Asteraceae
Vernonia

Vernonia schweinfurthii Oliv. & Hiern

First published in Fl. Trop. Afr. 3: 285 (1877)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
A low-growing tufted, slender to ± bushy perennial herb, 6–30(45) cm. tall from a small woody rootstock; roots numerous, stout, thong-like.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, few to many, erect or ascending, frequently much branched, stem and branches leafy, faintly ribbed, pubescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subsessile, 0.5–3.5(4.5) x 0.8 cm., linear-elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic, apices acute to obtuse often mucronate, bases ± narrowly cuneate, margins serrate to subentire, puberulent or glabrescent, lower surface minutely glandular-punctate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula numerous, borne above the foliage, either solitary on branches up to c. 18 cm. long, or heads 2–7 on each branch, corymbiformly cymose on bracteate stalks up to c. 6.5 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucres 5–12 x c. 12 mm., turbinate-hemispheric.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries greenish-stramineous, the tips dark-green or purplish, hispidulous, margins pectinate-denticulate, or minutely pungent-ciliolate; the outer phyllaries from c. 1 mm. long, lanceolate, tapering to a mucronate apex; the inner 5–7 mm. long, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate and ± abruptly narrowed to a mucronate apex, or up to c. 10 mm. long and linear-lanceolate, tapering to an aristate apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle shallowly alveolate, alveolae walls slightly produced at the comers, not fimbriate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corollas mauve or purple, 5–11 mm. long, tubular, widening slightly above.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes brown when mature, 2.5–4 mm. long, narrowly subcylindric-turbinate, narrowly c. 10-ribbed, strigose-hispid; outer pappus of short, linear, scale-like setae; inner of brownish purple-tinged or sordid barbellate setae 4–7 mm. long.
[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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Herb with annual stems 10–40(–70) cm tall from a perennial woody rootstock; stems several, erect or ascending, branching, sometimes purplish, faintly ribbed, sparsely pubescent with ± ascending simple hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile, linear-elliptic or oblanceolate-oblong, 1–6 cm long, 0.1–0.8 cm wide, base cuneate or attenuate, margins serrate to subentire, apex obtuse to acute and apiculate, puberulous but glabrescent, densely gland-dotted beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula solitary and terminal on the branches, long-pedunculate, but several branches close together may give the look of a compound inflorescence; involucre 5–12 mm long, 8–14 mm in diameter; phyllaries greenish yellow, 4-seriate, erect or the outer slightly recurved, purple in upper part, narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate, the inner narrowly oblong, 5–12 mm long, acute or pungent, minutely puberulous and glandular, pectinate on margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Corolla pale to deep purple, 6–11 mm long, the tube finely hairy with long slender hairs, lobes 1.5–3.3 mm long, with or without long fine apical hairs.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes brown, cylindric, 3.8–5 mm long, narrowly 10-ribbed, ascending-pubescent; outer pappus of narrow scales 1–1.5 mm long, inner pappus tawny or stramineous, 6–8 mm long.
Habitat
Short grassland and scattered tree grassland; 900–2100 m
Distribution
K3 K5 T1 T4 U1 U2 U3 U4 from Ivory Coast to Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Zambia and Malawi
[FTEA]

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