Citation: Gaudich., Annls Sci. nat. 5:103 (1825).

Derivation: After Charles L. Prat-Bermon, a midshipman in Freycinet's scientific voyage round the world.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Pratias.

Description:
Perennial herbs with adventitious roots along the usually prostrate branches; leaves alternate, often 2-ranked, if petiolate usually becoming sessile on the branches, exstipulate, toothed or rarely entire.

Inflorescence racemose with leaf-like bracts to single flowers being borne at irregular intervals towards the ends of branches; calyx with a very short tube, persistent; corolla salverform with the tube split along the upper side, more or less 2-lipped but usually with subequal lobes, with the upper lip consisting of 2 lobes and the lower one of 3 lobes; stamens fused into a column around the style; anthers consisting of 3 upper ones slightly longer and at the apex more or less curved down onto the 2 shorter lower ones with a terminal tuft of hairs as well as 1 or more subdistant bristles; ovary inferior, 2-celled, the slender style topped by a slightly swollen and more or less hairy and scarcely 2-lobed stigma eventually protruding above the anther-column.

Fruit dry, indehiscent.

Distribution:  About 35 species in South America, tropical Africa and Asia as well as Australasia and the Pacific Islands.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Peduncles usually shorter than the leaves; corolla lobes subequal, pointed; roots thick
2. Leaves usually with subdistant teeth; calyx lobes with basal teeth	P. concolor 1.
2. Leaves entire rarely with 2 subapical teeth; calyx lobes without basal teeth	P. platycalyx 3.
1. Peduncles usually much longer than the leaves; corolla lobes with a rounded apex or if acute then only the upper ones; roots thread-like
3. Upper surface of upper anther cells more or less hairy in addition to the apical hairs; corolla usually blue or purple
4. Hairs on anther cells blunt; calyx lobes without basal teeth; leaves green below	P. pedunculata 2.
4. Hairs on anther cells pointed; calyx lobes with basal teeth; leaves purple below	P. aff.purpurascens 5.
3. Upper anther cells glabrous except for apical hairs; corolla white	P. puberula 4.

Author: Not yet available