About Equilabium laxiflorum (Benth.) Mwany., A.J.Paton & Culham
Equilabium laxiflorum (Benth.) Mwany., A.J.Paton & Culham is an aromatic perennial herb with climbing or scrambling stems that can reach up to 4 m (13 ft) in length. Its stems grow from ascending to erect, are square in cross-section, and are often swollen below the nodes. Stems branch above, become woody and root at the lower portions, are covered in retrorse hairs ranging from pubescent to villose, and bear glandular hairs and red sessile glands on the inflorescence. Leaves of this species are petiolate; leaf blades range from heart-shaped to triangular, measuring 3–10 cm (1.2–3.9 in) long, and occasionally reach up to 15 cm (5.9 in). Leaf margins are crenate to irregularly toothed, sometimes weakly revolute, with a pointed to apiculate tip and a heart-shaped to squared-off base. Leaf surfaces are pubescent to tomentose on the underside, and also bear red sessile glands. Inflorescences are terminal and lax, composed of spaced verticils that each hold six or more flowers. Bracts are ovate and much smaller than the plant's leaves. Flowers are carried on stalks 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long. The calyx is small, pubescent, and glandular, and enlarges slightly when it develops fruit. Calyx lobes are lanceolate, with the posterior lobe slightly broader and longer than the lobes of the anterior lip. The corolla ranges from white to pale mauve, and is occasionally blue-tinged; it measures 10–18 mm (0.39–0.71 in) long, has a sigmoid tube, and a horizontal to ascending, hooded anterior lip that encloses the stamens. When its leaves are crushed, Equilabium laxiflorum releases a strong lemon scent. This species grows in damp conditions at forest margins and in forest clearings. Its known distribution includes eastern DRC, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Within South Africa, it occurs from Limpopo through Mpumalanga and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands to the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, and continues along the coast to Humansdorp.
