Description :

• Biennial or perennial, low, woody shrubs or coarse herbs; stems ridged because of decurrent leaf bases, glandular-pubescent
• Leaves opposite, subovate, sessile or narrowed near base but base usually ± widened or even auriculate, denticulate
• Flowers in axils of upper leaves or bracts, pedicellate, usually bibracteolate and sometimes with lateral flower buds in their axils, in axillary or terminal cymes, sometimes forming a sympodial thyrse
• Calyx 5-lobed; tube very short; lobes longer, linear-lanceolate, slightly imbricate
• Corolla tubular, subregular, 5-lobed, deciduous; tube cylindrical, exceeding or sometimes equalling calyx, bearded in upper part; lobes shorter than tube, obovate, posterior lobes exterior in bud
• Stamens 4(5), didynamous, included; filaments short, arising near base of corolla tube; anthers oblong, bithecate, with thecae parallel; rudimentary or functional fifth stamen sometimes present
• Ovary bilocular, subglobose; ovules many; style short, fleshy; stigma ovoid, capitate, rugose, cleft at apex
• Fruit a subglobose berry or sometimes a drupe, indehiscent
• Seeds many, dull black, ± ovoid, rugose and reticulate
• x = 12, 19 (1 report each)

Nomenclature:

• Teedia Rudolphi
  • Rudolphi: 289 (1799)
  • Hiern: 210 (1904)
  • Dahlgren & Rao: 451 (1971)
  • Philcox: 18 (1990)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species 2, tropical and southern Africa
• Southern Africa : Teedia lucida (Sol.) Rudolphi, widespread in all parts except North-West and Gauteng and extending to Chimanimani Mountains in Zimbabwe; T. pubescens Burch. confined to Western Cape