Afrofittonia commonly known as the hunter's weed,[2] 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.[3] Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss due to Oil & gas drilling.[1]

Afrofittonia
Illustrations of "Afrofittonia silvestris"
Illustrations of Afrofittonia silvestris
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Subfamily: Acanthoideae
Tribe: Justicieae
Genus: Afrofittonia
Lindau
Species:
A. silvestris
Binomial name
Afrofittonia silvestris
Lindau
Synonyms

Talbotia S.Moore

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.[4] The Latin specific epithet of silvestris means woodland, from sylva.[5] It was first described and published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. Vol.49 on page 406 in 1913.[3]

The genus is recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service, but they do not list any known species.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Darbyshire, I. (2014). "Afrofittonia silvestris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T39468A2926851. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T39468A2926851.en. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. ^ Ajibesin, K.K. (January 2009). "Antibacterial effects of the flavonoids of the leaves of Afrofittonia silvestris". Flavonoids: Biosynthesis, Biological Effects and Dietary Sources.
  3. ^ a b "Afrofittonia Lindau | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. ^ Burkhardt, Lotte (2018). Verzeichnis eponymischer Pflanzennamen – Erweiterte Edition [Index of Eponymic Plant Names – Extended Edition] (pdf) (in German). Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.3372/epolist2018. ISBN 978-3-946292-26-5. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  6. ^ "Genus Afrofittonia Lindau". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 30 January 2022.