''Metarungia pubinervia'' is an

Afrotropical The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

plant species in the acanthus

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, which is native to forest understorey in the

Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions ...

archipelago. It is widespread in eastern Africa, with isolated populations in southern Africa and Nigeria. The species is named for the fine down (''pubi'' -) that covers the main leaf veins (-''nervia'').

Habit and habitat

It often has a colonial ecology, growing to relatively large shrubs of some 4 to 5 metres tall in full understorey shade. It is native to riparian or middle to low altitude evergreen forests, in warm and humid climes.

Description

The pale brownish bark is covered with lenticels. The opposite and narrowly elliptic leaves are around 20 cm long, with pubescent veins and entire margins. The two-lipped flowers emerge from the reddish-fringed, green bracts on axillary spikes along the upper sides of branches. It flowers during the drier season, November to December in Nigeria, and June to July in South Africa, though probably all-year at more tropical or subtropical latitudes. The beaked and oblong woody fruit are c.18 mm long.

Reproduction

The large, dark pink to maroon corollas attract forest sunbirds as pollinators, including Southern double-collared,

Collared Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

and

Olive sunbird The olive sunbird (''Cyanomitra olivacea'') is a species of sunbird found in a large part of Africa south of the Sahel. It prefers forested regions, and is absent from drier, more open regions such as the Horn of Africa and most of south-central ...

s. Reproduction occurs in various ways. Seed is produced for a month or so after flowering, producing seedlings that are ready to benefit from rains at the start of the wet season. Suckers develop where plants are damaged, to form new plants. Where stems touch the soil, they may also root to establish new plants.

Range

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

it is known since April 2000 to occur in Krantzkloof Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, but is also cultivated in gardens. In

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

it is known since November 2002 to occur in the 8 km² Leinde Fadale forest, situated at 1,600 to 1,670 metres in the uplands adjacent to

Gashaka Gumti National Park Gashaka-Gumti National Park (GGNP) is a national park in Nigeria, It was gazetted from two game reserves in 1991 and is Nigeria’s largest national park. It is located in the eastern provinces of Taraba and Adamawa to the border with Cameroon. T ...

. It is besides native to montane Southern Sudan and southwestern

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, the mountain chains of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

(up to 2,000 metres) and the Albertine Rift of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

and

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

(1,000 to 1,200 m.a.s.l). No intraspecific variation is evident.

Status

Though habitat degradation occurs locally, the species as a whole is not threatened.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15343241 pubinervia Flora of Africa Plants described in 1984 Afromontane flora Flora of the Albertine Rift montane forests