7052.000 Heliotropium L.

Taton, A. (1971) Boraginaceae Flore du Congo du Rwanda et du Burundi Jardin Botanique National de Belgique

Description of the genus

Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes subshrubby. leaves alternate, rarely subopposite. Cymes spike-like, usually scorpioid, terminal or pseudoaxillary, simple or branched; rarely flowers solitary, supra-axillary. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous. Corolla salver-shaped or funnel-shaped, white, yellow or blue. Stamens included. Ovary 4-celled, entire or subentire. Style terminal. Fruit dry, usually splitting at maturity into four 1-seeded nutlets, free or cohering in pairs or remaining entire and 1-seeded by abortion.

Derivation of name: turning with the sun, heliotropic

Worldwide: c. 250 species, tropical and temperate areas

DRC: 2 taxa.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesBotanical divisionsContent
indicum L.I,II,III,IV,V,VI,VII,XIDescription, Image
zeylanicum (Burm. f.) Lam.V,IX,XIDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Heliotropium:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Heliotropium
Flora of Burundi: Heliotropium
Flora of Caprivi: Heliotropium
Flora of Malawi: Heliotropium
Flora of Mozambique: Heliotropium
Flora of Zambia: Heliotropium
Flora of Zimbabwe: Heliotropium
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Heliotropium

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Heliotropium
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Heliotropium
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Heliotropium
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Heliotropium
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Heliotropium
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Heliotropium
JSTOR Plant Science: Heliotropium
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Heliotropium
Plants of the World Online: Heliotropium
Tropicos: Heliotropium
Wikipedia: Heliotropium

Copyright: The DRC flora team, 2024-26

The DRC flora team (2026). Flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Genus page: Heliotropium.
https://www.drcongoflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1195, retrieved 14 May 2026

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