Ouret lanata (L.) Kuntze

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb, sometimes flowering in the first year, frequently more or less woody and suffrutescent below, erect to prostrate, decumbent or occasionally somewhat scandent, stiff or weak and straggling, (0.1) 0.3–2 m., with numerous stems from the base and these frequently also branched above.

Morphology Stem

Stem and branches terete, striate, more or less densely lanate with whitish or yellowish, more or less shaggy hairs, more rarely tomentose or canescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, orbicular (not seen in the Flora Zambesiaca area) to lanceolate, spathulate or elliptic-ovate, shortly or more longly cuneate at the base with petioles from c. 2 cm. to obsolete, rounded and apiculate to acute at the apex, commonly densely lanate or canescent on the inferior surface and more thinly so above, rarely glabrous or (not seen in Flora Zambesiaca area) thickly lanuginose, those of the main stems c. 10–50 × 5–35 mm., those of the branches and inflorescence reducing and frequently becoming very small.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spikes sessile, solitary or usually in axillary clusters on the main stems or long to very short axillary branches, 0.4–1.5(2) × 0.3–0.4 cm., divergent, more or less cylindrical, silky, white to creamy, forming a long inflorescence which is leafy to the extreme apex and forms no terminal panicle even on the main stems; bracts (0.75) 1–1.25 mm., deltoid-ovate to oblong-ovate, hyaline with a short but distinct arista formed by the excurrent midrib, pilose, persistent; bracteoles similar or slightly smaller, also persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers female, male or hermaphrodite. Hermaphrodite flowers: outer 2 tepals hyaline, elliptic-oblong, more or less abruptly contracted at the apex to a distinct mucro formed by the excurrent nerve, 1–1.75(2) mm. long; inner 3 slightly shorter and narrower, acute with a broad central green vitta which extends for about three quarters the length of each tepal and is usually furnished with a thickened border; style short; stigmas short, patent or divergent; anthers perfect. Male flowers similar but the stigmas reduced and capitate or obsolete, scarcely papillose. Female flowers also similar, or commonly with the tepals longer and narrower, tapering above, the outer to c. 2.25 mm. long; stigmas longer and frequently equalling the style, linear, divergent or suberect; filaments reduced, anthers absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals more or less densely lanate dorsally.

sex Hermaphrodite

Hermaphrodite flowers: outer 2 tepals hyaline, elliptic-oblong, more or less abruptly contracted at the apex to a distinct mucro formed by the excurrent nerve, 1–1.75(2) mm. long; inner 3 slightly shorter and narrower, acute with a broad central green vitta which extends for about three quarters the length of each tepal and is usually furnished with a thickened border; style short; stigmas short, patent or divergent; anthers perfect.

sex Male

Male flowers similar but the stigmas reduced and capitate or obsolete, scarcely papillose.

sex Female

Female flowers also similar, or commonly with the tepals longer and narrower, tapering above, the outer to c. 2.25 mm. long; stigmas longer and frequently equalling the style, linear, divergent or suberect; filaments reduced, anthers absent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule c. 1 mm. long, circular, compressed; seed c. 0.6–0.8 mm. long, reniform, black, shining, the testa almost smooth in the centre, faintly reticulate around the margin.

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

Morphology General Habit

Plant variable in habit, (0.1–)0.3–2 m, branched from the base and often upwards

Morphology Stem

Stems long and ascending or the upper branches when present short: stem and branches ± densely lanate with whitish or yellowish rather shaggy hairs, varying to greenish-canescent or densely tomentose

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, varying from elliptic-lanceolate to ± round, commonly more thinly hairy above than below, rarely ± glabrous or thickly lanuginose, those of the main stem c. 10–50 x 5–35 mm, rapidly reducing and often very small above

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spikes 0.4–1.5(–2) x 0.3–0.4 cm, solitary or clustered, sessile or on short to long axillary branches, all axillary, stems and branches leafy to the tip

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals ± densely lanate dorsally; outer 2 hyaline, oblong-elliptic, ± abruptly contracted to a short mucro formed by the excurrent midrib, 0.75–1.75 mm; inner 3 slightly shorter and narrower with the central vitta broad and usually thick-margined

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers frequently but not invariably with longer and narrower tepals, the outer to c. 2.25 mm, stigmas long, filaments without anthers Bisexual flowers with short but receptive stigmas and perfect anthers; probable male flowers with capitate, scarcely papillose stigmas Flowers female, bisexual and probably functionally male also

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule c. 1 mm, round, compressed.

