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PORTULACA hereroensis Schinz [family PORTULACACEAE]
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (2002) Author: SYLVIA M. PHILLIPS
Names
PORTULACA hereroensis Schinz [family PORTULACACEAE], in Mém. Herb. Boiss. 20: 18 (1900); Poelln. in F.R. 37: 308 (1934); Wild in F.Z. 1: 367, t. 69b (1961); M.G. Gilbert & S.M. Phillips in K.B. 55: 795, map 3 (2000). Type: Namibia, Hereroland, Eromgunga, Dinter 468 (Z, holo., K, photo!)
Sedopsis hereroensis (Schinz) Exell & Mendonça [family PORTULACACEAE], in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 13: 309 (1939)
Information
Delicate annual(?); stems prostrate, red, to ± 15 cm long, slender, radiating and branching from a central root, only infrequently rooting at the nodes, not disarticulating. Leaves opposite, very succulent, broadly elliptic to ovate, 3–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, glaucous, concave above, sessile, obtuse; nodes with a whorl of fairly dense hairs 1–2 mm long, white and contrasting with the red stems. Flowers usually solitary, terminating short lateral branchlets, enclosed by 4 involucral leaves and many white hairs; involucral leaves slightly larger than the stem leaves, keeled.Sepals thinly membranous, ovate, 2 mm long, connate in the lower third, obtuse; petals 4, white or pale mauve, 2.5 mm long, connate below the middle into a tube, free lobes obovate-oblong, rounded, sometimes apiculate; stamens 4, alternating with the petals, filaments adherent to the petal bases, anthers at the top of the petal-tube; style very short, stigma 3–4-branched. Capsule dehiscing in the lower quarter, lid thinly cartilaginous, pallid, 2–2.5 mm high; seeds 0.6 mm long, grey with a slight metallic sheen, testa cells domed in neat concentric rings, often with a slight central tubercle, cell surface with low papillae.
Range
DISTR. T 5, 8 southern tropical Africa southwards to South Africa, except Zambia
Altitude range
100–1500 m
Distribution
TANZANIA Singida District Singida–Itigi road km 22, 27 Mar. 1965, Richards 20015!;TANZANIA Dodoma District 16 km on Kilimatinde to Dodoma road, 16 Apr. 1988, Bidgood et al. 1180!;TANZANIA Kilwa District ± 6 km SW of Kingupira, 21 Feb. 1976, Vollesen in MRC 3202!
Notes
In the few collections available from Tanzania the flowers are always white, but they are frequently pale mauve further south. A single collection from Zimbabwe (Pope 747) is very slender and delicate, but has some fusiform root tubers, so possibly plants may sometimes persist for more than one season. Strangely, P. hereroensis is not known from Zambia.The slender prostrate habit with reddish stems, opposite leaves and hairy nodes, is very similar to that of P. quadrifida L., and the two species are often confused. When flowering, the larger yellow flowers of P. quadrifida L. are obviously different. Vegetative material can be distinguished by the longer (> 5 mm), shortly petiolate leaves of P. quadrifida, which also roots much more freely from the nodes.P.hereroensisand P. dodomaënsis belong to a group ofdelicate species, formerly separated as sect. Sedopsis Engl. Two further species, known only from the type collections from Angola, are very similar to P. hereroensis and may not be specifically distinct. P. saxifragoides Oliv. differs by its bifid stigma and slightly stouter ascending habit with broadly ovate, subacute leaves, whilst P. carrissoana Exell & Mendonça has pink flowers.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (2002) Author: SYLVIA M. PHILLIPS
Names
PORTULACA hereroensis Schinz [family PORTULACACEAE], in Mém. Herb. Boiss. 20: 18 (1900); Poelln. in F.R. 37: 308 (1934); Wild in F.Z. 1: 367, t. 69b (1961); M.G. Gilbert & S.M. Phillips in K.B. 55: 795, map 3 (2000). Type: Namibia, Hereroland, Eromgunga, Dinter 468 (Z, holo., K, photo!)
Sedopsis hereroensis (Schinz) Exell & Mendonça [family PORTULACACEAE], in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 13: 309 (1939)
Information
Delicate annual(?); stems prostrate, red, to ± 15 cm long, slender, radiating and branching from a central root, only infrequently rooting at the nodes, not disarticulating. Leaves opposite, very succulent, broadly elliptic to ovate, 3–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, glaucous, concave above, sessile, obtuse; nodes with a whorl of fairly dense hairs 1–2 mm long, white and contrasting with the red stems. Flowers usually solitary, terminating short lateral branchlets, enclosed by 4 involucral leaves and many white hairs; involucral leaves slightly larger than the stem leaves, keeled.Sepals thinly membranous, ovate, 2 mm long, connate in the lower third, obtuse; petals 4, white or pale mauve, 2.5 mm long, connate below the middle into a tube, free lobes obovate-oblong, rounded, sometimes apiculate; stamens 4, alternating with the petals, filaments adherent to the petal bases, anthers at the top of the petal-tube; style very short, stigma 3–4-branched. Capsule dehiscing in the lower quarter, lid thinly cartilaginous, pallid, 2–2.5 mm high; seeds 0.6 mm long, grey with a slight metallic sheen, testa cells domed in neat concentric rings, often with a slight central tubercle, cell surface with low papillae.
