Gerbera serrata (Thunb.) Druce

Manning, J. C., Simka, B., Boatwright, J. S. & Magee, A. R., 2016, A revised taxonomy of Gerbera sect. Gerbera (Asteraceae: Mutisieae) *, South African Journal of Botany 104 (1), pp. 142-157 : 150-152

5. Gerbera serrata (Thunb.) Druce in Rep. Bot. Exch. Cl. Brit. Isles 1916: 624 (1917).

Arnica serrata Thunb., Prod. Pl. Cap. : 154 (1800).

Type: South Africa, Thunberg s.n. Herb. Thunb. 20,009 (UPS-THUNB, holo.; SBT [SBT13538], possible iso.]

Gerbera ferruginea DC., Prodr. 7: 15 (1838). Gerbera sinuata Less. in Linnaea 5: 292 (1830), nom. illeg. superfl. Type: South Africa, ‘in Coloniae parte orientale’, Burchell 5701 (G-DC, lecto., designated by Hansen in Opera Bot. 78: 10 (1985); GH–image!, K–image!, L—image!, LE, PRE!, isolecto.).

Gerbera asplenifolia var. linearis Harv. in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 520 (1865). Gerbera feruginea var. linearis (Harv.) Dümmer in J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 40: 239 (1914). Type: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Swellendam, Voormansbosch, Ecklon & Zeyher 3078 pro parte (K, lecto.—image!, designated by Hansen in Opera Bot. 78: 10 (1985); G—image!, L, M, LE, PRE!, S—image!, SAM! W, WU, Z, isolecto.).

Acaulescent perennial. Leaves suberect to spreading, blades elliptic to oblong or linear, parallel-sided, 18–81 × (5–) 8–30 mm, acuminate or notched, base cordate or cuneate, margins subentire or remotely or more closely retrosely-serrate or crenate-sinuate, revolute, strongly discolorous, upper surface green or pale yellow, glabrous or rarely white felted on midrib, under surface densely yellowish or brownish felted; petioles 25–70 mm long, brown, green or reddish, whitish woolly, densely silky at base. Scapes bracteate, 70–300(− 320) mm long, brown or maroon, whitish-brownish felted with patches of whitish wool, bracts ±8, subulate, 3–14 mm long, whitish woolly. Capitula ± 25–40 mm diam. Involucre campanulate; bracts 3- or 4-subseriate, rarely imbricate, thinly whitish to yellowish–brownish felted with maroon to purple membranous margins, inner bracts longest, 10–15 mm long, acute or acuminate. Ray fl orets 12 to 20, white or pink with maroon, red, pink or brown under surface, perianth tube 3.5–5.0 mm long, lower limb 10–20 mm long, upper limb 2–6 mm long. Disc fl orets with tube 4–7 mm long, limbs 1.5–4.0 mm long; anther appendages pale yellow. Cypselas not seen. Pappus bristles 5.5–7.0 mm long, whitish to whitish tawny.

Flowering: (August) September to December.

Distribution and ecology: restricted to the southern coastal plain and adjacent mountains of Western Cape, from Riviersonderend to Plettenberg Bay, extending inland onto the Gamkaberg and Rooiberg in the Little Karoo ( Fig. 7 ), occurring on well-drained stony loam soils and on coastal terraces on hard packed sandy soils, 150–1250 m. Flowering is dependent on fire.

Diagnosis: distinguished by the ± parallel-sided, retrorsely serrate leaves with cuneate or cordate bases and densely yellowish–brownish felted under surface ( Figs. 1F , 2C ). The species typically has ± oblong leaves but populations from Riviersondered and Swellendam are distinctive in their narrow, almost linear leaves 2–5 mm wide. Such plants formed the basis for G. asplenifolia var. linearis described by Harvey (1865) and examples with closely notched leaves can be confused with G. linnaei . The leaves are, however, retrorsely notched to toothed and not pinnatisect as in true G. linnaei . Typical G. serrata can also be confused with G. tomentosa from west of Swellendam but that species has elliptic to oblanceolate leaves without parallel sides and distinctive, imbricate involucral bracts not ± arranged in series.

