Sphaeranthus mimetes Ross-Craig

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

Morphology General Habit

'Scrubby herb growing in tufts' (Burtt), 10–25 cm high, sparsely branched, aromatic; branches unwinged, but the leaf-bases slightly decurrent on to the stem, glabrous or nearly so.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblanceolate, 3–8 cm long, 0.2–1.1 cm wide, base attenuate and slightly decurrent, margins thickened and denticulate, apex acute to obtuse and mucronate, glabrous or nearly so, glandular-punctate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Glomerules lilac, at branching points among the leaves or occasionally at ground level on the naked stem, sessile or nearly so, ovoid to cylindrical, 10–25 mm long, 9–12 mm in diameter; glomerule bracts hidden by the capitula except for the proximal, lanceolate, 4.5–9 mm long, to 2 mm wide, attenuate, puberulous and sparsely glandular; receptacle narrowly ovoid to almost cylindrical; capitula sessile, with 4 bracts, the laterals folded, 3–4.5 mm long, scarious, cuneate or erose, glabrous or nearly so.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets:outer florets 3–4, tube narrowing and corky in the lower two-thirds, 1.9–2.4 mm long, sparsely glandular, toothed for less than 0.1 mm; style 2.5–3 mm, bifid; inner florets 2, with tube corky in lower half, somewhat narrowed at two-thirds of its length, 1.6–2 mm long,glabrous, lobes 0.4–0.6 mm long, sparsely glandular, anthers 1.1–1.2 mm long; style 2.6–3.1 mm long, papillose, entire.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes of outer florets ovoid and flattened/angled, 0.7–0.9 mm long, puberulous; of inner florets cylindrical, 0.8–1 mm long, glabrous, ?sterile.

Habitat

“Saline scanty herbage on sandy clay soils” (fide Burtt); ± 1260 m

Distribution

T4 T5 not known elsewhere