Colquhounia
Encyclopedia
Colquhounia is a genus
of six species of evergreen
or semi-evergreen shrub
s or subshrub
s in the family Lamiaceae
, native to the eastern Himalaya and southwestern China
south to Thailand
and Vietnam
.
They are shrubs growing to 1–3 m tall, rarely to 4 m. The aromatic leaves
are 3–12 cm long and 1–6 cm broad, finely toothed and borne in opposite pairs on the square stems. The flower
s are tubular, 2-lipped, and carried on terminal spikes.
Pronunciation of the name might present problems to non-Scots; the surname
of the botanical collector Sir Robert Colquhoun
was pronounced 'co-hoon', if present-day Scottish usage is a guide.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of six species of evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
or semi-evergreen shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or subshrub
Subshrub
A subshrub or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting...
s in the family Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
, native to the eastern Himalaya and southwestern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
south to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
They are shrubs growing to 1–3 m tall, rarely to 4 m. The aromatic leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are 3–12 cm long and 1–6 cm broad, finely toothed and borne in opposite pairs on the square stems. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are tubular, 2-lipped, and carried on terminal spikes.
Pronunciation of the name might present problems to non-Scots; the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of the botanical collector Sir Robert Colquhoun
Robert Colquhoun (soldier)
Sir Robert Colquhoun served in the British Indian Army. In 1815 in present-day Almora, holding the rank of lieutenant, he organized the Kemaoon Battalion, predecessor of the 3rd Gorkha Rifles, to fight in what became known as the Gurkha War....
was pronounced 'co-hoon', if present-day Scottish usage is a guide.
Species
- Colquhounia coccinea
- Colquhounia compta
- Colquhounia elegansColquhounia elegansColquhounia elegans is a shrub species in the genus Colquhounia found in Asia .-External links:*...
- Colquhounia seguinii
- Colquhounia tomentosa
- Colquhounia vestita