Stemodia durantifolia

Characteristics Stemodia durantifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant to tall, with glandular-hairy herbage. or more or less equal to the length of the sepals. These characteristics differentiate it from other Stemodia species in its range. In comparison, S. pusilla is an annual with petiolate leaves and inflorescences that are not spike-like, S. lanceolata grows taller, only branches basally, and has longer bracts and sepals, S. stricta is slightly taller, has a flexuous inflorescence, and shorter bracts and sepals, S. hyptoides shares the basal and axillary branching, but has an axillary inflorescence, shorter bracts, and equal to or shorter sepals, and S. maritima has corollas less than long, stalked pollen sacs, and is usually found in the Caribbean and elsewhere in the tropics. Stemodia durantifolia flowers all year. Morphology Stemodia durantifolia is a perennial herbaceous or suffrutescent plant, with the stiffly erect or ascending stems reaching tall. The herbage is glandular- or eglandular-hairy, with crinkly hairs in the variety chilensis. The leaves are arranged opposite or verticillate, with the variety chilensis possessing more verticillate leaves than the typical variety. The leaf blade is shaped lanceolate to oblong, and measures long by wide. The larger leaves and subsessile and clasping. The leaf margins are serrate distally. The inflorescences are ascending, upper flowering stems are spiciform (spike-like), with the leaves becoming reduced bracts. The pedicels measure long. The calyx is split into 5 sepals, usually equal in size or with the posterior one sometimes longer. The sepals measure or long and have a narrowly lanceolate, long-tapered shape. The corolla is tubular, puberulent, and measures or long depending on the variety, and is violet or purple. The corolla is two-lipped, with the upper lobe suberect and the lower lip 3-lobed. The style is long and often persists into fruit. The fruits are long, ovoid-cylindric capsules, with 10 to 150 brown ellipsoid seeds that measure . == Taxonomy ==

Subspecies • Stemodia durantifolia (L.) Sw. var. durantifolia — The autonymic variety. Characterized by a corolla long, with the stems usually glandular-pubescent, and with a widespread distribution from the southwestern United States to northern South America. • Stemodia durantifolia (L.) Sw. var. chilensis C. Cowan — Commonly known as the Chilean stemodia. Characterized by a larger corolla long, more often verticillate leaves, and a predominance of crinkly hairs on the stems, with some glandular hairs intermixed. Found in Chile and parts of Argentina. == Distribution and habitat ==

Distribution Stemodia durantifolia is native to the Americas, and is found in a wide distribution spanning from the southwestern United States to Chile. In Arizona, this species is found in Gila, Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima counties. In Mexico, Stemodia durantifolia is found in 29 states in the country, ranging from Baja California to Tamaulipas to Quintana Roo. On the Baja California Peninsula, which includes the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur, this species is found sparsely from canyons in the eastern Sierra de Juarez to more commonly in wetlands from the Sierra de la Libertad to the Cape of the peninsula. In Chile and Argentina, the variety Stemodia durantifolia var. chilensis is found, with the typical variety absent. In Chile, this species is found in the north, central, and southern parts of the country, from Atacama Region to Araucania Region. In Argentina, this species is found in the province of Rio Negro and possibly in Patagonia. Previous identifications in Argentina of S. durantifolia var. durantifolia, the typical species, are presumed to be misidentifications of Stemodia stricta, Stemodia lanceolata, and Stemodia hyptoides. Habitat Stemodia durantifolia is usually found in wet and riparian places, sometimes disturbed, including along stream banks, ditches, margins of pools, rocks, and seepy hillsides. For substrate, it prefers wet sand and rock. Plants are usually found below . ==References==