《中国植物志》|| 爵床科 ACANTHACEAE ||板蓝属 Baphicacanthus Bremek. ||板蓝 Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremek.

1.板蓝（海南植物志）马蓝（古籍，中国高等植物图鉴，台湾植物志）图版16：1-5
Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremek. in Verh. Ned Akad. Wetensch. Afd. Naturk. Sect. 2. 41(1): 59, 190. 1944; 海南植物志3: 548. 1974; C. F. Hsieh et T. C. Huang in Fl. Taiwan. 4: 623. 1978. ——Goldfussia cusia Nees in Wall. , Pl. As. Rar. 3: 38. 1832 et in DC. Prodr. 11: 175. 1847. ——Strobilanthes cusia(Nees)O. Kuntze in Rev. Gen. 499. 1891; Hand.-Mazz. Symb. Sin. 7: 895. 1936;中国高等植物图鉴4: 160. 1975; Fl. Taiwan ed. 2. 4: 678. Pl. 210. 1998. ——Ruellia indigofera Griff. Journ. Travel. Ind. : 327. 1847. ——Strobilanthes flaccidifolius Nees in DC. Prodr. 11: 194. 1847; T. Anders. in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 9: 481. 1866: C. B. Clarke in HooK. f. Fl. Brist. Ind. 4: 468. 1884; Hook in Curtis's Bot. Mag. 113: t 6947. 1887; R. Ben. in H. Lec. , Fl. Gen Indo-Chine 4: 678. 1935. ——Dipteracanthus？calycinus Champ. in Hook. Kew Journ. Bot. 5: 133. 1853. ——Ruellia indigotica Fortune, Resid. in China: 158. 1957. ——Strobilanthes champiori T. Anders. in Benth. Fl. Hongk. 261. et in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 9: 481. 1866. ——St. balansae Lindau in Bull. Herb. Boiss. , Ser. 2a 5: 652. 1897; Bremek. in Verb. Ned. Akad. Wetensch. Afd. Naturk. Sect. 2. 41(1): 270. 1944.
草本，多年生一次性结实，茎直立或基部外倾。稍木质化，高约1米，通常成对分枝，幼嫩部分和花序均被锈色、鳞片状毛，叶柔软，纸质，椭圆形或卵形，长10-20 (-25）厘米，宽4-9厘米，顶端短渐尖，基部楔形，边缘有稍粗的锯齿，两面无毛，干时黑色；侧脉每边约8条，两面均凸起；叶柄长1.5-2厘米。穗状花序直立，长10-30厘米；苞片对生，长1.5-2.5厘米。蒴果长2-2.2厘米，无毛；种子卵形，长3.5毫米。花期11月。
产广东、海南、香港、台湾、广西、云南、贵州、四川、福建、浙江。常生于潮湿地方。孟加拉国、印度东北部、缅甸、喜马拉雅等地至中南半岛均有分布。
本种的叶含蓝靛染料，在合成染料发明以前，我国中部、南部和西南部都栽培利用。因适应性强，现在上述地区多已还归野生。根、叶入药，有清热解毒、凉血消肿之效，可预防流脑、流感，治中暑、腮腺炎、肿毒、毒蛇咬伤、菌痢、急性肠炎、咽喉炎、口腔炎、扁桃体炎、肝炎、丹毒。 属群8．

《Flora of China》|| Acanthaceae || Strobilanthes ||板蓝 Strobilanthes cusia

61. Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 499. 1891.

板蓝 ban lan

Goldfussia cusia Nees in Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 88. 1832; Baphicacanthus cusia (Nees) Bremekamp; Dipteracanthus calycinus Champion; Ruellia indigofera Griffith; R. indigotica Fortune; Strobilanthes balansae Lindau; S. championii T. Anderson; S. flaccidifolia Nees.

Herbs 0.5-1.5 m tall, erect, branched, drying blackish, isophyllous to weakly anisophyllous. Stems glabrous or minutely brown puberulent. Petiole 0.5-7 cm; leaf blade elliptic to ovate, 4-20 × 2-9 cm, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially minutely puberulent along veins, abaxially paler green, adaxially dark green, secondary veins 7-9 on each side of midvein, base attenuate, margin serrate, apex acute. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, bracteate spikes, 1-6 cm, often aggregated to form a leafy branched panicle; peduncle 1-12 cm; bracts leaflike, petiolate, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, 1.2-2.5 cm, basally usually sterile; bracteoles linear-oblanceolate, 2-3 mm, deciduous before bracts. Calyx 0.8-1.5 mm in flower, accrescent to ca. 2.5 cm in fruit, minutely puberulent, 5-lobed almost to base; 4 lobes linear-lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse; 1 lobe oblanceolate and much longer. Corolla blue, 3.5-5 cm, straight to slightly bent, outside glabrous; tube basally cylindric and ca. 3 mm wide for 1-1.5 cm then slightly curved and gradually widened to ca. 1.5 cm at mouth; lobes oblong, ca. 9 × 9 mm, subequal. Stamens 4, included; filaments glabrous, shorter pair ca. 3 mm, longer pair ca. 7 mm; anther thecae oblong, ca. 3 mm; pollen type 4. Ovary oblong, apex puberulent with few gland-tipped trichomes; style ca. 3.2 cm, glabrous. Capsule 1.5-2.2 cm, glabrous, 4-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, ca. 3.5 mm, covered with appressed trichomes; areola small. Fl. Jul-Feb, fr. Dec-Feb. 2n = 16, 32.

Usually in moist wooded places, sometimes cultivated; 100-2000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan, SE Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].

Strobilanthes cusia is reported to flower irregularly. The species is perhaps pliestesial.

In at least part of its stated range Strobilanthes cusia may be cultivated rather than native.

This is a medicinal and dye plant and is the source of "Assam indigo."