Streptocarpus eylesii was originally described by S. Moore in 1919 on the basis of material collected in the Matopo Hills of what is now Zimbabwe, growing in moist locations in the shadow of granite rocks. All forms of the species are usually unifoliate and monocarpic, although plants can rarely be plurifoliate and perennial. Several subspecies have been formally published; the original collection is now referred to as Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. eylesii, and the feature photo above is this subspecies.
Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. eylesii also occurs in the so-called Manica Highlands on the eastern border of Zimbabwe and the western border of Mozambique. It is a monocarpic, unifoliate species (leaf 300 x 200 mm) with large tubular flowers, pale mauve to whitish outside, with two dark violet throat patches, rarely with a pale yellow patch in the throat. It grows amongst rocks in grasslands and forest patches on moss covered rocks and steep embankments. It also occurs on Mount Ntchisi and in the Dedza area, in central Malawi. It also occurs on Mount Ntchisi and in the Dedza area, in central Malawi. The range of this subspecies also extends to the isolated Mt Gorongosa in Mozambique (see also Streptocarpus brachynema).
Streptocarpus eylesii ssp brevistylus is similar to Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. eylesii in leaf shape and size but has a shorter more uniformly mauve violet corolla. It is named ‘brevistylus’ after its shorter style. It occurs on the South Vipya Plateau in Malawi and in southern Tanzania.
Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. silvicola is similar to Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. eylesii in leaf shape and size but has a shorter more whitish pale cream corolla with an attractive yellow throat. It is name ‘silvicola’ refers to its occurrence in forests. It occurs at Chaulongwe Falls in the Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, and in the Phirilongwe and Namwera Hills in central Malawi. A picture is shown in Plate 8 (b) in Hilliard & Burtt (1971) as a white form of Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. brevistylus before it was given its own subspecies name.
Streptocarpus eylesii ssp. chalensis is the fourth subspecies of Streptocarpus eylesii and was described in the Flora of Tropical East Africa, Gesneriaceae (2006). Its name ‘chalensis’ was derived from its locality on Mt. Chale, Mbeya district, in south western Tanzania.
