Afroaster tansaniensis (W.Lippert) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

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

Morphology General Habit

Erect herb, with several 10–75 cm high annual shoots from a perennial short horizontal woody rhizome, densely beset with overlapping scales at the base of the shoots; shoots to 5 mm diameter, sparsely branched or unbranched, angular, pubescent to almost hispid, glandular.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves (the proximal very small) sessile, lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 1–7.5 cm long, 0.3–1.7 cm wide, cuneate at the base, with entire, thickened margins or with few and small teeth (rarely up to 3 mm long), acute and mucronate at the apex, pubescent to hispid on both surfaces, glandular, with 3–5 longitudinal veins.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula terminal, solitary or less often 2–4 together in lax corymbs, 8–15 mm long; stalks of individual capitula 2–20 cm long, pubescent to almost hispid, with subulate bracts; phyllaries 25–40, 3-seriate, green, the outer shorter than the inner, lanceolate to elliptic, 5–10 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, with scarious and slightly laciniate margins, acute to acuminate, the outer pubescent on the midrib, the inner glabrescent, glandular; receptacle slightly convex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Outer florets female, uniseriate, 15–25, with a pubescent tube 2.5–3 mm long, the ray white to pale pink or pale mauve, linear to narrowly obovate, 10–16 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, slightly retuse at the apex with 2–3 teeth or small lobes, style 5–6 mm long; inner florets many, yellow, hermaphrodite, tubular, the tube 2–5 mm long, rather densely glandular-pilose in the proximal half, the 5 lobes triangular, 0.6–1 mm long, anthers 1.7–2 mm long, style 5–8 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes oblong to narrowly obovoid, 3–4.5 mm long, 3–5-angled, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, brownish, white-pubescent; pappus plumose, the outer setae ± 1 mm long, the inner more numerous and 5–8 mm long.

Figures

Fig. 98 (page 469).

Habitat

A pyrophyte in regularly burned grassland, where it may be abundant; 1200–2600 m

Distribution

T4 T6 T7 T8