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Acanthus kulalensis Vollesen [family ACANTHACEAE]
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, (2008) Author: Kaj Vollesen
Names
Acanthus kulalensis Vollesen [family ACANTHACEAE], in K.B. 62: 239 (2007). Type: Kenya, Northern Frontier District: Mt Kulal, Luke 10818 (K!, holo.; BR!, CAS!, EA!, K!, iso.)
Information
Shrub to 2.5 m tall; young stems densely puberulous and with scattered longer hairs. Leaves with petiole to 7 mm long; lamina ovate to elliptic in outline, largest 10–17≈4–7.5 cm, deeply lobed with large triangular spine-tipped lobes, each lobe with 1–2 spines on both sides, apex acuminate, spine-tipped, base cuneate to truncate, beneath puberulous or densely so on midrib and larger veins, glabrous to puberulous on lamina, above puberulous on midrib, otherwise glabrous or with a few scattered hairs; stipule-like interpetiolar leaves present, with lamina up to 5 mm long, spiny. Cymes terminal or also axillary from uppermost axils, 3–14 cm long; rachis densely sericeous-tomentose, with several pairs of sterile bracts at base; bracts leathery, with 3–5 prominent longitudinal veins, straw-coloured, obovate, densely sericeous in basal part, sparsely so upwards, 2.3–3 cm long in middle of cyme, spine-tipped and with 12–25 large and small teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm, small teeth inserted on larger near their base, teeth densely hairy throughout with longest hairs 1–2 mm long; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2.3–3.1 cm long, with 5–7 teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm long. Calyx green with purple tips, thickened part yellow, sericeous or densely so with hairs to 3 mm long, conspicuously ciliate; dorsal and ventral sepals ovate or ovate-elliptic, dorsal 1–3-veined, 2.7–3.2 cm long, obtuse to acute and spine-tipped or with acuminate 2-toothed tip and with 1–8 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 4 mm long, ventral sepal 2-veined, 2.3–2.7 cm long, with 2 triangular spine-tipped lobes ± 5 mm long and with 1–6 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 3 mm long, lateral sepals 1-veined, ovate, 2–2.2 cm long, acuminate, without or with 1–2 small teeth per side. Corolla tube white, limb pinkish-mauve; tube 2–3 mm long below thickened rim which is 4–7 mm long and extended dorsally into a 2–7 mm long tooth; limb 3.5–5≈3–3.8 cm, below puberulous, above sparsely puberulous; callus with broad central groove and two narrow lateral ridges. Filaments 1.8–2 cm long, 2 dorsal hairy on inside near base; anthers 4–4.5 mm long, glabrous or with long curly hairs on sides. Capsule and seed not seen.
Range
DISTR. K 1 not known elsewhere
Altitude range
1950–2100 m
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier District Mt Kulal, Oct. 1955, Smart 18! & 25 July 1976, C.R. Field 102! & 26 Dec. 2004, Luke 10818!
Notes
Differs fromA. polystachius in the long silky indumentum on bracts and calyx, the longer bract teeth, the longer sepals and in the long dorsal tooth on the thickened corolla rim. It also occurs a long way outside the distribution area ofA. polystachius.
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, (2008) Author: Kaj Vollesen
Names
Acanthus kulalensis Vollesen [family ACANTHACEAE], in K.B. 62: 239 (2007). Type: Kenya, Northern Frontier District: Mt Kulal, Luke 10818 (K!, holo.; BR!, CAS!, EA!, K!, iso.)
Information
Shrub to 2.5 m tall; young stems densely puberulous and with scattered longer hairs. Leaves with petiole to 7 mm long; lamina ovate to elliptic in outline, largest 10–17≈4–7.5 cm, deeply lobed with large triangular spine-tipped lobes, each lobe with 1–2 spines on both sides, apex acuminate, spine-tipped, base cuneate to truncate, beneath puberulous or densely so on midrib and larger veins, glabrous to puberulous on lamina, above puberulous on midrib, otherwise glabrous or with a few scattered hairs; stipule-like interpetiolar leaves present, with lamina up to 5 mm long, spiny. Cymes terminal or also axillary from uppermost axils, 3–14 cm long; rachis densely sericeous-tomentose, with several pairs of sterile bracts at base; bracts leathery, with 3–5 prominent longitudinal veins, straw-coloured, obovate, densely sericeous in basal part, sparsely so upwards, 2.3–3 cm long in middle of cyme, spine-tipped and with 12–25 large and small teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm, small teeth inserted on larger near their base, teeth densely hairy throughout with longest hairs 1–2 mm long; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2.3–3.1 cm long, with 5–7 teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm long. Calyx green with purple tips, thickened part yellow, sericeous or densely so with hairs to 3 mm long, conspicuously ciliate; dorsal and ventral sepals ovate or ovate-elliptic, dorsal 1–3-veined, 2.7–3.2 cm long, obtuse to acute and spine-tipped or with acuminate 2-toothed tip and with 1–8 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 4 mm long, ventral sepal 2-veined, 2.3–2.7 cm long, with 2 triangular spine-tipped lobes ± 5 mm long and with 1–6 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 3 mm long, lateral sepals 1-veined, ovate, 2–2.2 cm long, acuminate, without or with 1–2 small teeth per side. Corolla tube white, limb pinkish-mauve; tube 2–3 mm long below thickened rim which is 4–7 mm long and extended dorsally into a 2–7 mm long tooth; limb 3.5–5≈3–3.8 cm, below puberulous, above sparsely puberulous; callus with broad central groove and two narrow lateral ridges. Filaments 1.8–2 cm long, 2 dorsal hairy on inside near base; anthers 4–4.5 mm long, glabrous or with long curly hairs on sides. Capsule and seed not seen.
