ice crossandra

Ecbolium ligustrinum* is an erect to spreading perennial shrub or subshrub, woody at the base. Stems are glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Leaves are opposite, simple, and petiolate; the leaf blades are elliptic to oblong-elliptic, with entire margins, an acute to acuminate apex, and a cuneate base. Its flowers may be greenish-blue in colour. Inflorescences are axillary or terminal, bearing solitary flowers or few-flowered clusters. Bracts are conspicuous, ovate to elliptic. The calyx is deeply divided into narrow lobes. The corolla is tubular and bilabiate, typically bluish to purplish, with a reduced upper lip and a broader lower lip. Stamens are two, included or slightly exserted, with dithecous anthers. The ovary is superior and two-locular, with a slender style and bifid stigma. The fruit is a loculicidal capsule containing two seeds per locule, consistent with other members of the genus Ecbolium.

The species is native to eastern Africa, with confirmed records from countries including Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It occurs in woodland, bushland, and savanna vegetation types, typically on well-drained soils. Its distribution is documented in regional floras and herbarium collections.

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