Synonyms: |
Sonchus bequaertii De Wild. Sonchus bipontini Aschers. var. glanduligerus (R.E. Fr.) Robyns |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
A weak-stemmed perennial herb with a semi-woody rootstock. Stems up to c. 3 m long when trailing or scrambling, or up to c. 1.2 m tall when erect, mostly solitary, branched above, very leafy throughout becoming leafless below, sometimes more or less densely glandular-setose above otherwise hairless. Leaves hairless and sessile towards the stem apex, linear-elliptic becoming linear-lanceolate, 5–20 cm long; margin entire or less often with recurved teeth or lobed and shortly auriculate-sagittate at the base. Capitula subsessile or shortly stalked, 2-many together in terminal clusters or in lax heads; mature capitula subtended by 1-several subsessile buds; the bases of the capitula as well as the subtending buds and the capitula stalks clothed in dense white woolly hairs, inflorescence branches, capitula stalks and involucral bracts often more or less densely glandular-setose, sometimes completely without glands. Involucres c. 10–13 mm long in fruiting capitula, cylindric later spreading, phyllaries eventually reflexed. Phyllaries few-seriate, white-woolly outside where exposed, usually also glandular-setose outside. Florets numerous, yellow, c. 10–13 mm long. Achenes reddish-brown, 2.5–3 mm long, narrowly ellipsoid, somewhat flattened, c. 4-angular with ribs on the angles, smaller ribs developing in between, the main ribs becoming thickened and transversely rugulose, hairless; pappus white, dimorphic, c. 11 mm long composed of minutely barbellate setae intermixed with down-like hairs. |
Type location: |
Ethiopia |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | |
Habitat: | In montane forest, along forest margins and scrub vegetation. Also in disturbed ground. |
Altitude range: (metres) | |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi and Tanzania. |
FZ divisions: | N |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Wednesday 7 November 2018 |
Literature: |
Pope, G.V. (1992). Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1) Pages 226 - 227. |