiifolia Bremek. (1957)
Hemigraphis lanaensis Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis oblongifolia Merr. in Philipp. J. Sci., C 11: 204 (1916)
Hemigraphis pacifica Hosok. in Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa 25: 127 (1935)
Hemigraphis parabolica (Nees) Fern.-Vill. in F.M.Blanco, Fl. Filip., ed. 3. 4(13A): 153 (1880)
Hemigraphis parvifolia Bremek. (1952)
Hemigraphis physalifolia Bremek. (1957)
Hemigraphis polillensis Bremek. (1952)
Hemigraphis primulifolia (Nees) Fern.-Vill. (1880)
Hemigraphis rapifera Hallier f. ex Koord. in Meded. Lands Plantentuin 19: 555 (1898)
Hemigraphis reptans var. glaucescens Hallier f. in Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 70(3): 207 (1897)
Hemigraphis reptans var. gracilis Hallier f. (1897)
Hemigraphis reptans var. primulifolia (Nees) Hallier f. (1897)
Hemigraphis robinsonii Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis saxicola Bremek. (1957)
Hemigraphis solomonensis Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis sorongensis Bremek. (1957)
Hemigraphis sublobata Elmer in Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 2: 591 (1909)
Hemigraphis suborbicularis S.Moore in J. Bot. 58: 190 (1920)
Hemigraphis tayabensis Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis undulata Bremek. in Blumea 5: 242 (1942)
Hemigraphis villosa Bremek. (1944)
Hemigraphis waigeensis Bremek. (1957)
Ruellia humifusa Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 177 (1806)
Ruellia parabolica Nees in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 11: 144 (1847)
Ruellia primulifolia Nees in Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 19(Suppl. 1): 382 (1843)
Strobilanthes primulifolia (Nees) Y.F.Deng & J.R.I.Wood in J. Trop. Subtrop. Bot. 18: 483 (2010)

PUBLICATIONS

(2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.22244/rheedea.2021.31.02.03. epublication.

(2023). https://www.phytoneuron.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/39PhytoN-PuertoRicoFlora.pdf. epublication.

Lorence, D.H. & Wagnwe, W.L. (2020). Flora of the Marquesas Islands 2: 413-1135. National Tropical Botanic Garden, Smithsonian, DRPF.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2011). Flora of China 19: 1-884. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 匍匐半插花
Chinese (traditional): 匍匐半叉花 - 匍匐半插花 - 恆春半插花
English: Red flame
Hong Kong: 匍匐半插花
Indonesia: Jejak api
Japanese: コウシュンサギゴケ - ミヤコジマソウ
Java: Tapak geni
Macao: 匍匐半插花
Taiwan: 匍匐半插花 - 恆春半插花
Thai: ตะกั่วทุ่ง

Aryo Bandoro
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