Distribution

N1–3; S1–3 widespread in the drier parts of the tropics and subtropics of the Old World from Africa (widespread) to New Guinea.

Ecology

Altitude range 10–1580 m.

Vernacular

Cisasi, fusi-fusi, hambooye, hambooye badeed, osinadei, wancad, wancad-yar, waneek (Somali)

Note

The great variability of A. lanata and the difficulty of separating these variations even at infraspecific level has been discussed elsewhere (Townsend in Kew Bull. 29: 461–463, 1974).

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb, sometimes flowering in the first year, frequently woody and suffrutescent below, prostrate to decumbent or erect (occasionally scandent), stiff or weak and straggling, (0.1–)0.3–2 m., branched from the base and often also above (upper branches short to long and slender even on the same plant), but stem and main basal branches often not further branched.

Morphology Stem

Stem and branches terete, striate, ± densely lanate with whitish ± shaggy hairs, more rarely tomentose or canescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, round to lanceolate- or ovate-elliptic, shortly or more longly cuneate at the base, rounded and apiculate to acute at the apex, commonly densely lanate or canescent on the lower surface and more thinly so above, sometimes subglabrous on the upper surface, rarely glabrous throughout or thickly lanuginose, those of the main stem 10–50 × 5–35 mm., those of the branches and upper part of the stem reducing and often becoming very small; petioles from 2 cm. down to almost none.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Spikes sessile, solitary or usually in axillary clusters on the main stems or long to very short axillary branches, 0.4–1.5(–2) × 0.3–0.4 cm., divergent, cylindrical, silky, white to creamy, forming a long inflorescence which is leafy to the ultimate spikes; bracts deltoid-ovate to oblong-ovate, 0.75–1 mm., membranous with a short arista formed by the excurrent midrib, pilose, persistent; bracteoles similar or slightly smaller, also persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals ± densely lanate dorsally.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers ♀ or hermaphrodite (probably also sometimes functionally ♂). Female flowers:tepals sometimes similar to those of the hermaphrodite flowers but commonly longer and narrower, tapering above, the outer up to ± 2.25 mm., style slightly longer, stigmas distinctly longer and often equalling the style, linear, divergent or suberect; anthers absent, filaments reduced. Hermaphrodite flowers:outer 2 tepals hyaline, oval-oblong, ± abruptly contracted at the tip to a distinct mucro formed by the excurrent nerve, 0.75–1.75 mm. without the mucro; inner 3 slightly shorter and narrower, acute with a broad central green vitta along the midrib, which extends for about three-quarters of the length of each tepal and is often ± furnished with a thickened border; style short, stigmas very short and patent or divergent; anthers perfect; probable male flowers similar but stigmas reduced, subcapitate or very short, scarcely papillose.

sex Hermaphrodite

Hermaphrodite flowers:outer 2 tepals hyaline, oval-oblong, ± abruptly contracted at the tip to a distinct mucro formed by the excurrent nerve, 0.75–1.75 mm. without the mucro; inner 3 slightly shorter and narrower, acute with a broad central green vitta along the midrib, which extends for about three-quarters of the length of each tepal and is often ± furnished with a thickened border; style short, stigmas very short and patent or divergent; anthers perfect; probable male flowers similar but stigmas reduced, subcapitate or very short, scarcely papillose.

sex Female

Female flowers:tepals sometimes similar to those of the hermaphrodite flowers but commonly longer and narrower, tapering above, the outer up to ± 2.25 mm., style slightly longer, stigmas distinctly longer and often equalling the style, linear, divergent or suberect; anthers absent, filaments reduced.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule rotund, compressed ± 1 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed reniform, ± 0.6–0.8 mm., black, shining, the testa almost smooth in the centre, faintly reticulate around the margin.

Habitat

Very varied, from cultivated and disturbed ground to woodland, bushland and grassland, at swamp and forest edges, open lava screes and lava boulder-strewn hillsides, coastal sands, etc; 0–2030 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 widespread in the drier parts of the tropics and subtropics of the Old World – in Africa from Sierra Leone across to Egypt, S. to South Africa (rare) and Madagascar, also in Seychelles, Chagos Archipelago, etcin Asia from Arabia E. to Malaysia, Malayan Is., the Philippines and New Guinea