Afrohybanthus Flicker - Spade flowers

Flicker, B.J. & Ballard Jr, H.E. (2015) Afrohybanthus (Violaceae), a new genus for a distinctive and widely distributed Old World hybanthoid lineage Phytotaxa 230(1) 3953

Description of the genus

Herbs, subshrubs or shrubs. Stipules entire, subulate and glandular. Leaves simple, alternate or opposite; base cuneate. Flowers solitary, axillary. Flowers zygomorphic. Sepals 5, almost equal. Petals 5, unequal, the anterior petal usually much larger than the others, spurred and unguiculate. Fruit a loculicidal capsule with 3 valves, keeled along the suture. Seeds spherical-ovoid with a small aril.

Derivation of name: The name refers to the centre of species diversity (Africa) of this group of species that were split off a formerly more broadly defined genus (Hybanthus). The English name, Spade flower, refers to the spade-like shape of the largest petal.

Comment: This genus was split from the formerly broadly defined genus Hybanthus which is no longer present in Africa.

Worldwide: c. 25 species in tropical subtropical Africa, Madagascar, Asia and Australia.

Zimbabwe: 2 taxa.

Afrohybanthus serratus

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
enneaspermus (L.) FlickerN,W,E,SDescription, Image
serratus (Engl.) FlickerW,E,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Afrohybanthus:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Afrohybanthus
Flora of Burundi: Afrohybanthus
Flora of Malawi: Afrohybanthus
Flora of Mozambique: Afrohybanthus
Flora of Zambia: Afrohybanthus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Afrohybanthus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Afrohybanthus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Afrohybanthus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Afrohybanthus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Afrohybanthus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Afrohybanthus
JSTOR Plant Science: Afrohybanthus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Afrohybanthus
Plants of the World Online: Afrohybanthus
Tropicos: Afrohybanthus
Wikipedia: Afrohybanthus

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Genus page: Afrohybanthus.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=969, retrieved 3 December 2024

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