| Home | > | List of families | > | Asteraceae | > | Launaea | > | rarifolia |
Launaea rarifolia
rarifolia
Selected images: Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record View all images (5)
Photo: Bart Wursten
Cleveland Dam, Harare
Detailed records: Display species records QDS maps by: Google Maps Point records by Google Maps
Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)
| 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 (See image). 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: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Aug - Sep |
| Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in Subsaharan Africa and Madagascar. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
Other sources of information about Launaea rarifolia var. rarifolia:
Our websites:
Flora of Botswana: Launaea rarifolia var. rarifoliaFlora of Malawi: Launaea rarifolia var. rarifolia
Flora of Mozambique: Launaea rarifolia var. rarifolia
Flora of Zambia: Launaea rarifolia var. rarifolia
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Launaea rarifoliaBHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Launaea rarifolia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Launaea rarifolia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Launaea rarifolia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Launaea rarifolia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Launaea rarifolia
JSTOR Plant Science: Launaea rarifolia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Launaea rarifolia
Plants of the World Online: Launaea rarifolia
Tropicos: Launaea rarifolia
Wikipedia: Launaea rarifolia
| Home | > | List of families | > | Asteraceae | > | Launaea | > | rarifolia |