Glinus bainesii (Oliv.) Pax, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(1b): 40 (1889).

Glinus bainesii (Oliv.) Pax, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(1b): 40 (1889).

Mollugo bainesii ≡ Mollugo bainesii Oliv., Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 590 (1871).

Mollugo bainesii Type: [BOTSWANA, North-West distr.] "Koobie [Chobe] to N.[orton] Shaw valley, Jan-Mar 1863, T. Baines [s.n.]" (K000232022!).

Note.

(1) The so-called "Norton Shaw valley" lies close to Ngami Lake ( Passarge 1904), and “Koobie” should be applied to “Chobe”; (2) The type specimen indicated by Adamson (1961) as kept at GRA is absent in this herbarium (Tony Dold, pers. comm.).

Description.

(Fig. 13A-G View Figure 13 ). Annual or perennial, prostrate or ascending, up to 12 cm tall, often forming large mats up to 1.5 m in diameter. Stems covered with simple crispate hairs; stems, peduncles and sometimes leaf petioles and midveins additionally covered with small, stout hairs (prickles). Leaves rosulate, short-lived, and cauline, green, stout, entire, 10.0-17.0 × 2.0-4.0 mm, oblanceolate or narrowly oblong, sessile or short-petiolate (petioles up to 3.0 mm), mucronulate, veins neither recessed adaxially nor prominent abaxially. Flowers in clusters of 2-7, distant, pedicellate, pedicels 5.0-16.0 mm, in fruiting up to 20.0 mm; buds and closed anthocarp cylindrical. Perianth segments in flowering 6.0-8.0 mm × 2.5-3.0 mm (10-16 mm in diam.), in fruiting 7.0-9.0 mm long, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, dorsally green or with white margins, ventrally white, creamy, pink or pale mauve. Stamens 10-15, outer stamen series (petaloids) sterile, with filaments terminating in teeth; anthers 1.3-1.5 mm long. Stigmas 3, ~1.2 mm long. Seeds 0.6 × 0.5 mm, almost black, with longitudinal ridges carrying colliculate cells; aril hood clearly visible, 0.25 mm long.

Remarks.

In the herbaria G. bainesii (Fig. 14 View Figure 14 ) is often confused with G. oppositifolius , but it is differentiated from the latter species by having small prickles, larger perianth and anthers, and seeds with longitudinal ridges (Table 5 View Table 5 ).

Habitat.

Riverbed sands, flat flood plains, margins of muddy seasonal pans, sparsely vegetated areas at elevations 0-1200 m a.s.l. Associated plants found in Botswana: Dicerocaryum eriocarpum , Pterococcus oppositifolius var. oppositifolius , poor soil Cypreaceae and Poaceae spp. (A. Heath & R. Heath 734, K); Fuirena pubescens , Neptunia oleracea , Hibiscus meeusei , Cyperus compressus , Senna obtusifolia (A. Heath & R. Heath 428, K); Vahlia capensis , Heliotropium ovalifolium , Cynodon dactylon , Streptoglossa decurrens , Jamesbrittenia elegantissima (A. Heath & R. Heath 1417, K). Flowers during both the early and the main rains.

Distribution

(Fig. 15 View Figure 15 ). Botswana: Ngamiland, Kwebe Hills, 3300 ft, 4 Feb 1898, E.J. Lugard 152 (K); Northern Bechuanaland, Sigere pan, 30 miles W of mouth of Nata river, 896 m, 25 Apr 1957, Drummond & Seagrief 5216 (K); Ngamiland, Sehitwa, Lake Ngami, 930 m, 25 Mar 1961, H.M. Richards 14849 (K); Northern distr., 17 km SE of Maun at Samadupe drift over Botletle river, 23 Jan 1972, H. Biegel & G. Russell 3733 (BR0000017454490, K001394831, M, P04577251); Northern distr., Moremi reserve, 19°10.4'S, 23°15.7'E, 26 Jan 1974, P.A. Smith 848 (B101143636, K, WAG1103318); Northern distr., Nata river delta, 21 Apr 1974, J.F. Ngoni 529 (K, PRE0825248); Ngami Lake, 13 Dec 1982, P.A. Smith 3981 (BR0000017454506, E, K); between Motswiri and TFC [Tsetse Fly control] road, 18°45.671'S, 23°15.033'E, 966 m, 19 Mar 2003, A. Heath & R. Heath 428 (K); 17 km S of Tsetse Fly control road, 18°45.565"S 23°05.208"E, 964 m, 28 Nov 2004, A. Heath & R. Heath 734 (K); Khwai River floodplain, Moremi Game Reserve, 19°10.505'S, 23°44.176'E, 940 m, 21 Nov 2007, A. Heath & R. Heath 1417 (K); Ngamiland, 100 m S of Samudupe bridge, 20°6'59"S, 23°31'38"E, 938 m, 19 Feb 2008, B. Farrington et al. 486 (K);

