Aegiphila verticillata

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Aegiphila verticillata is a shrub or small tree in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to tropical South America. Kew's current treatment includes plants formerly called Aegiphila tomentosa Cham. within this species.

Appearance

The 2018 flora of Paraíba describes plants one to four metres tall. Their hairy branches are roughly square in cross-section. Leaves have very short stalks, untoothed edges and a dense covering of hairs beneath. They occur alternately or sometimes in whorls around the stem.

Small clusters develop where leaves meet the branches. The flowers are white or cream and funnel-shaped. The fruit described in that treatment is yellowish and oblong, with one seed.

For identifying specimens from Paraíba, the authors emphasised the combination of leaf arrangement, fruit shape and branches that become pale red or rusty when dried. The dried colour is a herbarium character, rather than a description of every living branch.

Distribution and habitat

Kew records a range including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, north-eastern Argentina, Ecuador, French Guiana and Suriname. The Paraíba flora associates Brazilian records with several vegetation types, including Cerrado, Caatinga and Atlantic forest. In its study area, flowering plants were collected in July in coastal restinga vegetation and Caatinga enclaves. This observation does not establish a flowering season for the whole range.

Name

Kew dates Vellozo's name to 1829. Alongside A. tomentosa, it treats Aegiphila lhotzkiana as a synonym. These names represent historical classifications of the same accepted species in that treatment.