Asteraceae
Tolpis

Tolpis capensis (L.) Sch.Bip.

First published in Bonplandia (Hannover) 9: 172 (1861)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is South Sudan to S. Africa, Madagascar. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit
Perennial scapose herb; taproot fleshy, stout; root-crown lanate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape
Scapes 20–80 cm tall, solitary or several, branching only distally, slender, ribbed, sparsely pilose proximally but otherwise glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2–8, in a rosette, lanceolate to obovate, 1–17 cm long, 0.5–3 cm wide, base cuneate to long-attenuate and resembling a petiole, margins remotely denticulate, apex rounded or acute, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, sometimes the veins red; rarely with few very narrow cauline leaves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula several to many in lax panicles, on long slender stalks; involucre obconic-campanulate with bracteoles extending down the stalk; phyllaries dark green, linear to lanceolate, 6–10 mm long, attenuate, pubescent to tomentose, glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets many; corolla (lemon) yellow drying greenish, tube cylindric, 2.5–5 mm long, pilose, ligule erect, 3–6 mm long, the outer florets longer and more deeply lobed than the inner, pubescent beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 2–3.5 mm long, 4–5-angled, finely ribbed; pappus of barbellate setae 3.5–7 mm long.
Figures
Fig. 16.
Habitat
Grassland, especially on thin or rocky soils and where regularly burned, also in open woodland and as a weed of cultivation; may be locally common;1800–3300 m
Distribution
K3 K4 T2 T3 T4 T7 U1
[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
An erect scapose perennial herb from a stout semi-woody taproot; rootcrowns lanate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape
Scapes up to c. 80 cm. tall, solitary or several, branching above, slender, finely ribbed, ± sparsely pilose below, glabrous above.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 2–8, sub-rosulate, rarely also 1–2 cauline, mostly 4–5 x 1 -1.5 cm., oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, sometimes up to 15 cm. long and narrowly oblanceolate, or up to 3.5 cm. wide and narrowly obovate, apex acute to rounded, base narrowly cuneate to attenuate, margins remotely denticulate, lamina glabrous to sparsely pubescent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula many, laxly corymbiform cymose or paniculate, stalks up to 26 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucres up to c. 11 x 7 mm. in flower, obconic-campanulate, cylindric in bud with hooded phyllaries, subtended by 2–21 subulate bracteoles which extend down the capitulum stalk.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries 2-seriate, sub-equal, 6–8(10) mm. long, linear to narrowly lanceolate, attenuate at the apex, pubescent to tomentose and papillose-glandular outside, the outer phyllaries often with a thickened ± verruculose midrib, phyllaries changing abruptly into bracteoles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets numerous, corollas 9–10.5 mm. long, corolla tube c. 5 mm. long, cylindrical, crisped-pilose outside; ligule erect yellow, often drying greenish, equalling or exceeding the tube in length, strap-shaped, pubescent on the back, apical lobes papillose, ligules often longer and more deeply lobed in the outer florets.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes 2–3.5 mm. long, narrowly obconic-turbinate, 4–5-angled, finely 12–15-ribbed; pappus of 20–30 persistent rigid barbellate setae 5–7 mm. long, often with an outer whorl of minute setae.
[FZ]

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]

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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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