Ascotheca paucinervia is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Acanthaceae. It is a subshrub or shrub native to west-central tropical Africa, ranging from southern Nigeria to Cameroon, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is the sole species in genus Ascotheca.^[2]

Ascotheca
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Acanthaceae
Genus:	Ascotheca Heine
Species:	A. paucinervia
Binomial name
Ascotheca paucinervia (T.Anderson ex C.B.Clarke) Heine (1966)
Subspecies[1]
Ascotheca paucinervia var. minor Champl. & Senterre Ascotheca paucinervia var. paucinervia
Synonyms[1]
Justicia paucinervia T.Anderson ex C.B.Clarke (1899) Ruellia paucinervia (T.Anderson ex C.B.Clarke) Heine (1962) Rungia paucinervia (T.Anderson ex C.B.Clarke) Heine (1962)

Two subspecies are accepted:

• Ascotheca paucinervia var. minor Champl. & Senterre – Cameroon and mainland Equatorial Guinea
• Ascotheca paucinervia var. paucinervia – (synonym Rungia obcordata Lindau (1905)) – southern Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon