Sphaeranthus stuhlmannii O.Hoffm.

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb 0.1–0.3 m high, erect or nearly so, unbranched to much branched; branches winged with narrow entire wings, glabrous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves oblanceolate, 3–7 cm long, 0.5–1.5 cm wide, base attenuate and decurrent, margins dentate to almost entire, apex rounded and sometimes apiculate, glabrous, glandular-punctate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Glomerules pink or lilac, axillary to fallen leaves or older leaves and concentrated near the base of the stem, sessile, ellipsoid, 6–12 mm long, 5–7 mm in diameter; peduncles absent; glomerule bracts visible in the proximal half of the glomerule, the others hidden by the florets, broadly ovate becoming obovate distally, 3–5 mm long, to 2.5 mm wide, margins scarious, apex acuminate to almost spinulose in the proximal ones, rounded and apiculate in the more distal ones, glabrous or sparsely puberulous; capitula sessile, with 4 capitulum bracts, the laterals folded, 2.5–3 mm long, scarious, truncate and erose, glabrous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets:outer florets 4, tube narrowing from the base and corky, filiform in the distal part and membranous, 1.6–2.1 mm long, glandular, lobes < 0.1 mm long, style 1.6–2.6 mm long, bifid; inner florets 2, tube widening, proximally corky, sparsely glandular, sharply constricted about halfway, 1.6–2 mm long, lobes 0.4–0.7 mm long, sparsely glandular, anthers 1.3–1.5 mm long; style 2.6–2.8 mm long, papillose, entire.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes of the outer florets narrowly ellipsoid, 0.8–1.1 mm long, puberulous, of the inner florets narrowly obconical, 1.2–1.3 mm long, glabrous and often sterile.

Habitat

In seasonally wet sites on hardpan soil within Acacia-Commiphora bushland; 850–1200 m

Distribution

T1 T4 T5 not known elsewhere