Corresponding author: Vicki A. Funk (
Academic editor: A. Sennikov
A new species of
Robinson H, Funk VA (2014)
In the course of preparing a monograph covering all of the
Shrubs or small trees moderately to densely branching; stems often felted, hairs rarely asymmetrically T-shaped. Leaves alternate; petioles short, winged or elongate; blades membranaceous to rather coriaceous, margins entire to serrate or dentate, upper surfaces essentially glabrous and somewhat glossy to arachnoid tomentose. Inflorescences terminal, densely corymbiform, with small bracteoles; peduncles short; involucral bracts coriaceous, 25–35, 4–5-seriate, inner bracts often deciduous. Florets 3–50; corolla white to violet, anther base broadly tailed, tails often long, apical appendage glabrous; style base without or with scarcely distinct node; style branches with stout, pointed sweeping hairs. Achenes 5–10-costate, raphids short, elongate or not evident; pappus of many rather persistent capillary bristles, often with broadened tips, with outer series of short squamellae. Pollen sublophate. Chromosome number
The genus
South Africa. Limpopo Province. Thohoyandou District. Thathe-Vonde Nature Reserve. Grassland at rocky outcrop near entrance, 1233 m,
Type specimens.
Original Illustration of
Illustration of heads from the holotype:
Sparsely branched shrubs 1.3–1.5 m tall; stems brown, terete and striate, hispid to hirtellous and gland-dotted, hairs unicellular, with short branches and spurs. Leaves alternate; petioles 3–4 mm long; leaf blades chartaceous, suborbicular, 4.5–6.5 cm long and broad, bases rounded to broadly obtuse, abruptly terminating at petiole, margins with c. 5 broad dentations above basal ¼, apex with broad obtusely triangular tip; adaxial surface dark green when dry, essentially glabrous, primary and secondary veins priminulous in shallow grooves, tertiary veins flush with surface; abaxial leaf surface somewhat paler, sparsely pilosulous on larger prominulous veins, surface with numerous yellow glandular dots; secondary veins widely spreading at 50–80° angles, usually 4 on each side, quaternary veins minimally prominulous. Inflorescence broadly corymbiform, terminal on stems and distal branches; peduncles 3–8 mm long, capitula 13–15 mm high; involucres 4–5 mm wide, to 7–8 mm wide when in fruit; involucral bracts subimbricate in c. 5 gradate series, round to oblong, 2–7 mm long, 2.5–3.6 mm wide, inner bracts somewhat ranked, apices broadly rounded to subtruncate, with broad rounded surface outside, greenish or brownish with darker and gland-dotted distal 1/4; florets 5 in a capitulum; corollas pale lavender, c. 9.5 mm long, essentially without hairs, sparsely gland-dotted outside, basal tube c. 5 mm long, funnelform distally, throat c. 0.5 mm long, lobes evenly tapered, c. 4 mm long; anther thecae c. 4.5 mm long, apical appendage triangular, c. 0.6 mm long, 0.25 mm wide; achenes c. 5 mm long, 10-ribbed, with numerous short, spreading setulae mostly on ribs, with glandular dots between ribs; pappus mostly c. 9 mm long, becoming tawny, of c. 90 crowded capillary bristles, bristles scarcely broadened distally.
The holotype (PRE) has both flowering and fruiting material while the isotype (US) material is mostly fruiting. The specimen of the new species was distributed as
The species is named for Dr. Marinda Koekemoer (PRE) who collected the type material and who has done so much to further our knowledge of the
This species is known only from the type locality.
1 | Abaxial surface of leaves sparsely puberulous to essentially glabrous | 2 |
– | Abaxial surface of leaves hispid to tomentose | 3 |
2 | Leaf blades chartaceous with broadly obtuse bases; stems puberulous often with dark hairs (fungus), especially in fruiting specimens | |
– | Leaf blades rather membranaceous with long-acuminate bases; stems essentially glabrous | |
3 | Leaf blades oblong to ovate with obtuse bases; stems hirsute; capitula with 3 florets | |
– | Leaf blades obovate to oblanceolate with cuneate bases; stems tomentose; capitula usually with 4–5 florets | 4 |
4 | Stems and abaxial surfaces of leaves completely covered with appressed tomentum; inflorescence narrowly corymbose | |
– | Stems with tomentum of cottony hairs, abaxial surfaces of leaves with mixed erect and arachnoid hairs that do not totally obscure green surface; inflorescence broadly corymbose, much broader than high |
The authors thank Alice Tangerini for the illustration and PRE for access to the holotype.