Selago ramosissima

PLANTAE / PHANEROGAMAE / ANTHOPHYTA / LAMIALES / SCROPHULARIACEAE / SELAGINEAE / SELAGO / RAMOSISSIMA

Selago ramosissima Rolfe

EN Indigenous Endemic

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Morphological description

Dwarf rounded woody shrublet c. 100-250 mm tall, virgately very well branched, only old main stems nude, branches puberulous, hairs up to 0.1 mm long, closely leafy, dead leaves long persistent. Leaves opposite becoming alternate upwards, not fascicled, largest 2-3.8 x 0.4-0.8 mm, mostly strongly appressed, only old lowermost leaves sometimes ± spreading, linear-oblong, triquetrous, apex obtuse, base not narrowed, decurrent, margins entire, plane, texture thick, venation invisible, but lower surface distinctly longitudinally ridged when dry, glandular-punctate, sometimes oozing, otherwise glabrous except on decurrent part. Inflorescence a relatively few-flowered glomerule (raceme) c. 5-12 x 6-7 mm, not elongating in fruit, each solitary at tip of innumerable leafy branchlets, old fruiting glomerules overtopped by new growth. Bract adnate to pedicel and base of calyx, lowermost 3-4 x 0.8-1 mm, linear-lanceolate, obtuse, glandular-punctate, hairs up to 0.2-0.5 mm long on lower margins, 0.2-0.4 mm long on lower back together with minute glandular hairs, these also present on inner face. Pedicel c. 0.1-0.2 mm long. Calyx 1.8-2.6 mm long, campanulate, 5-lobed less than halfway to base, two anticous lobes very slightly broader than other three, hairs up to 0.25-0.4 mm long on margins and all over outside, minute glandular hairs also present both inside and outside. Corolla tube 2.5-3.5 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4-5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.4-1.8 x 0.8-1.1 mm, anticous lobe 2-2.5 x 1-1.2 mm, all lobes oblong-elliptic, white. Stamens: posticous filaments 1.7-2.2 mm long, anticous filaments 2-3.3 mm, all anthers far exerted. Stigma and style c. 3-4 mm long, style glabrous or with a very few minute globular glands and/or an occasional acute hair. Ovary c. 0.8 x 0.5 mm, glabrous or very nearly so. Cocci 1.7-2 x 1.4-1.5 mm, red-brown, smooth, inner face plane, only one third of coccus fertile, rest bone-hard tissue, pair of cocci held within the persistent calyx. From: Hilliard, OM. 1999. The Tribe Selagineae (Scrophulariaceae). Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]

Dwarf, closely branched shrublet. Leaves not tufted, crowded, adpressed, linear, 2-4 mm long. Flowers on short spikes crowded together, white, calyx shaggy, cocci broad, with bony tissue filling one-third of the volume. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Scrophulariaceae: Selago L. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 754-761. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Diagnostic description

Selago ramosissima is characterized by its closely branched habit, small leaves closely appressed to the stem, innumerable small inflorescences, shaggy calyx glandular inside as well as out, and relatively broad cocci composed of bone hard tissue flanking the small fertile part that constitutes only roughly one third of the coccus. Several species partially sympatric with S. ramosissima are similar in facies: S. thomii is distinguished by its less conspicuously hairy bracts and calyces, calyx tube always glabrous inside, the lobes either glabrous or with a few minute glands at their tips, and narrower cocci with the seed occupying the whole of the interior (this is visible very early on, when the ovary begins to swell after fertilisation). From: Hilliard, OM. 1999. The Tribe Selagineae (Scrophulariaceae). Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]

Habitat

Clay flats. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Scrophulariaceae: Selago L. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 754-761. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Distribution

Near the confluence of the Riviersonderend and the Breede river, this is the westernmost record of the species; the easternmost is from the environs of the Great Brak river, which discharges into the eastern part of Mossel Bay. From: Hilliard, OM. 1999. The Tribe Selagineae (Scrophulariaceae). Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]

Riviersonderend to Great Brak River. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Scrophulariaceae: Selago L. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 754-761. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]

Flowering time

September to October

Altitude

0 to 150 m

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: BODATSA: Data partners records:

Residence status

Occurrence in the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, naturalised or invasive in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature

FSA

BOT

NAM

ESW

LES

KZN

Absent

Indigenous

Endemic

Naturalised

Invasive

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Names and Sources

Accepted name

Selago ramosissima Rolfe

Synonym(s)

Selago ericina Drege

Classification

KINGDOM Plantae

SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae

PHYLUM Anthophyta

ORDER Lamiales

FAMILY Scrophulariaceae

TRIBE Selagineae

GENUS Selago

SPECIES ramosissima

17 results for Selago ramosissima Rolfe

Records
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Year

1897 (1)

1930 (1)

1938 (1)

1947 (1)

1978 (1)

2019 (1)

2020 (3)

2021 (2)

2022 (4)

NULL (2)

Province

western cape (7)

western cape, south africa (10)

Specimen records

Barcode: PRE0155242-0 Collector(s) & number: Smit, 5 | 1938-1-

South Africa, Western Cape, RIVERSDALE

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: PRE0155295-0 Collector(s) & number: Story, R, 2886 | 1947-9-1

South Africa, Western Cape, RIVERSDALE DIV.; GOURITZ RIVER BRIDGE NAT. RD.

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: NBG0096580-0 Collector(s) & number: Zeyher, 3573 | --

South Africa, Western Cape, Swellendam Div. on mountain ridges along the lower part of the Riviersonderende.

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: PRE0674750-0 Collector(s) & number: Fries, TCE, 1349 | 1930-9-24

South Africa, Western Cape, RIVERSDALE DIST.; ALBERTINIA.

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: NBG1477076-0 Collector(s) & number: Burgers, 1321 | 1978-10-14

South Africa, Western Cape, S.W. Cape. Potberg; opposite Soutpan, near Melkhoutrivier.

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: PRE0155291-0 Collector(s) & number: Galpin, EE, 4415 | 1897-9-25

South Africa, Western Cape, MOSSEL BAY DIV; GNEAR REAT BRAK RIVER

Data Resource: BODATSA View record

Barcode: PRE0155290-0 Collector(s) & number: Zeyher, CLP, 3573 | --

South Africa, Western Cape, SWELLENDAM DIST., RIVIER SONDER EINDE. MOUNTAIN RIDGE ALONG LOWER PART OF RIVER

Data Resource: BODATSA View record