Home | > | List of families | > | Asteraceae | > | Launaea | > | rarifolia |
Synonyms: |
Lactuca varianii I.M. Johnst. Lactuca verdickii De Wild. Lactuca welwitschii Scott-Eliott Launaea macer (S. Moore) L. Boulos Launaea verdickii (De Wild.) L. Boulos Sonchus macer S. Moore Sonchus rarifolius Oliv. & Hiern Sonchus verdickii (De Wild.) R.E. Fr. Sonchus violaceus sensu Eyles Sonchus welwitschii (Scott-Elliot) Chiov. ex S. Moore |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Perennial up to 95 cm tall but often only up to 15 cm when flowering after fires. Taproot fleshy to semi-woody; stems fleshy, often blue-green, with milky sap. Leaves in a basal rosette, mostly appearing after the flowers, narrowly obovate or oblanceolate-spathulate, up to c. 25 cm long, blueish-green, hairless; margin entire, finely toothed or sometimes with small lobes. Flowering stems wiry, often purple-tinged, diffusely branched, often very much reduced. Capitula few-many with purple-tinged involucre bracts. Florets 6-12 per capitulum in one whorl of all ray-florets, yellow. |
Notes: | Often very low-growing and leafless when flowering soon after fires. It is easily distinguished from the related Launaea nana by the smaller number of ligulate florets (5-10 per capitulum), each tipped with 5 teeth. The basal rosette of leaves is normally absent at the time of flowering. |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | In grassland and miombo woodland. A typical early flowering species of burnt areas. |
Altitude range: | |
Flowering time: | Aug - Sep |
Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in Subsaharan Africa and Madagascar. |
Malawi distribution: | N,C,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Content last updated: | Monday 7 September 2015 |
Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 101. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 24. 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 26. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 31. as Launaea rarifolia Pope, G.V. (1992). Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1) Pages 215 - 217. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 35. Van Wyk, B. & Malan, S. (1988). Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria Region Struik, Cape Town Pages 118 - 119. as Launaea rarifolia (Includes a picture). Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 89. |
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