Marasmodes DC., Prodr.

Magee, A. R., Ebrahim, I., Koopman, R. & von Staden, L., 2017, Marasmodes (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), the most threatened plant genus of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa: Conservation and taxonomy *, South African Journal of Botany 111, pp. 371-371 : 371-

Marasmodes DC., Prodr. 6: 136 (1838);

Harv. in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 175 (1865); Hutch., Bull. Misc. Inform. 1916: 171 (1917).

Type: Marasmodes polycephalus (designated here).

Oligodorella Turcz. Mull. Mosc. XXIV. : 187 (1851). Type: Oligodorella teretifolia Turcz.

Weak to stout, single to multistemmed, laxly to well branched, evergreen shrublets, 0.15–0.7 m tall; branches subglabrous, with sparse sessile glands. Leaves alternate or opposite, regularly arranged along branches or restricted to upper branches and branch tips, sometimes caducous, adpressed to reflexed, lanceolate to linear or elliptic to oblong or obovate, 2–20 × 0.5–5.0 mm, simple or sometimes trifid to rarely pinnatifid; lobes mucronulate or spine-tipped, subterete, leathery, green, glandular-punctate, secondary basal lobes well developed, rudimentary or absent; axillary fascicles present or absent. Capitula discoid, homogamous, solitary or clusters of 2 to 12, sessile, terminal or on axillary shoots 0.5–150 mm long. Involucre campanulate, obconical or cylindrical-campanulate to broadly campanulate or narrowly oblong, 1.5–10.0 × 2–8 mm; bracts 3- to 6-seriate, glabrous, margins and apices scarious to broadly scarious, sessile glands at appendage base prominent or inconspicuous, stereome (a thickened, cartilaginous central portion, Fig. 7B ) prominent or obscure; outer bracts broadly ovate to ovate, 0.5–2.5 mm long, margins very narrowly to narrowly scarious, apex rarely with a broadly ovate scarious appendage; middle bracts ovate to narrowly ovate or oblong, 1.5–4.0 mm long, margins slightly to broadly scarious, apex slightly to broadly scarious, rarely with a broadly to very broadly ovate scarious appendage; inner bracts oblong, 2.0– 5.5 mm long, margins narrowly to broadly scarious, apex with a prominent scarious appendage, ovate to very broadly ovate, yellowish-brown to reddish-pink. Receptacle convex, epaleate. Florets 4 to 36, bisexual; corolla yellow, glandular, tube 5-nerved; limb campanulate, 5-lobed; lobes triangular, erect to recurved; anthers ecaudate, apical appendages ovate, obtuse; style terete with thickened base; branches truncate, papillate apically-dorsally. Pappus of 7 to 14 scales, longer, equal to or shorter than the corolla tube; scales oblong to narrowly oblong or linear, overlapping, adaxially longer, membranous, white. Cypselas ± 1.5–2.0 × 0.5–0.7 mm, oblong, 5-ribbed, glandular between ribs, mucilaginous when soaked.

3.2.1. Key to the species of Marasmodes

1a Primary leaves predominantly trifid to pinnate:

2a Primary leaves all 1-pinnate, lobes spine-tipped …........... M. spinosa .

2b Primary leaves predominately trifid, lobes mucronulate:

3a Primary leaves 2–7 mm long, spreading to reflexed; leaves regularly arranged along branches; inner involucral bracts with conspicuous yellow glands at base of scarious apex; Overberg, Napier ……………........................................................................... M. reflexa .

3b Primary leaves (8) 10–14 mm long, suberect to spreading; leaves restricted to upper branches or branch tips; inner involucral bracts without conspicuous yellow glands at base of scarious apex; West Coast, Kalbaskraal ...............................................…......................... M. trifida .

1b Primary leaves predominantly simple:

2a Heads regularly arranged in terminal clusters:

3a Leaves adpressed, 2–3(4) mm long ……….………….... M. dummeri .

3b Leaves erect to spreading, 3–7 mm long:

4a Leaves erect to suberect; scarious margins of innermost involucral bracts reddish-pink; Faure to Gordons Bay …..…........ M. polycephala .

4b Leaves spreading; scarious margins of innermost involucral bracts yellowish-brown; Malmesbury to Paardeberg ...….................….... ........................................................................................................ M. fasciculata .

2b Heads solitary or in irregular loose clusters along the stem:

5a Involucral bracts all with broadly to very broadly ovate scarious apical appendages. …………….……….………………… M. undulata .

5b Involucral bracts with ovate scarious apical appendages only on inner bracts:

6a Primary leaves opposite ……………....……............... M. oppositifolia .

6b Primary leaves alternate:

7a Involucral bracts with prominent stereome (thickened, cartilaginous central portion, Fig. 7B ), upper portion conspicuously greenflanked:

8a Capitula cylindrical-campanulate, 2–3 mm wide; involucral bracts all with broad scarious margins ……………….…… M. oligocephala .

8b Capitula obconical or broadly campanulate, 4–7 mm wide; only inner bracts with broad scarious margins:

9a Capitula borne on very short lateral shoots, 0.5–4.0 mm long; pappus long, equal to or longer than the corolla tube; involucre 4–5 mm broad …. ………………….…………………........ M. oubinae .

9b Capitula borne on prominent leafy shoots, 5–60 mm long; pappus short, half the length of the corolla tube; involucre 5–7 mm broad ………………..……………………………… M. macrocephala .

7b Involucral bracts without a prominent stereome:

10a Involucre broadly campanulate; apex of middle involucral bracts not obviously scarious, obtuse; single or few-stemmed, sparsely leafy shrublets with leaves restricted to upper branches or branch tips; West Coast, Riverlands ....…..…..................................... M. defoliata .

10b Involucre obconical to urceolate; apex of middle involucral bracts broadly scarious, ± truncate; well branched multistemmed leafy shrublets with leaves regularly arranged along branches; Worcester ……...……...……...……...……...……...……... M. crewiana .

Figures

Fig. 7. General morphology of Marasmodes oubinae (A & B), M.polycephala (C & D), M.spinosa (E–G), M. trifida (H–J), M.undulata (K–M).