Cienfuegosia welshii (T.Anderson) Garcke

First published in Jahrb. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 2: 337 (1883)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is NE. Ethiopia to N. Somalia, S. Arabian Peninsula. It is a perennial or subshrub and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Slender shrub or subshrub, up to 1 m tall, with a pungent smell; stems glabrous or puberulous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with 0.5–7 cm long petiole; blade ± reniform, entire to deeply 3-lobed or dissected, 0.5–5 x 0.5–6 cm, lobes crenulate to dentate, sometimes undulate, median and 2 nearest lateral veins usually with conspicuous glands, glabrous to puberulous or scabrid on veins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers solitary or rarely paired in leaf axils; pedicels 0.3–6 cm long, glabrous or puberulous, articulated and usually bracteate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx
Epicalyx bracts c. 9, 1–5 mm long, subulate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 6–12 mm long, glabrous or puberulous, shortly 5-toothed, usually splitting into 2 lobes in flower
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 15–30 mm long, yellowish with dark purple base or brownish purple throughout
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 3(–4)-celled, ellipsoid to subglobose, appressed pubescent or subglabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4–5 mm long, densely covered with brownish hairs.
Distribution
N1–3; Ethiopia, Arabia
Ecology
Altitude range 0–1650 m.
Vernacular
Biei jilbadig, qurmuune, urgo (Somali).
[FSOM]

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]

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

Type
N3, near “Hafun”, Puccioni & Stefanini 617 (FT holo.)
Morphology General Habit
Dwarf shrub, up to 0.3 m tall; stems glabrous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with up to 0.6 cm long petiole; blade very stiff, cuneate-ovate, 0.8–3.5 x 0.6–3 cm, shallowly and broadly crenate at tip only or subentire, (1–)3-nerved from the base, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers solitary; pedicels up to 0.5 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx
Epicalyx bracts c. 5, up to 1 mm long but usually much less, acute
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 8–10 mm long, glabrous, shortly 5-toothed, splitting into 2 lobes in flower
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals c. 20 mm long, dark purplish brown with paler margin
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 3-celled, subglobose, c. 8 mm long, appressed pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 4 mm long, densely covered with pale brownish hairs.
Distribution
N3 not known elsewhere.
Ecology
Altitude range 60–120 m.
Note
C. chiarugii was treated as a synonym of C. welshii in Flora of Somalia 2: 56 (2000). However, after having seen a large population agreeing with the type at Gabbac, some 260 km S of the type locality, I think it is a good species apparently restricted to the eastern coastal part of N3.
[FSOM]

Uses

Use
Crushed leaves of C. welshii are used for healing wounds.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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 2025. 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 2025. 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