Asteraceae
Lactuca

Lactuca calophylla C.Jeffrey

First published in Kew Bull. 18: 439 (1966)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Zambia.

Descriptions

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb, scapose, with solitary or twin flowering stem(s) 20–75 cm high; roots somewhat woody; root-crown with old laciniate leaf bases, otherwise glabrous; stem sparsely to densely setose on the ribs, the setae purple.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves in a rosette, sessile, broadly elliptic, 5.5–22.5 cm long, 2–12 cm wide, base cuneate to attenuate, margins sinuate-dentate, apex obtuse or retuse with a mucro, pale green and glabrous above, with purple veins and sparsely setose beneath; cauline leaves absent or 1–2, similar to the rosette ones.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula many, in narrow panicles; involucre cylindrical, 8–12 mm long; phyllaries 3-seriate, green, ovate to lanceolate, 2–12 mm long, glabrous or the very apex minutely hairy.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Corolla yellow, tube cylindric, 2.5–3.5 mm long, ligule 7–12 mm long, 2.5–4 mm wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes fusiform, 4.2–5.8 mm long, 3-ribbed on each side, sparsely puberulous, not or hardly beaked; pappus 4–7 mm long.
Figures
Fig. 20/2 (achene).
Habitat
Grassland or bare soil on rock outcrops; may be locally common;1800–2400 m
Distribution
T7 T8
[FTEA]

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit
A subscapose perennial herb up to c. 75 cm. tall, from a large semi-woody taproot.
Morphology Stem
Flowering stalks erect, somewhat robust, usually solitary, mostly branching above, sparsely to densely glandular-setose; setae 1.5–4 mm. long, patent soft purple.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 1–6 ± prostrate in a basal rosette, arising from a sheath of leaf bases persisting from the previous season, 5.5–17.5(22) x 2–12 cm., elliptic to rotund rarely oblate; apices obtuse, often mucronate in young leaves; bases rounded to cuneate with the midrib winged petiole-like; margins denticulate, often ciliate between the teeth; upper surface green glabrous or sparsely purple-setose particularly along and near the margins and midrib, lower surface purplish or green with a prominent purple reticulation, purple-setose on midrib and main nerves, occasionally also puberulent; cauline leaves absent, or if present reduced and bract-like.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Synflorescence
Synflorescence up to c. 25 cm. long, narrowly cylindric-pyramidal, bracteate; bracts up to c. 2 mm. long, ovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula numerous, stalked; involucres cylindric, 8–10 x 1.75–2 mm. at time of flowering, increasing to c. 12 x 3 mm. in fruiting capitula.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries 2–3-seriate, green, minutely tuberculate-rugose outside and puberulous above; the outermost ovate, usually less than half the length of the inner; the innermost up to c. 12 mm. long, lanceolate-lorate, obtuse.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets 4–6 per capitulum; corollas yellow, 11.5–16 mm. long, tube cylindric, ligule 9–12 x 2.5–4 mm. lorate with lobes 1–2 mm. long and apically papillose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes reddish-brown, 4.5–5.5 mm. long, ellipsoid, not or hardly beaked, broadly 2–3-ribbed with 2–3 smaller ribs between, minutely strigose; pappus several-seriate of barbellate setae 4–7 mm. long.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0