Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides Hoffmann (1895: 229)

Nimbalkar, Varsha V., Sharma, Oshin A., Girdhari, Milind M. & Sardesai, Milind M., 2021, Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides (Compositae): New record to Asia with its identity, typification, and distribution, Phytotaxa 514 (3), pp. 295-300 : 298

Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides Hoffmann (1895: 229) .

Lectotype (designated here):— TANZANIA. s. loc., s. d., Fischer 335 ( K000274177 image!).

Annual, procumbent undershrubs, 30–40 cm high. Stem branched, angular, sparsely glandular hairy, winged; wings 2–3 mm wide, denticulate. Leaves aromatic, alternate, sessile; lamina lanceolate, 2–4 cm long and up to 1 cm wide, sparsely glandular-punctate dorsiventrally; leaf-base decurrent, forming cauline wings, margin denticulate, apex mucronate-apiculate. Inflorescence compound capitulum; numerous heterogamous capitula (partial heads) born on a conical, hollow receptacle of the compound head. Compound heads purple, ovoid-conical, 1 cm or less in length as well as width, pedunculated, leaf-opposed; peduncles 1–3 cm long, winged. Common involucre bracts 7–8, biseriate, c. 5–6 mm long, ovate to oblong, hairy, ciliate, scarious along the margin, apiculate with 2–2.5 mm protracted tip. Each capitulum sessile; comprised of 4 bracts, 2 centrally located bisexual florets surrounded by 4 outer, female florets, both without pappus. Of the 4 bracts, the involucre bract similar to that of the compound head; the other 3 bracts membranous with truncate, ciliated apex, c. 3 mm; of the three, 2 laterally folded, boat-shaped; 1 adaxial, broad at apex, tapering towards base. Female florets 3–4 mm long; corolla tube filiform, translucent, creamy-white, glanduliferous, minutely 3 lobed; lobes pink; ovary cylindrical, hairy, pale yellow; stigma bifid, dark pink. Bisexual florets c. 3–5 mm long, corolla tube cylindrical, 5-lobed at apex, constricted near the base and below the lobes, lobes pink; constricted region, lobes, and ovary glanduliferous; glands sessile. Stamens 5, syngenesious, anthers sagittate, dorsifixed; ovary oblong, sparsely hairy, style dark pink, covered entirely with sweeping hair, slightly bifid at apex. Achenes of female flowers cylindrical, hairy, c. 1 mm; those of bisexual flowers obovoid, glabrous, 1.2–1.5 mm. Figs. 1 and 2 .

Habitat:—Drying wetlands, alluvial soil.

Distribution:—Africa ( Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) and Asia ( India). Fig. 3 .

Specimens examined:— INDIA. Maharashtra: Pune Dt., Shikrapur, Wablewadi, 18 March 2021, VVN 649 ( BSI!, SPPU!) . RWANDA. Akagera National Park, Rwisirabo , 1 July 1978, J. Raynal 20784 ( P033558 image!) . TANZANIA. Masai Dt., Ngorongoro Conservation Area , 1 October 1977, J. Raynal 19328 ( P033560 image!) .

Note:— Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides has been synonymized by Beentje (2002) under S. steetzii Olivier & Hiern (1877: 334) . However, as per the protologue, bisexual flowers are not present in S. steetzii . Besides, S. steetzii has 4 female flowers and 1 male flower per capitulum, whereas there are 4 female flowers, 2 bisexual flowers, and no male flowers in S. gomphrenoides . For these reasons, S. gomphrenoides cannot be treated as a synonym of S. steetzii . Moreover, Robyns (1924) described S. keniensis Robyns (1924: 188) which, according to him, differs from S. gomphrenoides based on habit (erect vs. prostrate), common involucre bracts of compound head (broadly ovate vs. lanceolate) and involucre bract of a capitulum (broadly oblong-obovate mucronate vs. linear, long apiculate). But the characters used by Robyns to describe ‘ S. keniensis sp. nov. ’ are more or less similar to those of S. gomphrenoides as per the protologue and are considered variations, an observation in congruence with Beentje (2002). Therefore, S. keniensis is considered conspecific with the latter as treated by Wild (1980).

Beentje (2002) mentioned that the type material of S. gomphrenoides (Fischer 335) is collected from Tanzania and is deposited at herbaria B and K. Stafleu & Cowan (1979) also noted that the types used by Hoffmann are kept at B. The authors attempted to trace the specimen deposited at B by personal communication with Dr. Robert Vogt (Curator, Herbarium B). It was revealed that the specimen does not exist there, probably lost in fire at the Berlin Botanical Museum in World War II. Therefore, the specimen at K (K000274177), though it is highly fragmented, is designated here as a lectotype, which represents the species as per the protologue of the binomial (Art. 9.3 of ICN, Turland et al. 2018).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Analytical photographs of Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides. A. Habit; B. Twigs bearing compound capitulum; C. Compound head; D. Vertical section of a compound head; E, F. Involucre bracts of a compound head (E) and a capitulum (F) (left—abaxial view, right—adaxial view); G. Single capitulum comprising three bracts, female and bisexual flowers; H. Adaxial and lateral bracts of a capitulum; I. Female flower with exserted bifid stigma; J. Bisexual flowers (left—younger, right—older with anthers exserted from corolla tube); K, L. Achenes of female (K) and bisexual (L) flowers.

FIGURE 2. Line drawing of Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides. A. Flowering twig; B. Compound head; C. Vertical section of a compound head showing hollow conical receptacle; D. Involucre bract of a compound head; E. Single capitulum with 3 bracts and 4 female, 2 bisexual flowers; F. Involucre bract of a capitulum; G. Adaxial and lateral bracts of a capitulum; H. Female flower; I, J. Bisexual flowers at younger (I) and older (J) stage with anthers exserted from corolla tube; K, L.Achenes of bisexual (K) and female (L) flowers. Illustrated by Oshin based on VVN 649.

FIGURE 3. Distribution map showing the worldwide occurrence (green dots) of Sphaeranthus gomphrenoides.