Amaranthaceae
Celosia

Celosia schweinfurthiana Schinz

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 21: 17 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to S. Tropical Africa. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Amaranthaceae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, often suffrutescent, varying considerably in habit from a prostrate plant rooting at the nodes to an erect herb 15 cm. tall or a climber rambling to 5 m.
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches usually strongly ridged or sulcate-striate, glabrous or sometimes with a few short multicellular hairs, particularly about the upper nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves lanceolate to lanceolate- or deltoid-ovate, acute to acuminate, glabrous or more frequently with scattered, short, multicellular hairs on the lower basal surface; lamina of main stem leaves 2.2–10 × 1–7 cm., shortly cuneate to truncate or subcordate at the base, ± decurrent into a slender 1–4.5 cm. petiole; upper and branch leaves smaller and usually narrower.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of axillary and terminal elongate thyrses, 7–42 cm. long and 0.5–2.8 cm. wide, 0–2-branched at the base and without any leafless terminal panicle, formed of ± 1–10-flowered, distant or more rarely approximate, dense to very lax (pedicels to ± 3 mm.) cymose clusters, 2–12 mm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles lanceolate or deltoid, 0.5–1.25 mm., glabrous, membranous with a brownish or blackish midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments oblong-elliptic, 2 mm., 1-nerved, obtuse and often hooded, pale greenish to white, in the dry state pale brownish to blackish with a narrow, pale, delicately scarious margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Free portion of filaments longer than the sheath, sinuses shallowly rounded with no intermediate teeth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
Stigmas 2, reflexed, much longer than the very short style.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary (5–)6–8(–10)-ovulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule oblong, ± 3 × 1 mm., dark, usually distinctly exserted, ± truncate and faintly to distinctly rugose-incrassate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ± 1 mm., compressed, shining, black, ornamented with a very fine reticulate pattern.
Habitat
As ground cover along forest rides, margins and clearings, especially near water or scrambling in thicker forest, otherwise in roadside or coastal bushland, or as a weed of cultivation; 3–1550 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K5 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5 T6 T7 U2 U3 U4
[FTEA]

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, frequently somewhat woody below, vary variable in habit, prostrate and rooting at the lower nodes to erect or scandent up to c. 5 m., moderately to considerably branched.
Morphology Stem
Stem and branches usually obviously striate or sulcate, glabrous or sometimes (especially at the nodes) furnished with a few multicellular hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves lanceolate to lanceolate or deltoid-ovate, acute or acuminate, glabrous or more frequently furnished on the inferior surface about the base with scattered, short, multicellular hairs; larger stem-leaves 2.2–10 × 1–7 cm., shortly cuneate to truncate or subcordate at the base, with a petiole 1–4.5 cm. long; upper and branch leaves progressively smaller and usually narrower.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences scattered or approximate, few or up to 10-flowered, dense and rounded or lax (with peduncles and pedicels up to c. 3 mm. long), 2–12 mm. in diam.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts and bracteoles 0.5–1.25 mm. long, lanceolate or deltoid, glabrous, pale-membranous with the brownish or blackish midrib not excurrent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals 2 mm. long, glabrous, elliptic-oblong, obtuse and subcucullate, pale greenish or whitish (pale brown or blackish when dry), the midrib not excurrent, margins narrowly scarious.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments with the free apices slightly to distinctly longer than the cup; no intermediate teeth present.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary (5) 6–9-ovulate; stigmas 2, reflexed, much longer than the very short style.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule oblong, c. 3 × 1 mm., usually clearly exerted from the perianth when fully mature, brown, more or less truncate with the apex slightly to distinctly rugose-incrassate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds lenticular, black, very shiny, c. 1 mm., feebly reticulate with flat areolae.
[FZ]

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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East 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