Phymaspermum pinnatifidum, (Oliv.) Kallersjo

Ruiters, Ashton K., Tilney, Patricia M., Wyk, Ben-Erik Van & Magee, Anthony R., 2016, Taxonomy of the Genus Phymaspermum (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), Systematic Botany (Basel, Switzerland) 41 (2), pp. 430-456 : 451-453

16. PHYMASPERMUM PINNATIFIDUM (Oliv.) Källersjö in Nordic J. Bot. 5(6): 535 (1986); K. Bremer and Humphries in Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Bot.) 23(2): 94 (1993); Germish. and N.L. Meyer, Pl. S. Afr.: 274 (2003); Klopper et al. Checklist of the flowering plants of Sub- Saharan Africa: 147 (2006); Germish. et al. Checklist S. African Pl.: 243 (2006).

Pentzia pinnatifida Oliv. in Hooker’ s Icon. Pl. 14. 28, plate 1340 (1881); Hutch. in Kew. Bull. 1916. 10: 253 (1917).

Athanasia pinnatifida (Oliv.) Hilliard in Hilliard and B.L. Burtt, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 32 (3): 330–331 (1973); Hilliard, Compositae in Natal: 342 (1977).

— TYPE: SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg (2930): Inanda (– DB), Aug. 1879, Wood 168 (lectotype: K sheet 000410760–image!, designated here; isolectotypes: BM – image!, K sheet 000410761–image!, PRE!, Z –image!) [Note: As Hooker’ s Icones Plantarum was based on collections from Kew herbarium, sheet K000410760 from that collection is designated here as it also contains the original collection labels (giving both the month and date of collection) and is clearly the material upon which the illustration was based.]

Multistemmed, densely leafy shrub, 0.25–0.5 m high. Stems unbranched; branches erect, glabrous or with few silver-villous hairs, sometimes wooly or matted; fascicles present in leaf axils. Leaves alternate, erect to spreading, 5.0–32.0 × 0.2–1.0 mm, linear, deeply pinnatifid, narrowed into petiole-like base, sometimes with secondary basal lobes, silvery-pubescent villous hairs on both surface, leathery; basal swelling present, continuous with stem ribs; lobes 7–9, 4.0– 25.0 mm, filiform to linear, attenuating. Capitula discoid, homogamous, terminal, few- to many-headed (5–30), simple to compound corymbs, pedunculate; peduncles 4.0–35.0 mm long, glabrous to matted. Involucre 6–7 × 4–5 mm, funnel-shaped to cyathiform, rarely tapering at the base; involucral bracts 3- or 4-seriate, loosely arranged, margins and apices scarious (curved shape due to thin rigid centres with resin canals), membranous apices of all bracts 0.2–2.5 mm long, glabrous to villous especially on edges, brown margins absent, median resin canals present; outer bracts triangular to lanceolate or oblong, 2.3–3.0 mm long, attenuating to rounded; middle bracts lanceolate to oblong, 2.7–3.8 mm long, attenuating to rounded; inner bracts linear to oblong, 4.3–5.0 mm long, acute rounded; inner most bracts oblong, 5.2 mm long, rounded. Receptacle convex; paleae in marginal series, linear to oblong, 3.3–5.1 mm long, rounded, rigid with scarious margins and apices, scarious apices 0.7–1.0 mm long. Disc florets 38–44, without resin canals; corolla 2.3–2.5 mm long, with only glandular trichomes, yellow; tube 1.2–1.5 mm long; limb campanulate, 1.0 mm long (excluding lobes); lobes spreading, 0.6–1.0 mm long, triangular to triangular-ovate. Anthers 2.8–3.2 mm long (including apical appendage); apical appendage lanceolate. Style 2.1–2.6 mm long (excluding branches); branches 0.5–0.7 mm long. Cypselas 3.5 × 0.7 mm, oblong to obovate, 12-ribbed, apical rim membranous, dentate, glandular trichomes absent, discontinuous resin canals in ribs present. Figure 19 .