Additional collections examined.

South Africa. WESTERN CAPE. 3321 (Ladismith): Gamka Mountain Nature Reserve, Zebra ridge west along crest near Oukraal, (− BC), 15 Aug 1983, Beyers 287 (NBG); Rooiberg west of Rooiberg Pass, (− CB), 1 Oct 1958, Williams 1637 (NBG); Garcia's Pass, (− CC), Oct 1904, Bolus 11,316 (BOL), l Sep 1908, Phillips 406 (SAM), Oct 1926, Thorne s.n. (SAM), Oct 1927, Levyns 2310 (BOL); firebreak almost at top of Gysmanhoek Pass on north side of Langeberg, (− CC), 25 Nov 1987, McDonald 1486 (NBG); Rooiberg, summit of ridge above Assegaaiboskloof, (− DA), 10 Nov 1974, Oliver 5358 (NBG). 3322 (Oudtshoorn): Jonkersberg, (− CC), 4 Dec 1951, Barker 7670 (NBG); George, (− CD), 19 Aug 1944, Compton 15,768 (NBG); Hoogekraal River 23 miles east of George, (− DD), Hutchinson & Fourcade 1289 (BOL); Hoogekraal, (− DD), Aug 1942, Fourcade 5698 (NBG). 3323 (Willomore): east of Paardekop, (− CC), 29 Sep 1943, Fourcade 6110 (NBG); Paardekop, (− CC), 12 Nov 1949, Morris 389 (NBG). 3419 (Caledon): Riviersonderend Mtns, Appelskraal, (− BB), Oct 1947, Stokoe s.n. (SAM). 3420 (Bredasdorp): Swellendam Mtn, (− AB), Oct. 1925, Barnard s.n. SAM); Swellendam, below Crown Mt, (− AB), 4 Aug 1952, Wurts s.n. (NBG); W of Swellendam, N of golfcourse, (− AB), 10 Oct 2006, Helme 4179 (NBG). 3421 (Riversdale): 10 km NW Mossel Bay, Farm 228 Bartiesfontein, (− AB), 29 Nov 2001, Helme 2349 (NBG); Albertinia commonage, (− BA), 1913 without month, Muir 871 (BOL, SAM). 3422 (Mossel Bay): slopes above Victoria Bay, (− BA), 19 Oct 1953, Lewis s.n. (SAM). 3423 (Knysna): Knysna, (− AA), without date, Newdigate 34 (SAM); Noetzie, (− AA), Sep 1948, Middlemost s.n. (NBG); between Marathon and Bosfontein, west of Plettenberg Bay, (− AB), 12 Nov 1979, Hugo 2089 (NBG); turnoff to Kranshoek, 4.2 km west of Plettenberg Bay airport, (− AB), 5 Nov 1993, Steiner 2777 (NBG).

Figures

Fig. 7. Distribution of Gerbera serrata. Open circle reflects a population seen online (www.ispotnature.org) from Bloupunt trail near Montagu.

Fig. 1. General morphology of Gerbera section Gerbera. A.G. wrightii; B & C.G.sinuata; D & E. G.linnaei; F.G.serrata; G. G. crocea, note the glabrous leaf under surface; H.G.tomentosa; I. Imbricate involucral bracts of G. tomentosa; J.Subseriate involucral bracts of G.crocea. Photographs: A:N.Helme; B, D, E, F, H: J.C.Manning; C: I.Ebrahim; G, I, J: T.Rebelo.

Fig. 2. Leaf upper and under surfaces in Gerbera section Gerbera. A.G. wrightii (Compton 15457, NBG).B. G. linnaei (Rourke I280, NBG).C. G. serrata (McDonald 1486, NBG). D. G.ovata (Goldblatt & Porter 12496, NBG). E. G. crocea (E1. Rourke 774, NBG. E2. Taylor 4383, NBG, note the glabrous under surface). F.G. sinuata (Lewis 6211, NBG).G. G. tomentosa (G1. Kruger 1136, NBG.G2.Nel s.n., NBG).H.G.grandis (Williams 3695, NBG).Scale bar = 10 mm.