Phymaspermum appressum, Bolus

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 : 443

7. PHYMASPERMUM APPRESSUM Bolus in Trans. S. African Philos. Soc. 16: 139 (1906); Källersjö in Nord. J. Bot 5(6): 535 (1986); K. Bremer and Humphries in Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Bot.) 23(2): 94 (1993); Goldblatt and J.C. Manning, Cape Pl.: 352 (2000); Germish. and N.L. Meyer, Pl. S. Afr.: 273 (2003); Klopper et al. Checklist of the flowering plants of Sub-Saharan Africa: 147 (2006); Germish. et al. Checklist S. African Pl.: 243 (2006).

— TYPE: SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape, Oudtshoorn (3322): Swartberg Pass (–AC), December 1904, Bolus 11551 (lectotype: BOL sheet 139059!, designated here; isolectotypes: BOL!, BR –image!, E –image!, GRA –image! two sheets, K –image! two sheets, M –image! two sheets, MO –image!, PRE two sheets, SAM!) . [Note: This specimen in BOL is designated here as it is from the author’ s own herbarium and is annotated by Bolus as “Typus auctoris!”.]

Single-stemmed, densely leafy shrublet, 0.3–1.2 m high. Stem much-branched; branches erect to spreading, glabrous to silvery tomentose; fascicles present in leaf axils. Leaves alternate, closely imbricate, appressed, 1.0–3.0 × 0.5–2.0 mm, ovate to lanceolate, acute to mucronate, entire, without petiole-like base, without secondary basal lobes, glabrous on both surfaces, bony; basal swelling present, continuous with stem ribs. Capitula radiate, heterogamous, terminal on short axillary shoots, solitary, with 0–3 additional capitula from leaf axils below, prominent peduncles absent. Involucre 4.0–7.0 × 4.0–8.0 mm, hemispherical to cyathiform, tapering at the base; involucral bracts 3-seriate, tightly arranged, margins and apices scarious, membranous apices of all bracts 0.7–1.0 mm long, scarious texture, brown margins absent, median resin canals present; outer bracts broadly ovate sometimes oblong, 2.5–3.0 mm long, rounded; middle bracts broadly obovate sometimes oblong, 3.0– 3.5 mm long, rounded; inner bracts narrowly obovate sometimes oblong, 4.3–4.5 mm long, rounded. Receptacle convex to flat; paleae in marginal series, linear, 3.8–4.0 mm long, rounded, scarious. Ray florets 11–14; tube 1.7–2.0 mm long; limb ovate to obovate, 7.0–8.5 × 2.7–3.0 mm, apically 3-dentate, rarely entire sometimes with longer middle tooth, white to purple. Disc florets 22–47, without resin canals; corolla 2.0– 2.3 mm long, with only glandular trichomes, yellow to purple; tube 0.9–1.0 mm long; limb very narrowly campanulate, 1.0– 1.2 mm long (excluding lobes); lobes erect, 0.3–0.5 mm long, triangular. Anthers 2.4–4.3 mm long (including apical appendage); apical appendage ovate. Style 2.2–3.8 mm long (excluding branches); branches 0.4–1.9 mm long. Cypselas 2.0 × 0.5 mm, narrowly obovate, 12-ribbed, apical rim thickened, slightly dentate, brown, glandular trichomes present, dense, mostly between ribs, mucilaginous when soaked, discontinuous resin canals in ribs absent. Figure 10 .

Diagnostic Characters — Phymaspermum appressum is easily recognised by the prominently appressed leaves, entirely scarious involucral bracts and purplish ray florets. It can only be confused with the closely related P. oppositifolium , from which it differs in the alternate leaves, the hemispherical to cyathiform involucres, and the ovate to obovate involucral bracts.

Distribution and Ecology — Phymaspermum appressum is endemic to sandstone slopes and ridges above 940 m within the Little Karoo, from Anysberg to the Witteberg ( Fig. 10G ). Flowering is from April to December.

Additional Specimens Examined — SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape: 3320 (Montagu): Laingsburg , Wittepoort (–BB), Compton 11834 (BOL, NBG) ; Anysberg Nature Reserve, at start of Prince’ s Poort (–BC), Germishuizen 6615 (PRE) ; south slopes of Anysberg, Ladismith (–BC), Wurts 1411 (NBG) ; Buffels Poort Bay , Ladismith (–BD), Levyns 7429 (BOL). 3321 ( Ladismith ): Towerkop State Forest , at Besemfontein , near hut (– AD), Hoekstra 76 (PRE) ; Klein Swartberg above Besemfontein , mountains just E of Seweweekspoort (– AD), Oliver 9698 (NBG) ; south slope of Elandsberg range, N of Klein Swartberg (– AD), Wurts 1509 (NBG) ; Gamka Mountain Reserve, Zebra ridge, eastern sector (–DB), Cattell and Cattell 99 (PRE). 3322 ( Oudtshoorn ): Swartberg Pass (–AC), Bolus 1052 (M–image), Levyns 5037 (BOL), Tyson 12796 (SAM), Zietsman and Zietsman 1689 (PRE), Esterhuysen 4515 (BOL) ; Prince Albert (–AC), Stokoe 57099 (SAM two sheets) ; Prince Albert, Swartberg Pass , north side (–AC), Acocks 15529 (PRE), Jackson 14 (BOL), Bond 1540 (PRE) ; near summit, Goldblatt and Porter 12477 (NBG) ; Hiking trail from Malvadraai, Goldblatt and Porter 11851 (NBG) ; Swartberg Pass, Teeberg lookout point (–AC), Magee and Boatwright 369 (NBG) ; Top of Boshuise pass, Prince Albert (–AC), Levyns 11160 (BOL) ; east slopes of Platberg (–AC), Stirton 10321 (NBG) .

Figures

FIG. 10. Phymaspermum appressum. A. Leaf. B. Capitula. C. Involucral bracts (outermost to innermost series, from left) and single palea (far right). D. Disc floret. E. Ray floret. F. Cypsela. G. Known geographical distribution. Vouchers: A. Zietsman and Zietsman 1689 (PRE); B. Cattell and Cattell 99 (PRE); C–E. Oliver 9698 (NBG); F. Germishuizen 6615 (PRE). Scale: A–B = 4 mm; C–D = 1 mm; E = 500 μm.