Afrofittonia Explained

Afrofittonia commonly known as the hunter's weed,^[1] is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae. There is only one species in the genus, Afrofittonia silvestris. It is found in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria.^[2] Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss due to Oil & gas drilling. The genus name of Afrofittonia is in honour of Sarah Mary Fitton (c.1796–1874), an Irish writer and botanist and her sister Elizabeth Fitton.^[3] The Latin specific epithet of silvestris means woodland, from sylva.^[4] It was first described and published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. Vol.49 on page 406 in 1913.^[2]

The genus is recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service, but they do not list any known species.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Ajibesin . K.K. . Antibacterial effects of the flavonoids of the leaves of Afrofittonia silvestris . Flavonoids: Biosynthesis, Biological Effects and Dietary Sources . January 2009.
2. Web site: Afrofittonia Lindau Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 30 January 2022 . en.
3. Book: Burkhardt, Lotte . Verzeichnis eponymischer Pflanzennamen – Erweiterte Edition . Index of Eponymic Plant Names – Extended Edition . Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin . 2018 . 978-3-946292-26-5 . pdf . German . Berlin . 10.3372/epolist2018 . 1 January 2021.
4. Book: Harrison, Lorraine . RHS Latin for Gardeners . 2012 . Mitchell Beazley . United Kingdom . 978-1845337315 .
5. Web site: Genus Afrofittonia Lindau . npgsweb.ars-grin.gov . 30 January 2022.