Annual herb, stem erect to c. 40-120 mm, sparingly branched just above the base, leafy, glandular-puberulous with very occasional longer hairs up to 0.25-0.5 mm long. Leaves opposite, blade c. 6-20 x 3-13 mm, usually elliptic, sometimes ovate, tapering gradually or more abruptly into a flat petiolar part 3-20 mm long, about equalling to half the length of the blade, upper margins coarsely serrate with 2-5 pairs of teeth, both surfaces glandular-puberulous, very occasional hairs on lower margins up to 0.4-0.5 mm long. Flowers up to c. 9 in very lax terminal racemes. Bracts at base of raceme c. 6-16 x 1.5-7 mm, smaller upwards, leaf-like, adnate to pedicel only or to extreme base of calyx as well, glandular-puberulous, very occasional hairs on lower margins up to 0.5 mm long. Pedicels up to 0.8 mm long. Calyx bilabiate, tube c. 1.25-1.5 mm long, anticous lobes c. 2.25-2.5 x 0.75 mm, anticous lip split c. 1.6-1.75 mm, posticous lobes slightly narrower, whole calyx glandular-puberulous, hairs up to 0.3 mm long. Corolla tube c. 4.5 x 0.75 mm broadening slightly in throat, limb c. 5-6 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes c. 1-1.5 x 1-1.25 mm, anticous lobe c. 2-2.5 x 1.25-1.5 mm, all lobes elliptic, white with an orange patch at base of posticous lip and there bearded. Stamens 4, anthers 0.6 mm long, dark violet, all exserted. Stigma exserted. Capsules c. 1.5-2.5 x 1.5 mm Seeds up to c. 20 in each loculus, c. 0.3-0.4 x 0.3-0.4 mm. From: Hilliard, OM. 1994. The Manuleae: a tribe of Scrophulariaceae. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]
Annual herb. Stem erect, up to 120 mm high. Leaves usually elliptic, tapering gradually or more abruptly into a flat petiolar part, equalling to half length of blade, both leaf surfaces glandular-puberulous, very occasional hairs on lower margins up to 0.4-0.5 mm long. Inflorescence a very lax terminal raceme. Calyx tube 1.25-1.50 mm long. Corolla limb 5-6 mm x across lateral lobes. Flowers white. From: Retief, E; Herman, PPJ. 1997. Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters. Strelitzia 6: 1-681. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
Melanospermum rudolfii is clearly allied to both M. rupestre and M. swazicum but can be distinguished from both by its much shorter indumentum and by floral details (length of calyx tube and size of limb in particular). From: Hilliard, OM. 1994. The Manuleae: a tribe of Scrophulariaceae. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]
The only ecological note he gave was 'in hum[idis]', but it can be deduced that the plants were growing in moist shady places under rocks, and the gorge at Botsabelo. From: Hilliard, OM. 1994. The Manuleae: a tribe of Scrophulariaceae. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]
Moist, shady places. From: Retief, E; Herman, PPJ. 1997. Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters. Strelitzia 6: 1-681. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
Melanospermum rudolfii is known only from the type collection made by Rudolf Schlechter nearly 100 years ago at Botsabelo near Middelburg in south eastern Transvaal. From: Hilliard, OM. 1994. The Manuleae: a tribe of Scrophulariaceae. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. [All rights reserved]
December
0 to 1600 m
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
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
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
Classification
KINGDOM Plantae
SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae
PHYLUM Anthophyta
ORDER Lamiales
FAMILY Scrophulariaceae
TRIBE Limoselleae
GENUS Melanospermum
SPECIES rudolfii
2 results for Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard
Barcode: PRE0139444-0 Collector(s) & number: Schlechter, FRR, 4078 | 1893-12-28
South Africa, Mpumalanga, MIDDELBURG DIST.; BOTSABELO
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: PRE0139445-0 Collector(s) & number: Schlechter, FRR, 4078 | 1893-12-28
South Africa, Mpumalanga, MIDDELBURG DIST; BOTSABELO.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
1997
SERIES
Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters Retief, E; Herman, PPJStrelitzia 6: 1-681
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria
1994
No results found for Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard
Status and criteria
DD
Assessor(s)
Plantae Coordinator
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Hammer, S.A. 2009. Conophytum confessional: three new species from South Africa. Cactus and Succulent Journal. 81:191-195
BOOK
Hammer, S.A. 2013. Mesembs, the Titanopsis group. Little Sphaeroid Press
BOOK SECTION
Hammer, S.A. In prep. Aizoaceae: Conophytum. Edited by D.A. Snijman. Conspectus of the flora of the Succulent Karoo
BOOK SECTION
Hammer, S.A. and Snijman, D.A. In prep. Aizoaceae: Lithops. Edited by D.A. Snijman. Conspectus of the flora of the Succulent Karoo
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