Asystasia gangetica is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is commonly known as the Chinese violet, coromandelPlants of Hawaii: Asystasia gangetica: http://www.hear.org/starr/images/species/?q=asystasia+gangetica&o=plants, retrieved 28 July 2010 or creeping foxglove.South African National Biodiversity Institute: Asystasia gangetica: https://pza.sanbi.org/asystasia-gangetica, retrieved 14 June 2025 In South Africa this plant may simply be called asystasia.Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to Wild Flowers; KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. .
Description
This plant is a spreading herb or groundcover, reaching 600 mm in height or up to 1 m if supported.Weed Identification, Australia: http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&state=&s=&ibra=all&card=H34 , retrieved 28 July 2010. The stems root easily at the nodes. The leaves are simple and opposite. The fruit is an explosive capsule which starts out green in colour, but dries to brown after opening.
Subspecies A. g. gangetica, has larger (30–40 mm long) blue or mauve flowers. A. g. micrantha (Nees) Ensermu, has smaller (up to 25 mm long.) white flowers with purple markings on the lower lip.
Distribution Widespread throughout the Old World Tropics, and introduced into tropical AmericasJstor Plant Science, Asystasia gangetica: http://plants.jstor.org/taxon/Asystasia.gangetica, retrieved 28 July 2010. and Hawaii, where it has become naturalized. Both subspecies of this plant have been introduced to Australia where A. g. micrantha is on the National Environmental Alert List and must be reported when found. The original range of the subspecies is unclear, but it is likely that A. g. gangetica was limited to Asia, and A. g. micrantha was limited to Africa.
Reproduction Ernest Akamine (1947) found that there were no apparent dormancy mechanisms operating in the seeds, which germinated freely 135 days after being expelled from parent plants. Flower production can begin as early as 40 days after germination, with seed development beginning after 57 days, facilitating the production of viable seed in as little as 72 days. The seeds are then expelled explosively upon ripening via hooked retinacula (pictured).
Uses In some parts of Africa, the leaves are eaten as a vegetable and used as an herbal remedy in traditional African medicine.Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen. The leaves are used in many parts of Nigeria as a traditional African medicine for the management of asthma. It is also used as an ornamental plant.
Ecological significance This is an important plant for honeybees, butterflies and other insects. In southern Africa there are at least seven species of butterfly and moth that use A. g. micrantha as a larval foodplant; Junonia oenone, Junonia hierta, Junonia natalica, Junonia terea, Protogoniomorpha parhassus, Hypolimnas misippusWilliams, M. (1994). Butterflies of Southern Africa; A Field Guide. . and Microplexia costimaculalis.Guillermet, 2005. Les Hétérocères ou papillons de nuit, de l'île de La Réunion. Volume 1. Famille des Noctuidae Quadrifides. - — :1–532, pls. 1–13. The vigorous growth of A. g. micrantha in tropical regions makes it a weed which can smother certain indigenous vegetation where it has been introduced.
Gallery
References
External links
PROTAbase on Asystasia gangetica Asystasia gangetica Asystasia gangetica