e-Key v3 - *Urospermum
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Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.

Asteraceae - Lactuceae - *Urospermum Scop.

Description :

  • Annual or perennial, acaulescent or with distinct stem, with milky latex
  • Stems with scattered, setose hairs
  • Leaves rosulate or alternate along branched stems, entire, lyrate or toothed, setose
  • Capitula ligulate, many-flowered, solitary, terminal at ends of long peduncles
  • Involucre campanulate; bracts in 1 row, connate at base, elliptic-lanceolate, with long papillae on back
  • Receptacle flat, epaleate
  • Florets (ligules) bisexual, fertile; corolla pale yellow, strap-shaped; tube cylindric, longer than lamina with copious hairs at junction of lamina and tube; lamina broadly linear, truncate, 5-toothed
  • Anthers linear, sagittate, with ovate appendage
  • Style linear, terete above, pubescent on terete portion; branches long, obtuse, with very short pollen-sweeping hairs
  • Cypselas linear-oblong, subterete, usually curved, ribbed, beaked; beak basally swollen into bulbous, hollow part crowning the flattened, embryo-containing part of cypsela
  • Pappus of plumose, basally widened bristles
  • x = 5, 7 (4 - 1 report) (high polyploidy - 1 report)

Nomenclature:

  • *Urospermum Scop.
    • Scopoli: 122 (1777)
    • Phillips: 852 (1951)
    • Hilliard: 603 (1977)
    • Bremer: 199 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

  • Global : Species 2, Mediterranean region
  • Southern Africa : * Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop. ex F.W.Schmidt, a weed in S KwaZulu-Natal, Western and Eastern Cape

References:

  • ANDERBERG, A.A. 1994. Tribes Inuleae , Plucheeae , Gnaphalieae . In K. Bremer, Asteraceae , cladistics and classification . Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
  • HILLIARD, O.M. 1977. Compositae in Natal . University of Natal Press, Pietermaritzburg
  • PHILLIPS, E.P. 1951. The genera of South African flowering plants, edn 2. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 25
  • SCOPOLI, J.A. 1777. Introductio ad historiam naturalem . W. Gerle, Prague