Staurogyne

Scientific name

Staurogyne Wall.

Family

Acanthaceae

Similar genera

Hygrophila, Macbridea, Mentha, Mimulus, Nelsonia, Veronica

Native distribution

tropical regions of Africa, America, Asia and Australia

Species cultivated

(three species plus cultivated varieties and hybrids)

Staurogyne repens (Nees) Kuntze

S. rubescens Braz & R.Monteiro

S. leptocaulis Leonard [synonym of S. spraguei Wassh.]

An additional unknown species: Staurogyne sp. 'Bihar' was originally thought to be a species of Hygrophila.

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
, seasonally or artificially submergedsubmerged:
(adj) (syn. submersed) under water; submerged below the water surface
, amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
, herbs and undershrubs

Brief description

Small to medium herb; emersedemersed:
see emergent
and submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
forms often differ morphologically. Stems erect or decumbentdecumbent:
(adj) (of stems) having a portion lying along the ground, with upper parts erect or ascending
, branched or not; vegetativevegetative:
(adj) (1) pertaining to or to the growth of plant organs or plant parts that have nonreproductive functions, such as leaves, roots, stems, etc.; (2) concering non sexual propagules such as tubers, turions, stem fragments, root crowns, rhizomes
and reproductive parts glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
to glandular-hairy. Leaves usually oppositeopposite:
(adj) (of leaves) two leaves per node; in pairs on opposite sides of an axis
but uppermost leaves sometimes alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, intergrading with bracts; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
variable within a single plant: typically ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, or lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, and may be greatly dissecteddissected:
(adj) (of leaves) +/- deeply divided, cut, or lobed, including being compound
in submersedsubmersed:
see submerged
forms. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
an axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
or terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
raceme or spikespike:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranching inflorescence of sessile flowers or flower clusters on a usually elongated axis
; bracts leaf-like; bracteolatebracteolate:
(adj) possessing small bracts
. Flowers bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
, zygomorphiczygomorphic:
(adj) bilaterally symmetrical; symmetrical along only one plane
; calyxcalyx:
(n) the outer whorl of the perianth; all the sepals of a flower
lobes 5, equal or unequal; corollacorolla:
(n) the inner whorl(s) of the perianth; all the petals of a flower
tube 2-lipped, 5-lobed, subequal, widening at throat; stigmasstigma:
(n) the portion of the pistil that is receptive to pollen
typically with 2 equal or unequal lobes; white to purple.

Natural habitat

shaded and wet habitats, creeks, river banks, and drier parts of floodplains

Additional comments

Staurogyne contains 50 species. The commonly cultivated aquarium species are mainly native to Brazil. The identity of many species in the trade is uncertain and species names applied with caution. Staurogyne sp. 'Bihar' is a variable species for which the species name is not known.