Lophospermum erubescens D.Don

Don, D. (1832) The British  Flower Garden Ser. 2, 1: 68. Type: "The seeds of the above interesting plant were obtained from specimens collected in thickets, near Jalapa, in September, 1829, by Messrs. Deppe and Schiede, two German Botanists, who have been for some time in Mexico."

Climbing Lophospermum; Maurandia; Lophospermum, Climbing; Creeping Gloxinia; Gloxinia, Creeping; Snapdragon Vine; Vine, Snapdragon; Snapdragon, Climbing; Climbing Snapdragon

A slender vine not exceeding a stem diameter of 2 cm.

Leaf blades ovate-cordate, very soft, about 6-8 x 6-8 cm, margin with 1 or 2 lobes on each side towards the base and about 18-20 rounded teeth on each side. Petiole about 4.5-6 cm long, often modified to form coiled tendrils. Upper and lower leaf blades surfaces densely clothed in pale simple hairs. Lateral veins poorly developed.

Peduncles about 20-25 mm long. Sepals ovate, about 25 x 15 mm, densely hairy on both surfaces, folded near the base. Corolla tube curved, about 60 mm long, throat white. Corolla lobes about 12 x 15-16 mm, apices rounded. Stamens attached near the base of the corolla tube. Staminal filaments about 35-45 mm long, 2 long and 2 shorter, clothed in glandular hairs on the upper half with a large glandular appendage near the apex. Ovary hairy, about 4 mm long. Style hairy towards the base. Ovules numerous.

Fruits +/- bilobed, about 16 x 23 x 15 mm, calyx lobes rather large, persistent at the base, stylar remnants often persistent at the apex. Seeds numerous, winged all around, seed + wing about 3-4 mm diam. Seeds clothed in numerous finger-like trichomes. Embryo about 0.5 mm long. Radicle about as wide as the cotyledons.

Cotyledons orbicular, about 3.5-6 x 3.5-7 mm. Both the upper and lower surfaces and margins clothed in scattered crisped hairs. First pair of leaf blades ovate-cordate, margin with 1-3 large teeth on each side. Upper and lower surfaces clothed in erect translucent hairs. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade cordate, base deeply lobed, margin toothed, almost lobed. Leaf blade about 6.5-7 x 6-6.5 cm, petiole about 4 cm long. All seedling parts clothed in soft, erect hairs. Seed germination time 26 to 31 days.

An introduced species originally from Mexico, now naturalised in NEQ and in south eastern Queensland and north eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range in NEQ uncertain but collected at 900-960 m. In NEQ usually found on rain forest margins. Also naturalised in New Guinea and other parts of Malesia.

Asarina erubescens (D.Don) Pennell, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 99: 174 (1947).