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Home Home » TYPES » Shrubs » Sclerochiton kirkii
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Sclerochiton kirkii

Sclerochiton kirkii
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  • Salsola tuberculata young upper stems
  • Scabiosa africana
  • Scabiosa africana leaves
  • Schistostephium umbellatum
  • Schistostephium umbellatum flowerhead
  • Schistostephium umbellatum flowerhead cup or involucre
  • Schistostephium umbellatum leaves
  • Schistostephium umbellatum stems
  • Sclerochiton kirkii
  • Sclerochiton odoratissimus
  • Senna italica
  • Senna italica flowers and buds
  • Senna italica fruits and ants
  • Senna italica leaves
  • Senna italica subsp. arachoides
  • Senna italica subsp. arachoides flowers
  • Senna italica subsp. arachoides green pods

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Description

Sclerochiton kirkii is not a South African plant. It grows in neighbouring countries including Mozambique and Tanzania. In Zimbabwe it has been put on the endangered plant list. Sclerochiton is a genus of shrubs or subshrubs in the Acanthaceae family.

S. kirkii is a hardy, evergreen shrub that may grow taller than 2 m, The simple leaves are short-stalked and elliptic to narrowly ovate. The blunt tips attenuate, the base tapers, the margins are entire. The glossy green blades have lateral veins ascending from the midribs.

The inflorescence is a terminal spike, i.e. the flowers grow stalkless on a simple, undivided axis or stem at a stem-tip. The calyx is five-lobed, the sky blue corollas one-lipped and five-lobed, up to 4 cm in diameter. 

Dr John Kirk who has been honoured in the naming of the plant accompanied Livingstone on his 1858 trip (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; iNaturalist; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).

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Photographer
Johan Wentzel
Author
Ivan Latti
 
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