Eranthemum pulchellum Andrews

Andrews, H.C. (1800) Botanist's Repository for New and Rare Plants 2: plate 88. Type: Native of the coast of Coromandel, in the East Indies, and was first received in seeds from Dr. Roxburg, at the Royal gardens Kew, in 1796. Our drawing was made from a plant in flower at the Hammersmith nursery.

Blue Sage

Stem terete but 4-angled on young stems.

Lamina elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 7-13 x 2.5-4.5 cm, basally attenuate, prominently nerved, lateral nerves ca. 10 pairs, glabrous or ± hairy on nerves beneath, entire or crenulate, acute-acuminate. Petioles 2-10 mm long. Scars resembling stipular scars are visible between the petiolar bases on each pair of leaves.

Flowers blue, ca. 2.5-3 cm long, in short dense 2-4 cm long spikes forming a close terminal panicle; bracts leafy, ovate-elliptic to obovate, 12-15 x 6-8 mm, shortly acuminate, glabrous or ± puberulous; bracteoles narrowly lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, acute. Calyx lobes subequal, linear-lanceolate, c. 6 mm long, minutely pubescent. Corolla narrow, ca. 2 cm long, glabrous, dilated near the top, lobe oblique, lobes ± equal, patent, ca. 1 cm long, obtuse. Fertile stamens 2 with narrowly oblong, slightly exserted anthers.

Capsule ca. 12-15 mm long.

Features not available.

An introduced species native to the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent; now naturalised in parts of NEQ.