Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard
DD Indigenous Endemic

Morphological description

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]

Diagnostic description

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]

Habitat

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]

Distribution

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]

Flowering time

December

Altitude

0 to 1600 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

SA

BOT

NAM

ESW

LES

WC

EC

NC

FS

GA

KZN

LP

MP

NW

Absent

Indigenous

Endemic

Naturalised

Invasive

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Names and Sources

Accepted name
Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard
Synonym(s)

Classification

KINGDOM Plantae

SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae

SPECIES rudolfii

2 results for Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard

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Specimen records

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

Plant occurence records per dataset

Plant occurence records per year

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: BODATSA: Data partners records:

1997

SERIES

Plants of the northern provinces of South Africa: Keys and diagnostic characters Retief, E; Herman, PPJ

Strelitzia 6: 1-681

National Botanical Institute, Pretoria

1994

BOOK

The Manuleae: a tribe of Scrophulariaceae Hilliard, OM

Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh

No results found for Melanospermum rudolfii Hilliard

Status

Status and criteria

DD

Assessor(s)

Plantae Coordinator

Bibliography

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

Part(s) of plant used Use(s) Reference

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