Gerbera wrightii Harv.

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 : 148-150

3. Gerbera wrightii Harv. in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 521 (1865).

Type: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Simonstown (3418): near Simonstown, Wright 343 (TCD, holo.—image!)

Acaulescent perennial. Leaves suberect to spreading, blades ovate to elliptic-oblong, (25–)40–100 × 20–40(− 55) mm, obtuse, base cordate to truncate, margins subentire or subspinulate to crenate-toothed, revolute, usually strongly discolorous, upper surface dull or shiny green, glabrous to thinly whitish felted, especially along midrib, under surface densely whitish–greyish felted; petiole 25–60(− 155) mm long, glabrous or whitish–greyish felted, or with patches of whitish–greyish wool, densely silky at base. Scapes bracteate, 180–540(− 700) mm, glabrous to whitish woolly but often with distinct patches of whitish wool, bracts 9 to 20, subulate to linear, 3–15 mm long. Capitula 20–70 mm diam. Involucre campanulate; bracts subseriate, 3- or 4-subseriate, inner bracts longest, 9–15 × 1–2 mm, glabrous to thinly felted, acute. Ray fl orets 12 to 40, white with purple to reddish under surface, perianth tube 4–7 mm long, lower limb 16–20 mm long, upper limb 2–4 mm long. Disc fl orets pale in colour, tube 4–9 mm long, limbs 2.0– 3.5 mm long; anther appendages pale yellow. Cypselas not seen. Pappus bristles 8–10 mm long, whitish to whitish tawny.

Flowering: September to December.

Distribution and ecology: endemic to the Cape Peninsula, from Constantiaberg to Scarborough ( Fig. 5 ), occurring on sandstone slopes and flowering only after fire.

Diagnosis: diagnosed by at least some leaves on each plant more or less distinctly cordate, although others are sometimes truncate or cuneate at the base, with the under surface densely whitish-felted and the margins subentire to finely toothed ( Fig. 2A ). The scapes are often characteristically spotted with small patches of whitish wool ( Fig. 1A ). Gerbera wrightii can be confused with forms of G. crocea with the leaf underside more densely tomentose than usual, notably on the Cape Peninsula where they are more or less sympatric. The leaves in G. crocea are typically only weakly discolorous with the under surface of the blade subglabrous or thinly whitish tomentose, and the base of the leaf is attenuate or at least cordate-attenuate and not as markedly cordate as in G. wrightii . The anther appendages are pale yellow in G. wrightii while in G. crocea they are prominently dark brown to blackish.

G. wrightii hybridizes with G. linnaei where they co-occur on the Cape Peninsula.

Additional collections examined

South Africa. WESTERN CAPE: 3318 (Cape Town): Table Mt, Grootkop, (− CD), 28 Nov 1946, Compton 19574 (NBG); Twelve Apostles, (− CD), 28 Nov 1897, Froembling 369 (NBG); Constantia Corner, (− CD), 15 Dec 1972, Kinnon s.n. (NBG). 3418 (Simontown): Constantiaberg, (− AB), 16 Dec 1943, Compton 15,475 (NBG); Chapman's Peak above Noordhoek, (− AB), Nov 1944, Lewis 1014 (SAM); Chapman's Peak, (− AB), 7 Dec 1943, Compton 15,424 (NBG); slopes of Kalk Bay Mtns, (− AB), Oct 1946, Lewis 2123 (SAM); flats between Redhill and Witsand, (− AB), Oct 1945, Lewis 1109 (SAM); Redhill Plateau, lower south slopes of Vlooiberg east of Scarborough, (− AB), 20 Sep2006, Helme 4175 (NBG); Muizenburg Mt, (− AB), without date, MacOwan 540 (SAM); Steenberg, (− AB), 9 Nov 1944, Barker 3300 (NBG); Schusters's Kraal, (− AB), 10 Oct 1945, Compton 17468 (NBG).

Figures

Fig. 5. Distribution of Gerbera wrightii.

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.

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.