Orthosiphon schimperi

Orthosiphon schimperi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Lamiaceae
Genus:	Orthosiphon
Species:	O. schimperi
Binomial name
Orthosiphon schimperi Benth.
Synonyms
Ocimum buchananiiBaker Ocimum coloratumHochst. Orthosiphon buchananii(Baker) M.R.Ashby Orthosiphon dissimilisN.E.Br. Orthosiphon shirensisBaker

Orthosiphon schimperi, commonly called the purple piccadill, is a sub-Saharan species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. ^[1] It closely resembles the Asia-bound species Orthosiphon rubicundus , and some sources misapply the latter name in parts of Africa. ^[2]

Description

This is a perennial herb with a thick woody rootstock extending both downward and laterally, growing to about 0.2–1 m (0.66–3.28 ft) tall, not or only weakly aromatic. Stems are numerous, erect and square in cross-section, usually unbranched below the flowering shoots, and variably hairy, especially along the angles. ^[2]

Leaves are subsessile to shortly stalked above and more distinctly stalked below, with ovate to elliptic blades 3–11 cm (1.2–4.3 in) long and 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in) wide (occasionally broader), coarsely toothed, and variably hairy, particularly along the veins beneath. ^[2]

The inflorescence is initially dense, with flower clusters touching, later becoming more spaced in fruit; small bracts are 2.5–7 mm (0.098–0.276 in) long. The calyx is typically flushed reddish-brown to purple, 4.5–7 mm (0.18–0.28 in) long at flowering and elongating to 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) (rarely 13 mm (0.51 in)) in fruit. The corolla is usually pale pink, occasionally white or mauve, 9–11 mm (0.35–0.43 in) long, with a straight tube and a hooded lower lip that encloses the stamens. ^[2]

The nutlets are brown, broadly egg-shaped, about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, and produce a small amount of mucilage when wet. ^[2]

Identification

The African species that Orthosiphon schimperi most closely resembles is Orthosiphon thymiflorus . In eastern Africa, the former species can be distinguished by, among other things, its larger fruiting calyx, which is a purple– red colour throughout. In the latter species, the upper lip of the calyx is purple, while the lower lip is green. (This distinction may not hold in other regions.) ^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Orthosiphon schimperi is widespread in tropical Africa, having been recorded in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the South African province of Limpopo. It grows in open, grassy woodland, especially in more moist places. ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

Orthosiphon schimperi is named for Wilhelm Schimper (1804–1878), the German botanist who first collected it on Mount Soloda in Tigray in 1838. Schimper spent over forty years collecting specimens in Ethiopia and is thought to have introduced more African plants to science than anyone before or since. Scores of other taxa bear his name. ^{[3] [4]}

See also

• List of Lamiaceae of South Africa

Notes

1. "Orthosiphon schimperi Benth". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
2. Paton, A.J.; Bramley, G.; Ryding, O.; Polhill, R.M.; Harvey, Y.B.; Iwarsson, M.; Willis, F.; Phillipson, P.B.; Balkwill, K.; Lukhoba, C.W.; Otieno, D.F.; Harley, R.M. (2009). Flora of Tropical East Africa: Lamiaceae (Labiatae). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 182–185. ISBN   978 1 84246 372 7 . Retrieved 16 January 2026.
3. Hedberg, Inga; Ensertnu, Kelbessa; Edwards, Sue; Sebsebe, Demissew; Persson, Eva (2006). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, Vol. 5. Addis Ababa: The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University. p. 582. ISBN   9197128562.
4. Uhlig, Siegbert; Bausi, Alessandro; Yimam, Baye (2010). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 573–574. ISBN   978-3-447-06246-6.

External links

• Flora of Zimbabwe