Brassicaceae
Erucastrum

Erucastrum meruense Jonsell

First published in Bot. Not. 132: 530 (1979)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is N. Tanzania (Mt. Meru). It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

Cruciferae, Bengt Jonsell (University of Stockholm). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Morphology General Habit
Perennial subshrub, extensively branched, up to 100 cm. high; lower parts of stem and old branches strongly woody, up to 0.5 cm. in diameter, often sprouting new branches.
Morphology Stem
Stem (except woody parts), leaves and pedicels hispid to strigose.
Morphology Leaves
Lower cauline leaves rather crowded, with up to 5 cm. long petioles emerging from a truncate lamina, oblong in outline, up to 18 cm. long and 4 cm. broad, lyrate-pinnate, with up to 4 pairs of triangular to oblong lateral lobes; terminal lobe 1/2–1/3 as long as the leaf, triangular to ovate, obtuse, truncate; margin sinuately dentate to repand; leaves upwards rapidly smaller and with short petioles, lyrate-pinnatifid, with usually one pair of lateral lobes and terminal lobe oblong, more than 1/2 as long as the leaf; uppermost leaves and bracts sessile, undivided, lanceolate, acute, truncate to cuneate, dentate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes ebracteate or with bracts at lowest pedicels with many flowers in a rather open corymb, in fruit lax, up to 30 cm. long, with 8–12 mm. long spreading pedicels.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals oblong, moderately hispid, ± 5.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals yellow, clawed, 10–12 mm. long, ± 4 mm. broad, apically truncate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Longer stamens ± 8 mm. long; anthers ± 1 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
Nectaries low 2-topped glands inside each lateral stamen and a prominent spheroid gland outside each pair of median stamens.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary linear, glabrous; stigma bifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Siliquae straight to slightly curved, somewhat torulose, 42–65 mm. long, 1.3–1.8 mm. broad; beak narrowly conical, 5.5–7 mm. long; valves glabrous with prominent midnerve.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds light red-brown, elliptic in outline, ± 1.7 mm. long, ± 1.2 mm. broad, with a low, loose reticulum.
Habitat
Open montane Hagenia forest; 2500–2700 m.
Distribution
T2 known only from Mt. Meru
[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: threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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