Stachys reticulata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stachys reticulata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Stachys |
| Species: | S. reticulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Stachys reticulata | |
Stachys reticulata, the Pilgrim's Rest woundwort, is a species of hedgenettle endemic to South Africa's Mpumalanga province.[2][3][4]
Identification
This species is a perennial herb with creeping to spreading stems that branch freely and can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. The stems are densely covered with soft hairs.[2][4]
The leaves are borne on short stalks and have fairly firm, broadly ovate to almost kidney-shaped blades, 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long. The upper surface is brownish and bristly, while the underside is paler, covered in dense hairs, dotted with glands, and shows a net-like pattern of veins. The leaves have a rounded to slightly pointed tip, a broadly heart-shaped base, and shallowly scalloped margins.[4]
The flowers are arranged in a loose inflorescence of two to four whorls, sometimes forming a short cluster. Each whorl bears four to six flowers. The calyx is moderately hairy and glandular. The corolla is white to pale mauve, with a short tube and two lips, the lower lip longer and curved downward.[4]
Stachys reticulata can be confused with other members of the so-called Stachys aethiopica Complex. From Stachys natalensis, it can be distinguished by its 4–6-flowered whorls, against the latter's two. Its spreading calyx teeth and net-like pattern of veins on the underside of the leaves help separate it from Stachys aethiopica, while in Stachys rehmannii the hairs are stellate, not simple.[2][4]
Distribution and habitat
Stachys reticulata grows among rocks in mountain grassland in the mountains of Mpumalanga at altitudes of 1,500–2,200 m (4,900–7,200 ft). As its English-language common name suggests, records of the plant centre on the village of Pilgrim's Rest.[4]