Diagnostic Characters — Phymaspermum pinnatifidum is a small, spring flowering multistemmed shrublet with discoid corymbosely arranged capitula and cypselas with a prominent membranous apical crown. Together with P. acerosum it does not have myxogenic trichomes on the cypselas (the generic synapomorphy) but rather prominent resin canals in the cypsela ribs. It can be readily distinguished from P. acerosum by its earlier flowering time, smaller stature (less than 0.5 m tall) with thin herbaceous stems, the broader funnel or cup-shaped involucres and the prominent membranous apical crown on the cypselas. Its small size means that it could also be confused with P. woodii but can be readily distinguished by the broader, not apically constricted involucres with loosely appressed involucral bracts, the prominent membranous apical crown on the cyselas and the absence of myxogenic trichomes.

Distribution and Ecology — Phymaspermum pinnatifidum is restricted to the Pietermaritzberg district of the KwaZulu Natal Province ( Fig. 19F ) on the Natal group sandstone and is mostly found in grasslands between 450– 920 m. The species is early flowering, usually in spring, between August and October, but early fires can result in even earlier flowering ( Hilliard 1977).

Additional Specimens Examined — SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu Natal: 2930 ( Pietermaritzburg ): Mapumulo , Great Noodsberg (–BD), Strey 6048 ( PRE) ; Ndwedwe, Ozwatini (–BD), Strey 7745 ( NU) ; Noodsberg, Ozwatini plateau (–BD), Williams 572 ( PRE) ; Camperdown, Drummond (–DA), Rump s.n. ( NU), Galpin 10297 ( PRE) ; New Hanover, Botha’ s Hill (–DA), Young 2235 ( PRE), Wood 1480 ( SAM) ; Table Mountain (–DA), Hilliard 3986 ( NU), Killick 188 ( NU), Killick 673 ( NU, PRE) ; Cato Ridge, Mkabela near Ekuthuleni (–DA), Williams 393 ( PRE) ; 8 km S of Wartburg, near Ekithuleni , on farm Windy Hill (–DA), Balkwill and Balkwill 4695 ( B –image) ; Inanda (–DB), Wood 168 ( SAM, BOL), Wood 606 ( BM –image) ; Inanda, Elephant’ s Trunk (–DB), Strey 6996 ( NU) ; Ndwedwe, Inanda mountain (–DB), Hilliard 2047 ( NU) ; Richmond, Mid-Illovo centre, Farm Ismont , M. Stainbank’ s farm (–DC), Young 1214 ( NU) ; Priscilla Vale (–DC), Young 1441 ( NBG) ; Opposite Key Ridge access from Cliffdale road (–DC), Styles 915 ( NU, PRE) ; Hillcrest (– DD), Thode 2957 ( NBG), south facing aspect of Mkonka stream, Krantzkloof Nature Reserve (– DD), Styles 165 ( NU), Watsonia Drive , Krantzkloof Nature Reserve (– DD), Styles 40 ( NU), above Pinetown (– DD), Medley-Wood s.n.( PRE) ; Pinetown district, Everton , Eskotene (– DD), Hilliard 5035 ( NU), Hilliard 4846 ( NU), Hilliard 2874 ( NU), Pinetown , Kloof , Forest Hills (– DD), Hilliard 1853 ( NU), Krantzkloof , Murisons farm, back of W Cotterils (– DD), Hayforth 174 ( NBG), Krantzkloof Reserve (– DD), Edwards 1424 ( NU) .

PRECISE LOCALITY UNKNOWN: Notnads Hill Station, Medley Wood 39121 ( SAM).

Figures

FIG. 19. Phymaspermum pinnatifidum. A. Leaf. B. Capitula. C. Involucral bracts (outermost to innermost series, from left) and single palea (far right). D. Disc floret. E. Cypsela. F. Known geographical distribution. Vouchers: A, B. Rudatis 2299 (NBG); C, D. Hilliard 2047 (NU); E. Young 1441 (NBG). Scale: A–B = 4 mm; C–D = 1 mm; E = 500 μm.