Red sunbird-bush | |
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Flowers | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Acanthaceae |
Genus: | Anisotes |
Species: | A. pubinervius |
Binomial name | |
Anisotes pubinervius (T.Anderson) Heine (1966) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Anisotes pubinervius is an Afrotropical plant species in the acanthus family, [2] which is native to forest understorey in the Afromontane archipelago. It is widespread in eastern Africa, with isolated populations in southern Africa and Nigeria. [3] The species is named for the fine down (pubi -) that covers the main leaf veins (-nervia). [4]
It often has a colonial ecology, [3] growing to relatively large shrubs of some 4 to 5 metres tall [4] in full understorey shade. It is native to riparian or middle to low altitude evergreen forests, [5] in warm and humid climes.
The pale brownish bark is covered with lenticels. [5] The opposite and narrowly elliptic leaves are around 20 cm long, with pubescent veins and entire margins. [5] The two-lipped flowers emerge from the reddish-fringed, green bracts on axillary spikes along the upper sides of branches. It flowers during the drier season, November to December in Nigeria, [3] and June to July in South Africa, [4] though probably all-year at more tropical or subtropical latitudes. [5] The beaked and oblong woody fruit are c.18 mm long. [5]
The large, dark pink to maroon corollas attract forest sunbirds as pollinators, including Southern double-collared, Collared, Grey and Olive sunbirds. [4] Reproduction occurs in various ways. Seed is produced for a month or so after flowering, producing seedlings that are ready to benefit from rains at the start of the wet season. [4] Suckers develop where plants are damaged, to form new plants. Where stems touch the soil, they may also root to establish new plants. [4]
In South Africa it is known since April 2000 to occur in Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, [4] but is also cultivated in gardens. In Nigeria it is known since November 2002 to occur in the 8 km2 Leinde Fadale forest, situated at 1,600 to 1,670 metres in the uplands adjacent to Gashaka Gumti National Park. [3] It is besides native to montane Southern Sudan and southwestern Ethiopia, the mountain chains of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (up to 2,000 metres) and the Albertine Rift of Uganda, Burundi, DRC and Zambia (1,000 to 1,200 m.a.s.l). [3] No intraspecific variation is evident. [3]
Though habitat degradation occurs locally, the species as a whole is not threatened.
Protea cynaroides, also called the king protea, is a flowering plant. It is a distinctive member of Protea, having the largest flower head in the genus. The species is also known as giant protea, honeypot or king sugar bush. It is widely distributed in the southwestern and southern parts of South Africa in the fynbos region.
Nigeria is a country in West Africa. It shares land borders with the Republic of Benin to the west, Chad and Cameroon to the east, and Niger to the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south and it borders Lake Chad to the northeast. Notable geographical features in Nigeria include the Adamawa Plateau, Mambilla Plateau, Jos Plateau, Obudu Plateau, the Niger River, Benue River, and Niger Delta.
Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions. The four main centres of distribution are Indonesia and Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. Representatives of the family can be found in nearly every habitat, including dense or open forests, scrublands, wet fields and valleys, sea coast and marine areas, swamps, and mangrove forests.
Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly in the males. Many species also have especially long tail feathers. Their range extends through most of Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, South-east Asia and southern China, to Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Species diversity is highest in equatorial regions.
Acacia pycnantha, most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae. It grows to a height of 8 metres and has phyllodes instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. The species is native to southeastern Australia as an understorey plant in eucalyptus forest. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of honeyeater and thornbill, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them.
Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak, is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. It is known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking.
Lasiodiscus, commonly known as red-hair bushes, is a small plant genus in the family Rhamnaceae. It is endemic to Africa and its adjacent islands.
The southern double-collared sunbird or lesser double-collared sunbird is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It is mainly resident, but partially migratory in the north-east of its range.
The amethyst sunbird, also called the black sunbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Afrotropics, mostly south of the equator. They are commonly found in well-watered habitats, and undertake seasonal movements to visit flowering woodlands. The demise of some woodlands have impacted their numbers locally, but their range has also expanded along with the spread of wooded gardens.
The copper sunbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to tropical Africa, its range extending from Senegal and Guinea in the west to South Sudan and Kenya in the east, and southwards to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Anisotes is a genus of Afrotropical plants in the family Acanthaceae. The genus is morphologically similar to Metarungia, from which it differs mainly in the dehiscence of the fruit capsule, and the nature of the placenta. Placentas remain attached to the inner surface of fruit capsules in Anisotes.
Psychotria zombamontana is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Mimulopsis solmsii is a flowering plant from the family Acanthaceae. It is a native to the mountains of tropical Africa. It is the type species for the genus Mimulopsis.
Nuxia floribunda, the forest elder, forest nuxia or wild elder, is a species of tree in the Stilbaceae family, that is native to moist regions of southern Africa, East Africa and central tropical Africa.
Isoglossa woodii, commonly known as buckweed, is a monocarpic shrub of the family Acanthaceae, growing up to 4 m tall. It grows in colonies in coastal forest areas of KwaZulu-Natal and marginally into Eastern Cape and Free State of South Africa.
Gashaka-Gumti National Park (GGNP) is a national park in Nigeria, It was gazetted from two game reserves in 1991 and is Nigeria's largest national park. It is located in the eastern provinces of Taraba and Adamawa to the border with Cameroon. The total area covers about 6,402 km2, much of the northern GGNP is savannah grassland, while the southern GGNP sector of the park has a rugged terrain characterized by very mountainous, steep slopes as well as deep valleys and gorges, and is home to montane forests. Altitude ranges from ranging from about 457 metres (1,499 ft) in the northern flatter corner of the park, up to 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) at Chappal Waddi, Nigeria's highest mountain in the park's southern sections. It is an important water catchment area for the Benue River. There is abundant river flow even during the markedly dry season. Enclaves for local Fulani pastoralists exist within the park boundary that allow for farming and grazing.
Tabernaemontana ventricosa is a plant in the family Apocynaceae. It grows as a shrub or small tree up to 15 metres (50 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 30 centimetres (12 in) and has white sap. Leaves are paired and crowded near the ends of branches. They are oblong, leathery and a glossy dark green. Flowers are fragrant with white, somewhat twisted lobes, often with a pale yellow center and are set in small clusters at the ends of branches. The fruit is dark green, set in spreading pairs of ellipsoids or oval, beaked pods, up to 10 centimetres (4 in) in diameter. Its habitat is forests from sea level to 1,850 metres (6,000 ft) altitude. In Zimbabwe, it is usually found as part of the understorey of evergreen forests. Local medicinal uses include the treatment of wounds, fever and hypertension. The plant is native to tropical central and southern Africa.
Euclea crispa, commonly known as the blue guarri, is an Afrotropical plant species of the family Ebenaceae. The hardy and evergreen plants may form a dense stand of shrubs, or grow to tree size. It is widespread and common in the interior regions of southern Africa, and occurs northward to the tropics. Though some are present near the South African south and east coasts, they generally occur at middle to high altitudes. It is readily recognizable from its much-branched structure and dull bluish foliage colour. Those bearing lanceolate leaves may however resemble the Wild olive, another common species of the interior plateaus.
Metarungia galpinii is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It is a shrub endemic to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the sole species in genus Metarungia.
Ruspolia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.