Range
DISTR. K 1 not known elsewhere
Altitude range
1950–2100 m
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier District Mt Kulal, Oct. 1955, Smart 18! & 25 July 1976, C.R. Field 102! & 26 Dec. 2004, Luke 10818!
Notes
Differs fromA. polystachius in the long silky indumentum on bracts and calyx, the longer bract teeth, the longer sepals and in the long dorsal tooth on the thickened corolla rim. It also occurs a long way outside the distribution area ofA. polystachius.
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, (2008) Author: Kaj Vollesen
Names
Acanthus kulalensis Vollesen [family ACANTHACEAE], in K.B. 62: 239 (2007). Type: Kenya, Northern Frontier District: Mt Kulal, Luke 10818 (K!, holo.; BR!, CAS!, EA!, K!, iso.)
Information
Shrub to 2.5 m tall; young stems densely puberulous and with scattered longer hairs. Leaves with petiole to 7 mm long; lamina ovate to elliptic in outline, largest 10–17≈4–7.5 cm, deeply lobed with large triangular spine-tipped lobes, each lobe with 1–2 spines on both sides, apex acuminate, spine-tipped, base cuneate to truncate, beneath puberulous or densely so on midrib and larger veins, glabrous to puberulous on lamina, above puberulous on midrib, otherwise glabrous or with a few scattered hairs; stipule-like interpetiolar leaves present, with lamina up to 5 mm long, spiny. Cymes terminal or also axillary from uppermost axils, 3–14 cm long; rachis densely sericeous-tomentose, with several pairs of sterile bracts at base; bracts leathery, with 3–5 prominent longitudinal veins, straw-coloured, obovate, densely sericeous in basal part, sparsely so upwards, 2.3–3 cm long in middle of cyme, spine-tipped and with 12–25 large and small teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm, small teeth inserted on larger near their base, teeth densely hairy throughout with longest hairs 1–2 mm long; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2.3–3.1 cm long, with 5–7 teeth per side, longest ± 7 mm long. Calyx green with purple tips, thickened part yellow, sericeous or densely so with hairs to 3 mm long, conspicuously ciliate; dorsal and ventral sepals ovate or ovate-elliptic, dorsal 1–3-veined, 2.7–3.2 cm long, obtuse to acute and spine-tipped or with acuminate 2-toothed tip and with 1–8 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 4 mm long, ventral sepal 2-veined, 2.3–2.7 cm long, with 2 triangular spine-tipped lobes ± 5 mm long and with 1–6 lateral teeth per side, longest tooth ± 3 mm long, lateral sepals 1-veined, ovate, 2–2.2 cm long, acuminate, without or with 1–2 small teeth per side. Corolla tube white, limb pinkish-mauve; tube 2–3 mm long below thickened rim which is 4–7 mm long and extended dorsally into a 2–7 mm long tooth; limb 3.5–5≈3–3.8 cm, below puberulous, above sparsely puberulous; callus with broad central groove and two narrow lateral ridges. Filaments 1.8–2 cm long, 2 dorsal hairy on inside near base; anthers 4–4.5 mm long, glabrous or with long curly hairs on sides. Capsule and seed not seen.
Range
DISTR. K 1 not known elsewhere
Altitude range
1950–2100 m
Distribution
KENYA Northern Frontier District Mt Kulal, Oct. 1955, Smart 18! & 25 July 1976, C.R. Field 102! & 26 Dec. 2004, Luke 10818!
Notes
Differs fromA. polystachius in the long silky indumentum on bracts and calyx, the longer bract teeth, the longer sepals and in the long dorsal tooth on the thickened corolla rim. It also occurs a long way outside the distribution area ofA. polystachius.
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