Compilation
Sphaeranthus taylorii
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Name
Identification
Sphaeranthus taylorii S.Moore [family ASTERACEAE ] Sphaeranthus steetzii Oliv.&Hiern [family ASTERACEAE ] (stored under name); Verified by Beentje,
Related name
- Sphaeranthus taylorii
- Sphaeranthus steetzii
Flora
Entry for SPHAERANTHUS steetzii Oliv. & Hiern [family COMPOSITAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 315, (2002) Author: H.J. BEENTJE
Names
SPHAERANTHUS steetzii Oliv. & Hiern [family COMPOSITAE], in F.T.A. 3: 334 (1877); Robyns in K.B. 1924: 190 (1924); Ross-Craig in Hook., Ic. Pl. ser. 5, 6: 64, t. 3516a (1955); F.P.S. 3: 53 (1956). Type: Ethiopia, Schire Dschogardi, Schimper 525 (P!, holo., BM!, K!, iso.)
Oligolepis angustifolius [family ], sensu Steetz in Reise Mossamb. Bot. 1: 417 (1863); this was a new combination, based on Steetz's interpretation of Schimper 525 and 463; but the basionym (Sphaeranthus angustifolius DC.) has another type
Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides O. Hoffm. [family COMPOSITAE], in E.J. 20: 229 (1894); Robyns in K.B. 1924: 188 (1924); Ross-Craig in Hook., Ic. Pl. ser. 5, 6: 80, t. 3522b (1954); Wild in Kirkia 12: 107 (1980); Lisowski in F.A.C. Compositae, Inuleae: 224 (1989); U.K.W.F. ed. 2: 209, pl. 86 (1994), syn. nov. Type: Tanzania, sine loc., Fischer 335 (B†, holo., K!, fragm.)
Sphaeranthus taylorii S. Moore [family COMPOSITAE], in J.L.S. 35: 330 (1902). Type: Tanzania, between Zanzibar and Uyui, W. E. Taylor s.n. (BM!, holo.)
Sphaeranthus talbotii S. Moore [family COMPOSITAE], in Macleod, Chiefs & Cities of Central Africa: 303 (1912) & in Cat. Talbot's Nig. Pl.: 56 (1913); Robyns in K.B. 1924: 191 (1924); Ross-Craig in Hook., Ic. Pl. ser. 5, 6: 65, t. 3516b (1954); C.D. Adams in F.W.T.A. ed. 2, 2: 267 (1963); Wild in Kirkia 12: 106 (1980), syn. nov. Type: Cameroon, Garoua to Golombe, Talbot 1005 (BM!, holo.)
Sphaeranthus keniensis Robyns [family COMPOSITAE], in K.B. 1924: 188 (1924). Type: Kenya, Kisumu/Londiani District, Kibos, Powell 18 (K!, holo.)
Information
Erect or procumbent annual to perennial herb 0.2–1.2 m high, much branched from the base, stems often reddish or purple; branches winged, the wings to 4 mm wide and entire to denticulate and glandular, puberulous or scabridulous but glabrescent. Leaves aromatic, narrowly (ob-)lanceolate, 1–8.5 cm long, 0.2–2 cm wide, base attenuate and decurrent, margins entire to dentate, apex acute or obtuse and mucronate to almost spinulose, sparsely puberulous, glabrescent, glandular-punctate. Glomerules purple or mauve, subglobose to ovoid-conical, 5–10 mm long, 7–12 mm in diameter; peduncle 0.3–4.5 cm long, winged or unwinged, indument as stems; receptacle suborbicular or ovoid; glomerule bracts distally mauve, mostly visible, the proximal 2–3 series forming a shallow cup or covering the base of the glomerule, ovate to oblong, 2–6 mm long, 1.5–1.8 mm wide, margins ciliate, acuminate and often spinulose in the proximal ones, puberulous to almost glabrous and glandular; capitula sessile, with 3(–4) bracts, the laterals folded, narrowly elliptic, 2.5–4 mm long, scarious and ciliate, truncate to acute, puberulous distally. Florets: outer florets 2–6, stalked for up to 0.2 mm, tube filiform to becoming corky and narrowing from a rather wide base, 1.3–2.5 mm long, glandular, minutely toothed, style 1.7–2.5 mm long; inner florets 1–2, tube cylindrical, (slightly) constricted near the base, becoming corky, constricted below the lobes, 1–2 mm long, glandular, lobes 0.3–0.7 mm long, anthers 1.3–1.6 mm long, style 1.9–4 mm long, minutely bifid. Achenes of outer florets cylindrical, 0.6–1.4 mm long, puberulous and glandular, of inner florets slightly obovoid, (0.6–)0.9–1.8 mm long, fertile or sterile, puberulous and glandular.
Range
DISTR. U 1, 3; K 1–7; T 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Altitude range
(30–)700–2000 m
Distribution
UGANDA Karamoja District Lozut, Nov. 1939, A. S. Thomas 3199! & Kasuneri Estate, Moroto, Mar. 1972, J. Wilson 2158!;KENYA Turkana District Karamoja, Dec., Tweedie 258!;TANZANIA Masai District Mgera to Kibaya, Kisima cha Mungu, Aug. 1932, Geilinger 1595!;UGANDA Busoga District Bugonzo, Sep. 1952, G. Wood 375!KENYA Laikipia District Ol Ari Nyiro, July 1988, J. Muasya 1350!;KENYA Masai District Olepolos, Dec. 1989, Mungai 180/89!TANZANIA Dodoma District 16 km on Kilimatinde–Dodoma road, Apr. 1988, Bidgood, Mwasumbi & Vollesen 1177!;TANZANIA Iringa District 59 km N of Iringa on road to Dodoma, June 1990, Carter, Abdallah & Newton 2595!
Distribution (external)
; Nigeria
Cameroon
Rwanda
Burundi
Sudan
Ethiopia
Zambia
Malawi
Zimbabwe
Notes
S. talbotii is brought into synonymy here, as the differences between that taxon and S. steetzii are almost nonexistent.The type of S. gomphrenoides has very long spinulose apices to the glomerule bracts, but there is a continuous range of variation from these to the shorter apices of S. steetzii s.s. and I have failed to find any associated characters. The type of S. keniensis is a typical intermediate. In Uganda only short and intermediate length apices are found, and in the south (T 7) only long ones, but over most of the range all types are present. Mortimer states the inflorescences are much visited by bees. Wingfield 3162 from 9 km WNW of Dar es Salaam could be a young plant of this species, but is from T 6 at 50 m altitude.