Home | > | List of families | > | Asteraceae | > | Launaea | > | nana |
Synonyms: |
Lactuca nana Baker Launaea elliotiana (Hiern) L. Boulos Sonchus elliotianus Hiern Sonchus nanus O. Hoffm. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | Frequent |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Stemless perennial herb,usually less than 10 cm tall, growing from a semi-woody taproot. Leaves 2-6 in a rosette, appearing after the flowers, linear to oblanceolate in outline, up to 20 cm long, more or less pinnately lobed, hairless, midrib prominent beneath; margin with small ciliate teeth. Capitula numerous, erect. Involucral bracts green to dark-purple, 3-4-seriate, usually with a wing-like growth on the midrib, hairless but more or less densely ciliate at the apex. Florets c. 23, yellow, 10-15 mm long. Achenes sub-fusiform-oblanceolate, 4-5 mm long, somewhat 4-angled, reddish-brown, 10-14-ribbed, hairless; pappus of barbellate setae 8-10 mm long. |
Notes: | This species is easily distinguished from the closely related Launaea rarifolia by the much greater number of ligulate florets (20-25 per capitulum). There are no leaves present at the time of flowering. |
Derivation of specific name: | nana: dwarf |
Habitat: | In grassland and open miombo woodland, typically appearing and flowering after fire. |
Altitude range: (metres) | |
Flowering time: | Aug - Sep |
Worldwide distribution: | West Africa, Angola, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,C,E |
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: | Sunday 19 January 2020 |
Literature: |
Bandeira, S., Bolnick, D. & Barbosa, F. (2007). Wild Flowers of Southern Mozambique Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique Pages 218 - 219. (Includes a picture). 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. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 36. 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. Pope, G.V. (1992). Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1) Pages 216 - 217. (Includes a picture). |
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