Pasaccardoa procumbens (Lisowski) G.V.Pope

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit

A decumbent suffrutex from a woody rootstock.

Morphology Stem

Stems annual, 1 -several, up to c. 50 cm. long, trailing or some at first erect, branching towards the apex, leafy, thinly araneose-lanate to coarsely puberulous; branches to ?c. 15 cm. long, ± strongly divaricate particularly on procumbent stems.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves subsessile or with a petiole to c. 5 mm. long; lamina mostly 3–8 x 0.5–1.2 cm., ± narrowly elliptic, sometimes obovate-elliptic, acute to rounded at the apex and narrowly cuneate below, margin serrulate with minute callose teeth, upper surface sparsely thinly araneose-lanate to roughly puberulous, lower surface greyish araneose-lanate, both surfaces densely gland-dotted.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula solitary and terminal on divaricate, leafy branches, subtended by leaf-like bracts or the outermost phyllaries green and narrowly leaf-like.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre

Involucres mostly 10–17 x 15 mm., spreading to c. 25 mm. wide, broadly campanulate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries

Phyllaries numerous; the outer from c. 4 mm. long, lanceolate-subulate tapering to a sharp recurved apical bristle, sparsely araneose to puberulous; the inner to c. 15 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, sharply acute and ± aristate at the apex, margins minutely toothed near the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle deeply alveolate with pits to c. 2 mm. deep, paleae absent.

Ray

Ray-florets neuter, corollas creamy-white to yellowish, up to c. 14 mm. long, cleft almost to the base; ray erect, 1.5–3 mm. wide, narrowly oblanceolate, 3-fid, sparsely glandular outside, hardly exceeding the involucre; ovary rudimentary, 4–5 mm. long, narrowly terete; pappus of many chartaceous narrowly lanceolate scales 0.2–3 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Disk-floret corollas creamy-white, tubular in the lower c. 2 mm., abruptly dilated into a deeply-lobed cylindric to conical limb c. 5 mm. long; lobes c. 4 mm. long linear, recurved at the apex, glandular outside; anther tube purplish-brown, the conical tip exserted. Ray-florets neuter, corollas creamy-white to yellowish, up to c. 14 mm. long, cleft almost to the base; ray erect, 1.5–3 mm. wide, narrowly oblanceolate, 3-fid, sparsely glandular outside, hardly exceeding the involucre; ovary rudimentary, 4–5 mm. long, narrowly terete; pappus of many chartaceous narrowly lanceolate scales 0.2–3 mm. long.

Disc

Disk-floret corollas creamy-white, tubular in the lower c. 2 mm., abruptly dilated into a deeply-lobed cylindric to conical limb c. 5 mm. long; lobes c. 4 mm. long linear, recurved at the apex, glandular outside; anther tube purplish-brown, the conical tip exserted.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes c. 5 mm. long, subcylindric, 10-ribbed with numerous long stiff white hairs ± appressed in the grooves, the hairs shorter near the achene base and spreading; pappus several-seriate of numerous spreading narrowly lanceolate chartaceous scales 0.5–3 mm. long.