Apiaceae
Alepidea

Alepidea peduncularis Steud. ex A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 320 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Ethiopia to S. Africa. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Umbelliferae, C.C. Townsend. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Glabrous perennial herb with clustered, thick, rather fleshy, fibrous roots, ± (0.1–)0.2–1.5(–1.75) m. tall.
Morphology Stem
Stem slender to rather stout, striate, with numerous long, slender and ascending to 1–numerous divaricate branches above, stem with a terminal umbel subtended by 2 opposite or whorls of 3–6(–8) branches which (as with the lower branches) have a terminal and 1–2 lateral umbels; in large forms these and the lower branches occasionally with whorled umbels.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves narrowly obovate to oblong-obovate or oblong, all long-tapering to the base or all ± truncate or cordate at the base, or the outer truncate and the inner attenuate, 3.5–4 × 0.8–6 cm., with broad, shallow, acuminate teeth terminating in ± 1–4 mm. cilia; petiole and tapering indistinctly demarcated sheath c. 1–9 cm.; lower stem leaves sessile, auriculate with dark cilia, ± 4–10 mm. long, rather abruptly decreasing above the lower 2–3 or even above the rosette, or gradually decreasing in larger forms; upper stem leaves small, the uppermost subtending the final (2–)3 umbels or whorl of umbels bract-like, ciliate to remotely toothed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels rather few to very numerous; bracts 8–11, usually alternating larger and smaller, spreading, white to black or dingy purple on the upper surface, greenish with 3–5 slightly anastomosing veins below, narrowly lanceolate and acute to broadly ovate and bluntish to apiculate, the larger 4.5–15 mm. from tip of bract to tip of peduncle; flower-head 3.5–8 mm. in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals broadly deltoid-ovate, acute to subacute, ± 0.75 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white to slightly pink or greenish, rather narrowly obovate, ± 1.5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit ± 2 mm., white verruculose, angles rather sharp; styles divergent, straight, rigid, ± 1.25–1.5 mm.
Figures
Fig. 5.
Habitat
Predominantly a species of upland grassland, often where burnt; also in open places in montane forest (including bamboo) and Brachystegia woodland, and on rocky hillsides; 1050–3485 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 T2 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U3 southern and tropical Africa from the Cape Province of South Africa to Ethiopia, Sudan and Zaire
[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: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Umbelliferae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Slender to fairly robust herbs up to 1·25 m., with a dense mass of fleshy roots.
Morphology Stem
Stem terete, regularly grooved.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves spathulate; lamina up to 25 × 4·5 cm., apex obtuse to subacute, base very long and evenly cuneate, margins serrate or more rarely serrate-dentate, with conspicuous cilia. Petioles up to 10 cm. long, but merging imperceptibly into the lamina, bases slightly dilated. Lower cauline leaves ovate, cordate to subauriculate at the base; upper stem leaves very sparse and much reduced, with long inter-nodes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Umbels terminal and lateral, with the terminal group forming an umbel-like whorl. Umbels very dense, subcapitate, up to 10-flowered; bracts conspicuous, united at the base, usually triangular, sometimes tending towards narrowly triangular, greenish-white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white to cream.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2 × 1·5 mm., obovoid, densely covered with rather elongate corky tubercles; ribs inconspicuous; calyx teeth obscure; stylopodium depressed; styles very short.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Vittae
Vittae 5, 1 per interval and 2 commissural; seed closely adnate to the pericarp and subconvex on the inner face.
[FZ]

Umbelliferae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Relatively slender, glabrous herbs 10–70 cm. tall with thick fleshy roots.
Morphology Stem
Stem usually simple but sometimes branching from the base, terete and clearly grooved.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves oblong to oblong-spathulate; lamina up to 8 × 3 cm., apex obtuse to subacute, base long cuneate, rarely emarginate, margins dentate-serrate with obvious cilia on the teeth. Petioles up to 10 cm. long, elongating with maturity and very short in some young plants, slightly dilated at the base. Stem leaves generally regularly and progressively reduced upwards, from the base of the stem to the bottom of the inflorescence (a characteristic feature of the species); laminas oblong to narrowly triangular, the larger ones auriculate at the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually a group of umbels arranged as an umbel, with additional lower lateral umbels. Umbels long-pedunculate, very dense, subcapitate, up to c. 15-flowered.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts conspicuous, connate at the base, very narrowly triangular to lanceolate, white to purplish.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals greenish-cream.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2 × 1.5 mm., obovoid, obviously verrucose at maturity; calyx teeth obscure; ribs inconspicuous; stylopodium depressed; styles very short.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Vittae
Vittae 5, 1 per interval and 2 commissural; seed closely adnate to the pericarp, subconvex on the inner face.
[FZ]

Umbelliferae, J. F. M. Cannon. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
A fairly robust, glabrous herb up to 120 cm. with numerous fleshy roots.
Morphology Stem
Stem terete with rather fine grooves.
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves spathulate, lamina up to 22 × 6 cm.; apex obtuse, rarely subacute; base usually very long cuneate, rarely more abruptly so; margin dentate to serrate, with conspicuous cilia. Petioles up to 10 cm. long, merging very gradually into the lamina, base slightly dilated. Lower stem leaves similar to the basal ones, but with auriculate bases; upper stem leaves much reduced, usually sparse, with long internodes, but rarely relatively dense.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually a terminal group of long-peduncled umbels arranged in an umbel-like manner, otherwise in a regularly branched arrangement in which a short stalked terminal umbel is flanked by longer stalked laterals, a system which may be repeated on 3 or more levels. Umbels subcapitate, with up to 10 flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Bracts conspicuous, connate at the base, usually narrowly triangular to narrowly lanceolate, but sometimes somewhat broader, often with very acute to subulate apices, clear white to pinkish in colour.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals greenish-white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2× 1·5 mm., obovoid to ovoid with numerous tubercles, but these perhaps not so dense as in some other species of the F.Z. area; ribs relatively conspicuous; calyx teeth obscure; stylopodium depressed; styles short, erect.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Vittae
Vittae 5, 1 in each interval and 1 in the commissural face; seed adnate to the pericarp and slightly concave on the inner face.
[FZ]

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 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