Asteraceae
Sonchus

Sonchus bipontini Asch.

First published in Beitr. Fl. Aethiop.: 160 (1867)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to S. Tropical Africa. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit
A weak-stemmed perennial herb with a semi-woody rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems trailing or scrambling to c. 3 m. long, or erect and up to c. 1.2 m. tall, mostly solitary, branched above, very leafy throughout becoming leafless below, terete hollow, sometimes ± glandular-setose above otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous, largest and crowded on the upper stem, 5–20 x 0.25–1.6 cm., linear-elliptic becoming linear-lanceolate and sessile towards the stem apex, attenuate above, entire or less often ± recurved acicular-dentate to lobed on the margins, attenuate and shortly sagittate at the base in lower leaves, becoming amplexicaul and subauriculate-sagittate in upper leaves; lobes up to c. 2 cm. long narrowly runcinate-triangular; ± well developed leafy axillary shoots usually present, at least in upper leaves, the young axillary growth densely brown-lanate later glabrescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula subsessile or shortly stalked, 2-many ± aggregated in terminal clusters or in lax corymbiform cymes; mature capitula subtended by 1-several subsessile buds; the bases of the capitula as well as the subtending buds and the capitula stalks enveloped in a white persistent lanate indumentum, synflorescence branches and capitula stalks densely glandular-setose or glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucres c. 10–13 mm. long in fruiting capitula, cylindric later spreading, phyllaries eventually reflexed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries few-seriate, imbricate, white-lanate outside where exposed, glabrescent towards the apices, usually also glandular-setose outside; the outermost c. 4 mm. long, narrowly ovate; the innermost 10–13 x 1.5–2.5 mm., lanceolate, ± obtuse at the apices.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets numerous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corollas yellow, c. 10–13 mm. long, pubescent about the junction of the tube and ligule; ligule c. 3–4 mm. long, oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
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, glabrous; pappus white, dimorphic, c. 11 mm. long composed of minutely barbellate setae intermixed with down-like hairs.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, usually weak-stemmed, from a stout rootstock, 0.4–1.5 m high; stems scrambling or straggly, to 9 m long; stems often reddish, hollow, glabrous or distally glandular-setose.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves shiny above, glaucous beneath, sessile, linear-elliptic to lanceolate, 4–20 cm long, 0.2–1.6 cm wide, base attenuate and shortly sagittate in proximal leaves, in distal leaves semi-amplexicaul and sub-auriculate, margins entire or less often with recurved teeth or spinules, sometimes lobed with the lobes narrowly triangular and to 2 cm long, apex attenuate, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula solitary or in few-headed rather dense Groups, these in turn in lax leafy corymbs or panicles; stalks of individual capitula short, white-tomentose and sometimes with stalked glands extending further down the inflorescence; involucre cylindric to campanulate, eventually with reflexed phyllaries, 10–15(–18,K3) mm long; phyllaries green with reddish or purplish tinge or tips, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 2.5–13 mm long, obtuse, white-tomentose proximally, becoming more glabrous distally and on the inner phyllaries, distally ciliate, sometimes the outer and distal part of the inner glandular-setose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets many per capitulum; corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 6–10 mm long, distally pilose; ligules 3–6.5 mm long, 0.5–1.2 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes pale or reddish brown, narrowly ellipsoid, slightly flattened, 2.5–3.5 mm long, ribbed, rugulose but glabrous; pappus white, 7–11 mm long.
Habitat
Grassland, forest glades, road- and pathsides, bamboo zone; (900–)1500–3150 m
Distribution
K1 K3 K5 T2 T4 T6 T7 U1 U2 U3
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0