Acanthaceae
Characteristic Features:
Herbs or shrubs with often swollen nodes
Leaves opposite and estipulate
Flowers zygomorphic, bracteate, bracteolate, usually bilabiate
Stamens 2 or 4, anther lobes unequal
Gynoecium bicarpellary, syncarpous, superior with bilocular ovary having 4 or more ovules
Fruit a loculicidal capsule with seeds having funicular retinacula (jaculators)
Diversity:
World- 242 genera, 3947 species (The Plant List 2013); 210 genera, 4000 species (Christenhusz & Byng 2016); 202 genera, 3800 species (Mabberley 2017); 198 genera, 5433 species (CoL 2021)
India - 49 genera, 472 species (Karthikeyan et al. 2009); 40 genera, 505 species (BSI, 2021)
Indian Himalaya- 28 genera, 145 species (Singh et al. 2019)
Uttarakhand - 31 genera, 64 species (Uniyal et al. 2007)
General Characters:
Acanthaceae in Watson & Dallwitz (1992 onwards)
Acanthaceae in POWO 2021 (Plants of the World Online)
Acanthaceae in Wikipedia
Systematic Position of Family in Different Systems of Classifications:
Systematic position in 2-Superkingdom, 7-Kingdom classification of Ruggiero et al. (2015)
Super Kingdom- Eukaryota, Kingdom- Plantae, Subkingdom- Viridiplantae, Infrakingdom- Streptophyta, Superphylum- Embryophyta, Phylum- Tracheophyta, Subphylum- Spermatophytina, Superclass- Angiospermae, Class- Magnoliopsida, Superorder- Asteranae, Order- Lamiales
Bentham & Hooker (1862-83)
Class : Dicotyledons
Subclass : Gamopetalae
Series : Bicarpellatae
Orders : Personales
Thorne & Reveal (2007)
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Lamiidae
Super Order: Lamianae
Order : Lamiales
Engler & Prantl (1887-1915)
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Embryophyta Siphonogama
Subdivision : Angiospermae
Class : Dicotyledoneae
Subclass : Metachlamydeae
Order : Tubiflorae
Hutchinson (1973)
Phylum : Angiospermae
Subphylum : Dicotyledones
Division : Herbaceae
Order : Personales
Takhtajan (2009)
Phylum : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Lamiidae
Super Order : Lamianae
Order : Lamiales
Reveal (2012)
Class : Equisetopsida
Subclass : Magnoliidae
Super Order : Lamianae
Order : Lamiales
Cronquist (1988)
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Asteridae
Order : Scrophulariales
APG-IV (2016)
Clade : Angiosperms
Clade : Eudicots
Clade : Core Eudicots
Clade : Superasterids
Clade : Asterids
Clade : Lamiids
Order : Lamiales
Shipunov (2021)
Class : Angiospermae
Subclass : Asteridae
Super Order : Asteranae
Order : Lamiales
Suborder : Lamiineae
Genera & Species in Pantnagar
To see larger images please click on the names
~~~Wild Flora~~~
Hemigraphis hirta (Vahl.) T.Anderson
Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T.Anderson
Hygrophila ringens (L.) R. Br. Ex Spreng.
Justicia quinqueangularis K.D.Koenig ex Roxb.
Lepidagathis incurva Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
Nelsonia canescens (Lam.) Spreng.
***Cultivated Flora ***
Philippine-violet, Blue bell (English); Jhinti (Hindi).
Ornamental shrub; a native of Tropical and Subtropical Asia (POWO, 2019)
Plants are shrubs with opposite, ovate leaves. Flower white, funnel shaped, terminal and axillary. Flowering during September to November.
Multiplied by stem cutting, and by seed (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Kasturba Bhawan
Justicia brandegeeana Wassh. & L.B.Sm.
Shrimp plant (English)
Ornamental shrub; a native of South Mexico and Central America (POWO, 2019)
Plants are erect shrubs with opposite, ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaves. Inflorescence a terminal spike, flowers and bracts reddish, bi-lipped, lower lip curved or reflexed. Flowering during April to November
Multiplied by layering or softwood cutting (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ MFC
Pachystachys lutea Nees.
Lollipop plant, Golden shrimp plant (English)
An ornamental shrub; a native of Northern Brazil to Peru (POWO, 2019)
Plants are evergreen shrubs. Leaves opposite, ovate-elliptic and dark green. Flowers in terminal spike, white and emerging from the axil of yellow bracts. Flowering during June to July.
Propagated by cutting (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ Ta Colony
Ruellia simplex C.Wright
Vernacular name: Desert Petunia
Nativity: Mexico to Tropical South America (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Shrub. Leaves long, linear, lanceolate, margin entire or undulate. Flowers trumpet shaped, one or few in axil of upper leaves.
Flowering period: August to December
Propagation Methods: Multiplied by stem cuttings, crown division and by seeds (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ GS
Thunbergia coccinea Wall. ex D.Don
Vernacular name: Scarlet clock vine
Nativity: India, China and Indo-China (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Woody climber. Leaves ovate- laceolate, margin undulate, with 3 -5 palmately veined. Flowers red, in pendulous racemes.
Flowering period: November to March
Propagation Methods: Propagated by layering, cutting and air layering (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ MFC
Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T.Anderson
Vernacular name: Bush thunbergia, King's Mantle, Bush clock-vine
Nativity: Tropical Africa (POWO, 2019)
Common Characteristics: Upright shrub. Leaves ovate, opposite,entire. Flower solitary, in axil of leaf, funnel-shaped with deep blue- purplish corolla limb and whitish tube.
Flowering period: March to August
Propagation Methods: Propagated by layering, cutting and seed (Dave’s Garden)
Photographed @ UL