GISEKIA africana (Lour.) O. Ktze. [family GISEKIACEAE]

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora Somalia
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by M. G. Gilbert [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
Names
GISEKIA africana (Lour.) O. Ktze. [family GISEKIACEAE], (1898). Plate 2 B.
Information
Herb, ± perennial; stems procumbent or prostrate, radiating from taproot, relatively little branched. Leaves sessile or obscurely petiolate, petiole 0–5 mm; blade elliptic to oblanceolate or spathulate, 5–45 x 1–12 mm, base cuneate to tapered, tip retuse to rounded or subacute. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, umbel-like to laxly cymose, sessile or pedunculate, 3–20 flowered; pedicels 4–20 mm. Sepals 2–3 mm long in fruit. Stamens 10–15 in male and bisexual flowers, filaments only slightly widened below. Carpels 5 in bisexual flowers, 10–15 in female flowers.
Range
S2, 3 widespread in southern Africa.
Altitude range
sea-level to 100 m.
Distribution
SOMALIA Bally & Melville 15265; Kasmi & al. 524; Thulin & Warfa 4537.
Distribution (external)
Ethiopia
N Kenya coast
Notes
The Somali plant is var. africana, but the coastal forms from Kenya and Somalia have a distinctive facies, due to the consistently small leaves and long internodes. However, there does not seem to be an adequate basis for formal separation from the southern plants. Var. cymosa Adams. is restricted to southern Africa north to southern Tanzania and is recognised by the laxly cymose inflorescences with raceme-like ultimate branches. Var. pedunculata (Oliv.) Brenan, differing from var. cymosa only by the winged mericarps, is only known from the lectotype from N Mozambique.
GISEKIA africana (Lour.) O. Ktze. [family GISEKIACEAE]
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