Mozambique: Lorenço Marques [Maputo], 7 Dec 1897, B. Schlechter 11643 (BM, BR0000018267990, E, G, LE, P04577163, WAG1103122); Sofala [prov.], Nov 1901, Anonymous 2654 (WAG1103309); Lorenço Marques [Maputo], 21 Mar 1920, Berle 761 (B101143603, BR0000018267983, M); Lorenço Marques [Maputo prov.], between Umbeluzi and Porto Henrique, 20 Nov 1940, A.R. Torre 2090 (K); Gaza prov., Aldeira da Barragem, 20 Nov 1957, L.A.G. Barbosa & F. de Lemos 8222 (K); Gaza prov., Caniçado, 23 Aug 1969, M.F. Correia & A. Marques 1158 (WAG1103272); Gaza prov., Limpopo, Massangena, 21 Jul 1973, M.F. Correia & A. Marques 2979 (K, M, WAG1103326); Gaza prov., Caniçado, 6 Aug 1973, M.F. Correia & A. Marques 3184 (WAG1103323); Lorenço Marques [Maputo prov.], Porto Henrique, Bela Vista, 25 Mar 1975, A. Marques 2670 (WAG1103271); Maputo, 13 Dec 1979, J. de Koning 7754 (BR0000013706678, BM, K);

South Africa: [Limpopo province] Messina [Musina], alt. 2000 ft, Sep 1917, F.A. Rogers 19299a (BM, G); Transvaal [Limpopo prov.], Messina [Musina], 27 May 1927, R.G. Young 18391 (BM); Transvaal prov., Ellisras, 2900 ft, 24 Feb 1954, L.E. Codd 8491 (K, L1698855); Transvaal [Limpopo prov.], Potgietersrust [Mokopane], Doornpoort Farm, 19 Jan 1955, A.D.J. Meeuse 9552 & 9552a (K, M); Transvaal [Limpopo prov.], Waterberg distr., Tamboetie river, Ellisras-Vila Nova road, 7 Jan 1959, A.D.J. Meeuse & R.G. Strey 10446 (BM, BOL217406, BRLU0026260, K, M, Z-000092195); Transvaal [Limpopo prov.], Kruger NP, 31 Jan 1962, H. Schlieben 9321 (W20978); Mpumalanga prov., Kruger NP, 26 Nov 2015, G. Zambatis 1195 (PRE0990262);

Zimbabwe: [Masvingo prov.] Sabi-Lundi Junction District, Chiribira Falls, 6 Jun 1950, Wild 3448 (B101143602, BR0000018267976, K); [Matabeleland South prov.] Gwanda Distr., 700 ft, Nov 1956, R.M. Davies 2185 (K); [Masvingo prov.] Nuanetsi, nr Malipate, 2 May 1961, R.B.Drummond & R.O.B. Rutherford-Smith 7680 (K); [Masvingo prov.] Chiredzi, nr Sabi-Ludi junction, 31 May 1971, S. Mari 1273 (K, LE);

General distribution.

Endemic to Zambezi floristic province (according to Takhtajan 1986). Reported from Okavango region, NE Namibia ( Friedrich 1966), but the cited specimen (" Lightfoot 65 ") has not been found by us (SAM?).