atoll research bulletin no. 392 the flora of - Smithsonian Institution ...

parted; corolla, showy, bright scarlet with a yellow throat and underside of tube. Pot
plant. 6.
Columnea sp.
Recent introduction. Trop. America. Rare. Pot plant. 6.
Episcia cupreata (Hook.) Hanst.
syn . Achimenes cuprcata. Hook.
"columnea"
"episcia" , "peacock plant"
Recent introduction. Colombia and Venezuela. Occasional. Spreading or creeping
pilose perennial herb with long stolons and short, stout stems, rooting at the joints, up to
30 cm or higher; leaves, 10 to 13 cin long to 6 to 8 cm wide, including the petiole, blade
about 7.5 cm long, opposite, broadly elliptic to ovate, edges scalloped, pinnately-nerved,
succulent, hairy, variable in color from coppery to reddish green or clear green, often
variegated; flowers, about 2.5 cin long, axillary, solitary, borne on long pubescent
peduncles; calyx, deeply 5-lobed; corolla, much larger than calyx, tubular, with 5
subequal, rounded lobes spreading to about 2 cm in diameter, tube red on upper surface,
yellow with red spots on lower surface and within, the limb orange-red, the 3 lower
lobes the longest; fruit, a 2-valved capsule; seeds, ellipsoid, smooth, brown. Pot plant.
5,6.
Saintpaulia ionantha Wendl. "African violet", "Saintpaulia"
Recent introduction. Trop. E. Africa. Rare. Stemless perennial pubescent herb;
leaves, 3.5 to 8 cm long and wide, long-petiolate, alternate to subopposite, suborbicular
to oblong-ovate, succulent, velvety, edges scalloped, often purplish beneath, forming a
rosette or broad tuft of leaves at the base; petioles, pilose; inflorescences, axillary, 2- to
10-flowered cymose peduncles, rising above the leaves; calyx, deeply 5-lobed, the lobes
linear or lanceolate, erect; corolla, 2 to 3.5 cm across, rotate to broadly campanulate,
much longer than the calyx, the tube short, the limb 5-lobed, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-
lobed and shorter, color variable depending on the cultivar, white or pink to violet, dark
purple or blue; fruit, about 7 inm long, longer than the calyx, a narrow-oblong to
subglobose capsule, dehiscing by decay of the pericarp; seeds, ellipsoid. Pot plant. 5,6.