Eschenbachia stricta (Willd.) Raizada

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial herb, erect, occasionally slightly woody at base, 0.3–1 m high; stems unbranched or more often branched distally with fastigiate branching, cylindrical, striate, scabrid or pubescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pseudopetiolate (proximal leaves) to sessile (distal leaves), oblanceolate to spatulate, 1–5(–6) cm long, 0.2–1.5(–2) cm wide, base narrow but slightly widening at stem insertion and narrowly truncate to narrowly auriculate, margins entire to denticulate to pinnatilobed with few lobes in the distal half of the leaf with lobes to 12 mm long and 4 mm wide, acute or obtuse and mucronate at apex, scabrid and glandular on both surfaces.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula 2–4 mm long, in fairly dense subglobose cymes, the cymes united in terminal, lax, leafy corymbs; stalks of individual capitula 0.1–1 cm, scabrid-pubescent; phyllaries 3–4-seriate, ± 30, the outermost smallest, narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.6 mm long, 0.3–0.5 mm wide, entire or serrulate, attenuate at apex, pubescent and glandular on the outermost ones, the inner ones subglabrous and more hyaline; receptacle 1.5–2 mm in diameter, convex to toroid, not toothed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Marginal florets (pale) yellow, 46–60, tube 1.3–1.9 mm long and slightly pilose, mouth oblique and with ?4 small lobes to 0.2 mm, the tube slit on the abaxial side so technically with a ray 0.3–0.5 mm long (but unless the style is projecting through the slit this is very difficult to see), style 2–2.2 mm long; central florets yellow or pale yellow, 2–8, tube 1.4–2 mm long, lobes 0.4–0.5 mm long and often glandular; anthers 0.7–1 mm long with brief triangular appendages; style 2.2–2.5 mm long with short triangular papillose branches.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes narrowly obovoid, 0.8–1.2 mm long, ± pubescent and glandular; pappus of many yellowish to pinkish setae, 1.2–2.1 mm long.

Figures

Fig. 104 (page 501).

Habitat

Upland grassland, often in rocky sites, or a pioneer in road- and pathsides, around settlements, post cultivation; on black cotton, loam, or volcanic dust including recent dust; (900–)1350–2800 m

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T7 U1 W tropical Africa from Guinee and Nigeria to NE tropical Africa in Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and to Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial herb, 0.3–1 m high; stems unbranched or with erect branches, scabrid or pubescent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves dense along stem, pseudopetiolate (lower leaves) to sessile (upper leaves), oblanceolate to spatulate, 1–5(–6)´0.2–1.5(–2) cm, base narrow, margins entire to denticulate to pinnatilobed with few lobes in the distal half of the leaf with lobes to 12´4 mm, scabrid and glandular on both surfaces

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Capitula in fairly dense subglobose cymes, the cymes united in terminal, lax, leafy corymbs; phyllaries narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.6 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Marginal florets (pale) yellow, 46–60, tube 1.3–1.9 mm long with 2–4 small lobes to 0.2 mm, the tube slit on the outside so technically with a ray 0.3–0.5 mm long; central florets (pale) yellow, 2–8, tube 1.4–2 mm long, lobes 0.4–0.5 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes narrowly obovoid, 0.8–1.2 mm long,±pubescent and glandular; pappus of many yellowish to pinkish bristles, 1.2–2.1 mm long.

Distribution

N1, 2 widespread in Africa, Madagascar, India, China

Ecology

Altitude range 1350–1750 m.

Vernacular

Sirad (Somali).