Asystasia gangetica micrantha (L.) T. Anderson

Etymology	Genus	Inconsistent; radially symmetrical flowers in the genus uncommon in the family (not for this subspecies)
	Species	After India's Ganges River; probably where it was first discovered
Family		Acanthaceae
Synonyms		Asystasia intrusa (Forssk.) Blume, Asystasia multiflora Klotzsch, Asystasia comorensis Bojer ex Nees
Common Names		Chinese Violet, Common Asystasia
Status		Exotic: Naturalised
Form		Herb
Native Distribution		Sub-Saharan Africa, India, Peninsular Malaysia

Diagnostics:

Asystasia gangetica ssp. (subspecies) micrantha is a very common herb found in open and semi-shaded areas. The white flowers with a purple-tinted lip is impossible to miss when it flowers. Vegetatively, the leaves are opposite, finely haired, and the leaf blade runs narrowly along the petiole to the stem.

Interesting Facts:

The Chinese Violet is a very successful weed in Singapore; being very widely distributed and abundant throughout the island. I have seen the entire groundcover of an Acacia auriculiformis-dominated forest carpeted by it; helped by its ability to survive under semi-shaded conditions.

The flower is intricately designed for bee pollination (I have seen many butterflies feeding on the nectar too). The purple-coloured lip is likely to serve as a conspicuious platform for the insect to land while the space is just large enough for a typical Asian honey bee to squeeze in. This plant is also a host plant for the larvae of several butterflies: Autumn Leaf (Doleschallia bisaltide pratipa), Great Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina bolina), Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya wallacei), and Jacintha Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina jacintha) (Tan & Khew, 2012).

References

Tan H & SK Khew. (2012) Caterpillars of Singapore's Butterflies. National Parks Board, Singapore. 208 pp.


Author: Siyang
Posted: 2013-02-05 / Modified: 2017-12-25