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Compilation
Felicia globularioides

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Type of Felicia globularioides Mattf. [family ASTERACEAE]

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Name

Identification

Felicia globularioides Mattf. [family ASTERACEAE ] (stored under name); Verified by Not on sheet, Felicia abyssinica Sch.Bip. ex A.Rich. [family ASTERACEAE ] Verified by Grau, J., 1972 Felicia globularioides Mattf. [family ASTERACEAE ] Verified by Not on sheet, Felicia abyssinica Sch.Bip. ex A.Rich. [family ASTERACEAE ] Verified by Not on sheet,

Flora

Entry for FELICIA abyssinica A. Rich. [family COMPOSITAE]

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)

Flora of Tropical East Africa

Reference Sources

Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 315, (2002) Author: H.J. BEENTJE

FELICIA abyssinica A. Rich. [family COMPOSITAE], Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 383 (1848); Oliv. & Hiern in F.T.A. 3: 306 (1877); J. Grau in Mitt. Bot. Staats., München 9: 400, fig. 92 pro parte (1973) & in Kirkia 12: 5 (1980); P.J. Cribb & G.P. Leedal, Mountain Flow. S. Tanz.: 161, t. 44a (1982); U.K.W.F. ed. 2: 205, t. 83 (1994). Type: Ethiopia, Urahut District, Schimper 1763 (K!, iso.)

FELICIA schimperi Jaub. & Spach [family COMPOSITAE], Ill. Pl. Or. 4: 86, t. 354 (1852). Lectotype selected here: Yemen, Taifa, Botta s.n. (P!, lecto.)

Detris abyssinica (A. Rich.) Chiov. [family COMPOSITAE], in Ann. Ist. Bot. Roma 8: 166 (1904)

Felicia globularioides Mattf. [family COMPOSITAE], in N.B.G.B. 8: 235 (1923); T.T.C.L.: 150 (1949). Type: Kenya, N Kavirondo District, Kitosh, July 1920, Lindblom s.n. (S!, lecto.)

Felicia neghelliensis Cufod. [family COMPOSITAE], in Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital. 50: 104 (1943). Type: Ethiopia, Neghelli, Corradi 1999 (W, lecto., FT!, iso.)

Felicia abyssinica (Mattf.) J. Grau subsp. globularoides [family COMPOSITAE], in Mitt. Bot. Staats., München 9: 407, fig. 92 pro parte (1973), nov.

Felicia abyssinica (Cufod.) J. Grau subsp. neghelliensis [family COMPOSITAE], in Mitt. Bot. Staats., München 9: 404, fig. 93 (1973) & in Kirkia 12: 5 (1980), nov.

Felicia abyssinica (Jaub. & Spach) Mesfin var. schimperi [family COMPOSITAE], in Comp. Newsletter 33: 24 (1999)

Felicia abyssinica (Cufod.) Mesfin var. neghelliensis [family COMPOSITAE], in Comp. Newsletter 33: 24 (1999)

Perennial herb, 5–50 cm high, from a woody rootstock, the base of the stem woody and often black, or with several stems from an underground rootstock (and then with the most proximal leaves scale-like); distal stems terete, green, densely to sparsely white-pubescent to almost glabrous. Leaves alternate, dense, dark green, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 8–35 mm long, 0.5–2(–5) mm wide, base as wide as the blade, margins entire or minutely serrulate by the setae, apex obtuse, glandular and pilose to almost glabrous. Capitula solitary, 4–10 mm long, sweet-smelling; peduncles 3–13 cm long, pilose to pubescent, distally often glandular; phyllaries 3–4-seriate, green with paler margins, linear to oblanceolate, 2–7.5 mm long (the inner longest), 0.5–1 mm wide, with scarious and often laciniate margins, acute, sparsely to densely hairy, often glandular; receptacle naked. Ray florets ± 25, with rays pale pink to pale mauve to white, linear, 5–10 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, the tube ± 3 mm long; disc florets numerous, yellow, the tube 2.5–3.8 mm long, lobes 0.3–0.5 mm long, anthers 1.3–1.7 mm long; style 3.5–4.5 mm long, with triangular appendages. Achenes brown, 1.3–2 mm long, 0.3–0.8 mm in diameter, sparsely to densely hairy, with a lateral rim; pappus setae white, many, to 3 mm long, barbellate, deciduous. Fig. 99 (page 472).

DISTR. K 1–6; T 1, 2, 5, 7

(900–)1200–2200 m

KENYA Northern Frontier District Ol Doinyo Lengio, Dec. 1958, Newbould 3529!TANZANIA Maswa/Masai District Serengeti Plain, Apr. 1958, Paulo 348!;KENYA Trans-Nzoia District Kitale, Mar. 1953, Bogdan 3685!;KENYA Nyeri District Ngare Ndare, Apr. 1981, Gilbert 6061!TANZANIA Masai District Engare, Apr. 1960, Kanywa 16!;TANZANIA Iringa District Sao Hill, Dec. 1961, Richards 15723!

Distribution (external)

Grau separated his subsp. neghelliensis (which he spells neghellensis) on the density of stem hairs, but having compared the types of the subspecies and a range of material, I disagree with his interpretation. Specimens annotated by Grau as subsp. neghelliensis from Northern Kenya are as hairy as the type of subsp. abyssinica. There is indeed a cline from north to south with diminishing amounts of hair on the stem, but there are no clear boundaries; plants from the Red Sea Hills in Sudan may be very similar to plants from S Tanzania. The cline is a gradual one, without a single distinct character, and I unite the subspecies. Mesfin in Comp. Newsletter 33: 24 (1999) treats the former subspecies as varieties, and separates var. abyssinica, var. schimperi and var. neghelliensis based on hair type and leaf size. I prefer to treat this taxon as an undivided, variable species.Subspecies globularoides was distinguished by the slightly wider leaves and the larger heads. Again, the populations are sympatric and intermediates occur; I am unable to write a proper key to distinguish the taxa, and therefore I am sinking this taxon as well.I have chosen Botta s.n. as the lectotype of F. schimperi as I believe the syntype, Schimper 858, is probably another taxon. Most of the protologue, and the plate, seems to refer to the Botta specimen. The Schimper specimen is short & squat, and very low-branching.