Range
DISTR. T 5, 8 southern tropical Africa southwards to South Africa, except Zambia
Altitude range
100–1500 m
Distribution
TANZANIA Singida District Singida–Itigi road km 22, 27 Mar. 1965, Richards 20015!;TANZANIA Dodoma District 16 km on Kilimatinde to Dodoma road, 16 Apr. 1988, Bidgood et al. 1180!;TANZANIA Kilwa District ± 6 km SW of Kingupira, 21 Feb. 1976, Vollesen in MRC 3202!
Notes
In the few collections available from Tanzania the flowers are always white, but they are frequently pale mauve further south. A single collection from Zimbabwe (Pope 747) is very slender and delicate, but has some fusiform root tubers, so possibly plants may sometimes persist for more than one season. Strangely, P. hereroensis is not known from Zambia.The slender prostrate habit with reddish stems, opposite leaves and hairy nodes, is very similar to that of P. quadrifida L., and the two species are often confused. When flowering, the larger yellow flowers of P. quadrifida L. are obviously different. Vegetative material can be distinguished by the longer (> 5 mm), shortly petiolate leaves of P. quadrifida, which also roots much more freely from the nodes.P.hereroensisand P. dodomaënsis belong to a group ofdelicate species, formerly separated as sect. Sedopsis Engl. Two further species, known only from the type collections from Angola, are very similar to P. hereroensis and may not be specifically distinct. P. saxifragoides Oliv. differs by its bifid stigma and slightly stouter ascending habit with broadly ovate, subacute leaves, whilst P. carrissoana Exell & Mendonça has pink flowers.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical East Africa, page 1, (2002) Author: SYLVIA M. PHILLIPS
Names
PORTULACA hereroensis Schinz [family PORTULACACEAE], in Mém. Herb. Boiss. 20: 18 (1900); Poelln. in F.R. 37: 308 (1934); Wild in F.Z. 1: 367, t. 69b (1961); M.G. Gilbert & S.M. Phillips in K.B. 55: 795, map 3 (2000). Type: Namibia, Hereroland, Eromgunga, Dinter 468 (Z, holo., K, photo!)
Sedopsis hereroensis (Schinz) Exell & Mendonça [family PORTULACACEAE], in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 13: 309 (1939)
Information
Delicate annual(?); stems prostrate, red, to ± 15 cm long, slender, radiating and branching from a central root, only infrequently rooting at the nodes, not disarticulating. Leaves opposite, very succulent, broadly elliptic to ovate, 3–4.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, glaucous, concave above, sessile, obtuse; nodes with a whorl of fairly dense hairs 1–2 mm long, white and contrasting with the red stems. Flowers usually solitary, terminating short lateral branchlets, enclosed by 4 involucral leaves and many white hairs; involucral leaves slightly larger than the stem leaves, keeled.Sepals thinly membranous, ovate, 2 mm long, connate in the lower third, obtuse; petals 4, white or pale mauve, 2.5 mm long, connate below the middle into a tube, free lobes obovate-oblong, rounded, sometimes apiculate; stamens 4, alternating with the petals, filaments adherent to the petal bases, anthers at the top of the petal-tube; style very short, stigma 3–4-branched. Capsule dehiscing in the lower quarter, lid thinly cartilaginous, pallid, 2–2.5 mm high; seeds 0.6 mm long, grey with a slight metallic sheen, testa cells domed in neat concentric rings, often with a slight central tubercle, cell surface with low papillae.
Range
DISTR. T 5, 8 southern tropical Africa southwards to South Africa, except Zambia
Altitude range
100–1500 m
Distribution
TANZANIA Singida District Singida–Itigi road km 22, 27 Mar. 1965, Richards 20015!;TANZANIA Dodoma District 16 km on Kilimatinde to Dodoma road, 16 Apr. 1988, Bidgood et al. 1180!;TANZANIA Kilwa District ± 6 km SW of Kingupira, 21 Feb. 1976, Vollesen in MRC 3202!
Notes
In the few collections available from Tanzania the flowers are always white, but they are frequently pale mauve further south. A single collection from Zimbabwe (Pope 747) is very slender and delicate, but has some fusiform root tubers, so possibly plants may sometimes persist for more than one season. Strangely, P. hereroensis is not known from Zambia.The slender prostrate habit with reddish stems, opposite leaves and hairy nodes, is very similar to that of P. quadrifida L., and the two species are often confused. When flowering, the larger yellow flowers of P. quadrifida L. are obviously different. Vegetative material can be distinguished by the longer (> 5 mm), shortly petiolate leaves of P. quadrifida, which also roots much more freely from the nodes.P.hereroensisand P. dodomaënsis belong to a group ofdelicate species, formerly separated as sect. Sedopsis Engl. Two further species, known only from the type collections from Angola, are very similar to P. hereroensis and may not be specifically distinct. P. saxifragoides Oliv. differs by its bifid stigma and slightly stouter ascending habit with broadly ovate, subacute leaves, whilst P. carrissoana Exell & Mendonça has pink flowers.
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