Exacum caeruleum

Exacum caeruleum
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Gentianaceae
Genus:	Exacum
Species:	E. caeruleum
Binomial name
Exacum caeruleum Balf.f. (1883)
Synonyms [2]
Exacum forbesiiBalf.f. (1903)

Exacum caeruleum is a species of a plant in the Gentianaceae family. It is an annual endemic to the island of Socotra in Yemen. ^[2] Its natural habitat is dense shrubland in the Hajhir Mountains from 900 to 1,250 meters elevation. ^[1]

Description

Its notable features include: ^[3]

Flowers: Typically a bluish‑lavender or violet colour, with prominently golden‑yellow stamens. (Photographs of close relatives show these character traits)

Leaves: Opposite, glossy or semi‑glossy, simple in shape, clustered on stems.

Habit: In its natural habitat, grows in dense shrublands or among rocks and shrub communities at high elevations.

Morphology (genus‑typical): According to data for the genus Exacum, stems are erect or branched, glabrous, leaves are opposite and the flowers are in cymes (axillary or terminal), the calyx lobed nearly to base, corolla rotate with lobes longer than the tube, 4–5 stamens inserted at throat, ovary 2‑locular, capsule 2‑valved, seeds many.

References

1. Miller, A. (2004). "Exacum caeruleum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004 e.T44953A10968182. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T44953A10968182.en . Retrieved 22 July 2024.
2. "Exacum caeruleum Balf.f." Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
3. "Exacum L." www.worldfloraonline.org. Archived from the original on 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2025-10-31.