Genus: Duvernoia

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Euasterid I > Order: Lamiales > Family: Acanthaceae

The two species are native to Mozambique and southern Africa.

Species native to southern Africa 

List from Plants of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).

Duvernoia aconitiflora (Lemon pistol-bush) Geelpistoolbos [Afrikaans] Perennial shrub growing to height of 3 m.  Distribution in southern Africa: South Africa > Mpumalanga; Swaziland.
Duvernoia adhatodoides (Pistol Bush) Perennial shrub or tree, growing to height of 6 m. Its called the Pistol bush because the fruit, which is a dry, club-shaped capsule, dehisces explosively making a loud crack noise. Pollinated by carpenter bees (Xylocopa). Distribution in southern Africa: South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga); Mozambique.

References

• Coates Palgrave, K. (edited Coates Palgrave, M.) 2002. Trees of Southern Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. 

• Joffe, P. 2001. Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants. A South African Guide. Briza Publications, Pretoria.

• Manning, J.C. & Getliffe Norris, F. 1995. Duvernoia. Flora of southern Africa 30,3,1: 15-17.

• Welman, W.G. 2003. Acanthaceae. In Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds), Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14: 92-106. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.