Rhabdothamnopsis

Etymology: Composed of the generic name Rhabdothamnus and the Greek suffix όψις, opsis = looking like, similar to; alluding to the similarity with that genus. 

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Didymocarpoid Gesneriaceae - "Advanced Asiatic and Malesian genera" (Weber 2004).

Description: Small shrubs to 0,5 m tall, branched at base, stems sub-quadrangular, slightly woody. Leaves opposite, shortly petiolate or subsessile, lamina obliquely elliptic to (ob)ovate, denticulate or crenate, upper surface sparsely puberulous, lower surface glabrous. Flowers solitary in leaf axils; peduncle slender. Sepals free, linear-lanceolate. Corolla purple, tubular to funnel-shaped, bilabiate, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, lobes ovate-orbicular. Stamens 2; filaments inserted below middle of corolla tube, included; anthers coherent, locules confluent at apex; staminodes 2. Nectary annular. Ovary slender cylindrical, glandular pubescent; style linear, glandular puberulous; stigma capitate. Capsule spirally twisted.

Chromosome number: Unknown.

Type and only species: Rhabdothamnopsis sinensis Hemsl.

Species names (incl. publication and synonyms): See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005: World checklist of Gesneriaceae: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist.

Distribution: S China (C & N Yunnan, W Guizhou, SW Sichuan). 

Ecology: In dense forests, at streamsides in forested areas, and in thickets along roadsides, 1600-2200(-4600)m.

Notes: Franchet (1899) described the species independently as Streptocarpus chinensis: it has the tubular flower and twisted fruit of Streptocarpus, but, apart from the distribution, the flowers are axillary and the twiggy habit is quite distinctive.

Selected references: Wang et al. in Wu & Raven (eds.), Fl. China 18: 371(1998) (Chinese sp.).

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2^nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography.