Amaranthaceae
Aerva

Aerva javanica (Burm.f.) Juss. ex Schult.

First published in J.J.Roemer & J.A.Schultes, Syst. Veg. 5: 565 (1819)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Africa to Myanmar. It is a 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
Plant frequently suffruticose or growing in erect clumps, 0.3–1.5 m, branched from about the base, stems simple or with long ascending branches, ± densely whitish- or yellowish-tomentose or pannose, when very dense the indumentum often appearing tufted
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, varying from linear to ± round, equally variable in size, ± densely white- or yellowish-pannose but usually more thinly so and greener on the upper surface, sessile or shortly petiolate
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina Leaf margin
Margins flat or ± involute (when strongly so the leaves frequently ± falcate-recurved)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spikes white to creamy-pink, cylindrical, dense and stout (to c. 10 x 1 cm) to slender and interrupted with lateral globose clusters
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers dioecious, male spikes slender (though not all slender spikes are male) Male flowers smaller, the outer tepals 1.5–2.25 mm; filaments delicate, the anthers ± equalling the perianth; ovary small, style very short with a rudimentary stigma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Outer 2 tepals of female flowers 2–3 mm, oblong-obovate to obovate-spathulate, lanate, the yellowish midrib ceasing well below the tip; inner 3 slightly shorter, elliptic-oblong, ± densely lanate, acute, the narrow green vitta attaining 2/3 of their length
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style slender, at least equalled by the filiform stigmas; filaments very reduced, without anthers
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 1–1.5 mm, round, compressed.
Distribution
N1–3; C1, 2; S1–3 widespread in the drier parts of the tropics and subtropics of the Old World from Morocco south to Cameroun, across the drier regions of Africa south to Madagascar, and in Asia from Palestine and Arabia to Burma; adventive in Australia and elsewhere.
Ecology
Altitude range 0–1630 m.
Note
The type of A. ruspolii has not been located in either FT or Z, and thus it has not been possible to determine its exact status. There seems nothing in the original description to separate it from A. javanica, at least specifically.
[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]

Amaranthaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
Erect or suberect undershrub, hoary-white, 2–4 ft. high
Ecology
In arid localities.
[FWTA]

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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images