Senecio keniophytum
| Senecio keniophytum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Senecioneae |
| Genus: | Senecio |
| Species: | S. keniophytum |
| Binomial name | |
| Senecio keniophytum (R.E.Fr.)[1] | |
Atop of Mount Kenya Senecio keniophytum is one of the endemic groundsel (Senecio) found at high altitudes in Kenya, such as the Afro-alpine zone of Mount Kenya, but not one of the giant Dendrosenecio that also live there.
Description
A creeping perennial whose flowering branches stand "tall" at 4 centimetres (1.6 in) to 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in a land where its relatives can be 1.5 metres (5 ft) tall, tough Senecio keniophytum manages to live in the same locales without dominating the landscape.[2]
- Leaves and stems
- A branching plant with tough densely white stems with leaves attached directly to them. Long and oblong leaves are a little less than 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long and 0.5 centimetres (0.20 in) wide with purplish bases. Leave edges have teeth and leaf surfaces have green and white hairs on the upper side and a dense matting of white hair and bald midrib on the lower side.
- Flowers
- The radiate flower heads are solitary sometimes two or three together and stand up and flower stalks cottony with hairs. Bracts about 9 millimetres (0.35 in) to 12 millimetres (0.47 in) long and about 5 millimetres (0.20 in) diameter. A whorl of another set of eight to twelve bracts dark tipped and 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 9 millimetres (0.35 in) long also with hairs. Twelve to twenty phyllaries also black tipped, 7 millimetres (0.28 in) to 11 millimetres (0.43 in) from densely hairy to no hair at all. Twelve to twenty bright yellow ray florets, tubes 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long, rays 6 millimetres (0.24 in) x 3 millimetres (0.12 in) with four veins. A dull-yellow to brown disc floret, corolla 6 millimetres (0.24 in) long, all hairless and expanding from the middle.
- Fruits and reproduction
- Achenes 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long, ribbed with no hairs. Pappus 5.5 millimetres (0.22 in) long.
- Roots
- A horizontal plant with stems that send shoots above and roots below.[2]
Distribution
Endemic to Mount Kenya, at altitudes of 3,700 metres (12,100 ft) to 4,500 metres (14,800 ft).[2]
References
- ↑ International Plant Names Index
- 1 2 3 Aluka. "Entry for Senecio keniophytum R.E.Fr. [family COMPOSITAE]" (HTML). African Plants. Ithaka Harbors, Inc. doi:10.5555/AL.AP.FLORA.FTEA006444. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
External links
Media related to Senecio keniophytum at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Senecio keniophytum at Wikispecies
- "Senecio keniophytum R.E.Fr. record n° 98705" (HTML). African Plants Database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
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