Lankesteria (plant) explained

Lankesteria is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Acanthaceae.^[1]

Its native range is Tropical Africa and it is found in the countries of Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaïre.

The genus name of Lankesteria is in honour of Edwin Lankester (1814–1874), an English surgeon and naturalist who made a major contribution to the control of cholera in London.^[2] It was first described and published in Edwards's Bot. Reg. Vol.31 (Misc.) on page 86 in 1845.

Known species

According to Kew:

• Lankesteria alba
• Lankesteria barteri
• Lankesteria brevior
• Lankesteria elegans
• Lankesteria glandulosa
• Lankesteria hispida
• Lankesteria thyrsoidea

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lankesteria Lindl. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . Plants of the World Online . 16 May 2021 . en.
2. 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 . 187926901 . 1 January 2021.