Senecio purpureus L.

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Senecio purpureus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Mt Rukotso, Nyanga

Senecio purpureus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Mt Rukotso, Nyanga

Senecio purpureus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Engwa, rd to Tsetsera, Himalayas

Senecio purpureus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Main Road North of Troutbeck near Cheshire Cottage

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Sticky glandular, erect perennial herb growing from a woody base. Stems numerous, 60–240 cm high, pale green, glandular-hairy. Basal leaves sessile, oblong-elliptic or lyrate, 35–73 cm long, tapering into a pseudo petiole: margins pinnately lobed; upper leaves sessile, lanceolate to broadly elliptic in outline, 5.5–17 cm, auriculate at the base; margin with more or less lobe-like teeth; all leaves with short glandular and more or less densely covered with felt-like hairs, especially beneath. Capitula numerous in terminal and upper axillary corymbose heads; stalks of the individual capitula densely glandular. Involucres 7–9 mm long, 3–3.5 mm in diameter; phyllaries 10–13, green with purplish tips or all purple, 7–8.5 mm long, shortly glandular-hairy. Disc florets purple or mauve, rarely blue or white, corolla 5–7.2 mm long, hairless; ray florets absent. Achenes 3.5–5 mm long when young, hairless; pappus 5–7 mm long.
Notes: The bright purple florets and the absence of ray-florets mean that this species is easily mistaken for a Vernonia species.
Derivation of specific name: purpureus: purple
Habitat: In (sub)montane grassland.
Altitude range:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Angola, DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Malawi distribution:
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Beentje, H.J. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (eds.) (2005). Compositae (Part 3) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 668 - 669.

Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 51.

Jeffrey, C. (1986). The Senecioneae in East Tropical Africa: Notes on Compositae: IV Kew Bulletin 41(4) Page 904.

Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 28.

Other sources of information about Senecio purpureus:

Our websites:

Flora of Mozambique: Senecio purpureus
Flora of Zambia: Senecio purpureus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Senecio purpureus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Senecio purpureus
African Plant Database: Senecio purpureus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Senecio purpureus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Senecio purpureus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Senecio purpureus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Senecio purpureus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Senecio purpureus
JSTOR Plant Science: Senecio purpureus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Senecio purpureus
Plants of the World Online: Senecio purpureus
Tropicos: Senecio purpureus
Wikipedia: Senecio purpureus


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Species information: Senecio purpureus.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=161310, retrieved 29 March 2024

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