Amphiglossa corrudaefolia

South African plant species From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Amphiglossa corrudaefolia is a species of plant from South Africa.

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Binomial name ...
Amphiglossa corrudaefolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Amphiglossa
Species:
A. corrudaefolia
Binomial name
Amphiglossa corrudaefolia
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Description

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Growth form

This erect, rhizomatous shrub grows up to 0.4 m (1.3 ft) tall. Roots grow from trailing branches and many short shoots.[1] The branches are rigid and have a diameter of up to 4 mm (0.16 in). Secondary branches develop on the leaf axils on the main stem and have a diameter of up to 2 mm (0.079 in). Brachyblasts (shoots) grow in the leaf axils of the secondary branches. These typically grow up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long and secondary brachyblasts are rare. They are white when young.[2]

Leaves

The triangular leaves grow closely against the branches and are woolly on the upper surface.[1] They are bright green and are slightly inrolled. The leaves growing on the secondary branches are about half the size of those growing on the main stems.[2]

Flowers

The white radiate flowers are present between January and April. They have four or five ray florets and a eual number of disc florets.[2][3] Only one flower head is found at the tip of a branch.[3] They grow on short shoots.[2] The outermost of the surrounding bracts are green around the midrib and translucent towards the tips.[2][3] The innermost bracts are the largest at about twice the length of the outermost bracts and have rough hairs along the margins. The upper half is transparent.[2]

The ray florets are white in colour and are female. The tips have between one and three lobes.[2]

The disc florets are white and bisexual. They are often tinged pink below the lobes. There are five lobes and these are often asymmetrical.

Fruit and seeds

The fruits a-re cypselas. They are about 1 mm (0.039 in), greyish and inconspicuously ribbed. They develop in three to five of the florets, most commonly in the ray florets. They have 18-25 pappus bristles.[2]

Distribution and habitat

This species in endemic to South Africa. It grows at Loeriesfontein in the Northern Cape and Prince Albert in the Western Cape.[4] It prefers growing in sandy riverbeds.[3]

Ecology

Older plants become well anchored in the soil. The rhizomes produce many shoots if they get covered by sand when the river that they are growing at floods.[2]

Conservation

Amphiglossa corrudeafolia is classified as vulnerable by the South African National Biodiversity Institute as it is potentially threatened by seasonal flash floods.

References

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