Thunbergia alata Sims

Daniel, Thomas F., García-Morales, Leccinum J. & Mora-Olivo, Arturo, 2021, Taxonomic and Photographic Guide to the Acanthaceae of Tamaulipas, Mexico, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67 (6), pp. 185-228 : 218

Thunbergia alata Sims

PHENOLOGY.— Flowering: April; fruiting: unknown.

DISTRIBUTION.— Native to Africa; widely cultivated and sometimes becoming naturalized elsewhere (e.g., Tamaulipas).

HABITAT.— Tropical subdeciduous forest, disturbed sites.

ELEVATION.— 770 meters.

NOTES.— This is the first documented occurrence of Thunbergia alata in Tamaulipas. Daniel (1995) and Daniel and Acosta C. (2003) provided descriptions of this introduced species, which is often cultivated for ornament. Most plants have orange corollas with a dark brownish black throat ( Fig. 5J ), but cultivated forms sometimes have white, yellow, or pink to reddish corollas.

REPRESENTATIVE SPECIMENS.— Mpio. Aldama, 500 m W de Ejido El Plomo rumbo a Mar de Nubes, L. García-Morales 6101b ( ITCV); Mpio. González, Sierra de Tamaulipas, La Torrecilla , 028°08ʹ49.13ʺN, 098°22ʹ32.48ʺW, A. Mora-Olivo SN ( UAT) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Tamaulipan Acanthaceae V. A. Ruellia blechum. B. Ruellia ciliatiflora. C. Ruellia hookeriana. D. Ruellia paniculata. E. Ruellia simplex (blue-flowered form). F. Ruellia simplex (white-flowered form). G. Stenandrium dulce. H. Tetramerium nervosum. I Thunbergia fragrans. J. Thunbergia alata. K. Yeatesia mabryi. L. Yeatesia platystegia. Photos by T. Daniel (A, C–G, I, J), E. Fernández, cropped, CC BY-NC 4.0 (H), L. García-Morales (B, K), B. Leander, used with permission from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (L).