Giant Lobelia

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Giant Lobelia

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Dortmanna giberroa
• Rapuntium volkensii
• Lobelia giberroa var. volkensii
• Lobelia ulugurensis
• Lobelia volkensii var. ulugurensis
• Lobelia volkensii
• Lobelia giberroa var. ulugurensis
• Lobelia usafuensis
• Lobelia giberroa var. usafuensis
• Lobelia giberroa var. longibracteata
• Lobelia squarrosa
• Lobelia giberroa var. intermedia
• Lobelia giberroa subsp. squarrosa
• Lobelia giberroa var. iringensis
• Lobelia intermedia
• Lobelia giberroa var. mionandra
• Tupa schimperi

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asterales, it is classified under the family Campanulaceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Lobelia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution pattern across several regions of the African continent. In West-Central Tropical Africa, it can be found inhabiting the territories of Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Moving toward the eastern part of the continent, its range extends into Northeast Tropical Africa. Specifically, it is documented within the borders of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Consequently, the geographical presence of Lobelia gibberoa spans from the central tropical zones to the northeastern highlands.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Lobelia gibberoa is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. In terms of its structural growth and survival strategy, it is classified as a phanerophyte, specifically categorized under the life forms of phanerophyte and nanophanerophyte, which indicates that its perennating buds are elevated above the ground surface.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Lobelia gibberoa is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, specifically categorized as a forb. It functions as an independent organism, meaning it does not exhibit parasitic behavior, and it maintains a terrestrial lifestyle rather than being an epiphyte. While it possesses a climbing tendency, it is classified as a self-supporting climber, lacking the obligatory or facultative mechanisms required to rely on external structures for upward movement.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Lobelia guerreroae is characterized by a metabolic framework consistent with temperate and montane herbaceous species, specifically utilizing the C3 photosynthetic pathway. In this pathway, carbon fixation occurs via the Calvin cycle, where atmospheric carbon dioxide is directly captured by the enzyme ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) to form three-carbon compounds. This process typically occurs within the mesophyll cells, where light-dependent reactions generate the necessary ATP and NADPH to drive the subsequent fixation cycle. Given its classification as a C3 plant, its physiological efficiency is highly dependent on environmental factors such as light intensity, moisture availability, and temperature, as the plant lacks the specialized CO2-concentrating mechanisms found in C4 or CAM species, making it more susceptible to photorespiration under high-temperature or water-stressed conditions.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Lobelia gibberoa is primarily driven by the production of minute seeds that facilitate dispersal and colonization. These seeds exhibit a very low mass, characterized by a mean seed mass of $3 \times 10^{-5}$ g. Within the population, there is slight variation in individual seed weight, with recorded values ranging from a minimum of $2 \times 10^{-5}$ g to a maximum of $4 \times 10^{-5}$ g. This lightweight seed structure is an evolutionary adaptation that likely aids in efficient distribution across its habitat, ensuring the continuation of the species through prolific seed set.

Seed mass max:

4e-05 g

Seed mass mean:

3e-05 g

Seed mass min:

2e-05 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Lobelia giberroa has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Lobetyolin.

Lobetyolin

1. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance

Conditions

Lobelia giberroa has 4 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include bacterial diseases, cancer, fungal diseases, malaria.

Bacterial diseases

1. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance

Cancer

1. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance

Fungal diseases

1. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance

Malaria

1. International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance