Perikapur (Microchirita caerulea)

Perikapur (Microchirita caerulea) is plant species in Gesneriaceae, herbaceous, non-woody, upright, growing up to 65 cm tall. Its stems are straight, cylindrical, and bright green. Its roots are fibrous and white, clinging to limestone surfaces and cliffs in karst landscapes.

M. caerulea grows in sparse or distant colonies. The stems are erect, straight, cylindrical, bright green, reddish, or brownish, and have white hairs. The leaves are opposite, with petioles up to 5 cm long.

The leaf blades are oval, up to 14 cm long, up to 8 cm wide, and have pointed tips. The upper side is green, with white, and rough hairs. The underside is bright green. A main vein runs through the center and minor veins run laterally.

The inflorescences grow above the leaf blades. The flowers are fan-shaped or trumpet-shaped and hairy, 2 cm long and 1 cm wide, with violet stripes on the upper side. The leaf blades are green, butterfly-shaped, and have white, and rough hairs. The leaves grow from the leaf axils, with petioles up to 10 cm long.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Subfamily: Didymocarpoideae
Tribe: Trichosporeae
Subtribe: Didymocarpinae
Genus: Microchirita
Species: Microchirita caerulea (R.Br.) Yin Z.Wang in J. Syst. Evol. 49: 60 (2011)

Homotypic Synonyms:

Chirita caerulea R.Br.
Didymocarpus caeruleus (R.Br.) Koord.
Roettlera caerulea (R.Br.) Kuntze

Heterotypic Synonyms:

Chirita zollingeri C.B.Clarke
Didymocarpus cyathiphorus Rchb.f. & Zoll.
Didymocarpus zollingeri (C.B.Clarke) Kuntze
Roettlera zollingeri (C.B.Clarke) Kuntze

Publications:

A. P. Dewi, M. R. Hariri, A. S. D. Irsyam, R. R. Irwanto, T. H. Al Yamini (2023). Anatomy of Karst Plant: A Study On Microchirita caerulea (R.Br.) Yin Z. Wang (Gesneriaceae) From Madura Island. Metamorfosa: Journal of Biological Sciences 10(1): 302-311. DOI: 10.24843/metamorfosa.2023.v10.i02.p14

Backer, C. A and Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C. 1965. Flora of Java, Vol. 2. Wolters-Noordhoff N. V. Groningen, Netherlands.

Puglisi, C and D. J. Middleton. 2017. A revision of Microchirita (Gesneriaceae) in Thailand. Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore. 69(2): 211-284.

Weber, A., J. L. Clark and M. Möller. 2013. A new formal classification of Gesneriaceae. Selbyana. 31(2): 68-94.

English: Perikapur
Indonesia: Perikapur, Peri kapur, Bunga kapur
Java: Peri gamping, Tapak gamping, Kembang gamping

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