Christisonia calcarata
Christisonia calcarata WIGHT, Icon. Pl. Ind. Orient. t. 1426. 1849; WALPERS, Ann. Bot. Syst. III: 208. 1852-53; NAIRNE, Fl. Pl. West. Ind. 221. 1894; COOKE, Fl. Pres. Bombay II: 312. 1908
Synonyms:
- Christisonia stocksii HOOKER, Icon pl. 9: tab. 836. 1852; DALZELL & GIBSON, Bombay Flora 202. 1861; DRURY, Handb. Fl. Ind. II: 389. 1866
Description by Jafri, 1976 (p. 4): - Herb with a simple glabrous stem, c. 10 cm or more tall with a corymbose, terminal raceme. Scales broadly ovate, obtuse; bracteoles absent; pedicels 5 cm or more long. Flowers (3-)4-6 (-6.5) cm long, whitish below with pale bluish limb. Calyx 1-2 cm long, including 3-4 mm long segments. Corolla about twice as long as the calyx, tubular, slightly dilated above, pubescent. Stamen filaments pubescent; anther cells often dimorphic, sterile cells conically spurred. Capsules 6-9 mm long and about as broad, with persistent calyx segments; seeds c. 2.5 mm in diameter, reticulate or striate.
Note: - According to Cooke, 1908 (p. 312) Sir Joseph Hooker (in Fl. Brit. Ind.) suggests, that this plant may be a more developed state of Christisonia lawii.
Ic.: - Jafri, 1976 (p. 3 fig. 1 A-E) Wight, 1849 (pl. 1426) Hooker, 1852 (tab. 836 as Christisonia stocksii HOOKER)
Biology: - Fl. 7.8. Biology unknown, parasitic on Acanthaceae. According Dalzell and Gibson, 1861 (p. 202) flowers "in the rains".
Host plants:
- Strobilanthes Blume (Acanthac.) sec. Hooker, 1852 (tab. 836 as Christisonia stocksii HOOKER) Dalzell and Gibson, 1861 (p. 202) Drury, 1866 (p. 390 as Christisonia stocksii HOOKER) Hooker f., 1885 (p. 322) Cooke, 1908 (p. 312) Beck, 1930 (p. 312)
- Ruellia L. (Acanthac.) sec. Stewart, 1972 (p. 671)
General distribution: - IND (W India) and PAK. Endemic?
Examined specimen: - 1. Collection from "Herbarium Hookerianum 1867" (scan) consist of 13 plants or parts of plants (mostly flowers). It's impossible to assign the plants to the two specimen numbers (mounted together on one sheet) K 000821671 and K 000821672: "Christisionia stocksii Hook., Scinde, Dalzell" with further label (probably also by Dalzell) "Orobanchea parasitic on roots of a Strobilanthes, Salsette." At the central plant in the lower row the note "Bombay" (by Wight?). In the lower right side of the sheet the further label "C. calcarata, Concan, Mr. Law." - 2. "Christisonia calcarata, Law, Bombay" (ex Herb. Wight, Prop., presented 1871) K 000821668 (scan).
Further cited locations:
PAK: - Without locality, Stocks (cited in Cooke, Fl. Bomb. Pres. (rep. ed.) 2: 385. 1958). Jafri, 1976 (p. 4) Stewart, 1972 (p. 671) - Sindh province, on roots of Strobilanthes (Stocks ex Hooker). Cooke, 1908 (p. 312)
IND: - Concan coastline: Tanna and Salsette, Law & Dalzell & al. Dalzell and Gibson, 1861 (p. 202) Drury, 1866 (p. 390) Hooker f., 1885 (p. 322) Cooke, 1908 (p. 312) Beck, 1930 (p. 312)
