Callilepis Candolle (1836: 671)

Herman, Paul P. J., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the genus Callilepis (Asteraceae) in South Africa, Phytotaxa 563 (1), pp. 1-62 : 18-19

Callilepis Candolle (1836: 671) emended P.P.J.Herman; Harvey (1865: 136); Bentham (1873: 339); Hoffmann (1889: 210); Phillips (1951: 810); Dyer (1975: 694); Hilliard (1977: 286); Wild (1980: 91); Anderberg (1991: 46, 1994: 324); Herman et al. (2000: 127); Bayer et al. (2007: 259).

Type species: — Callilepis laureola Candolle (1836: 671) . (It seems Phillips (1951) was the first person to designate C. laureola as the type species of the genus).

= Zoutpansbergia Hutchinson (1946: 350) ; Dyer (1975: 686). Type species: — Zoutpansbergia caerulea Hutchinson (1946: 350) .

Erect, perennial herbs with tufts of annual stems from underground rootstock, a shrub or small tree (1 species), glabrous or non-glandular hairy. Leaves opposite, subopposite, alternate or spirally arranged, sessile, with petiole-like base or shortly petiolate, simple, margin entire, serrate or serrulate, glabrous or non-glandular hairy, blade glabrous or non-glandular hairy, with 1 or 3(5) main veins from base. Capitula heterogamous, radiate, solitary or in open, few- or many-headed corymbs; shortly to distinctly pedunculate. Involucre obconical, hemispherical, campanulate or urceolate. Involucral bracts in several rows, subequal or imbricate with outer shorter than inner; inner sometimes grading into outer paleae. Receptacle conical or rarely flat, paleate; paleae boat-shaped, apex acute to apiculate, enveloping disc florets and inner ray florets. Ray florets zygomorphic, female, fertile, arranged in 1 to 3 rows; usually with staminodes, very rarely occasional neuter floret or bisexual floret with few fertile stamens. Styles bifurcate or sometimes undivided, exserted; style branches equal or unequal, with broad marginal stigmatic areas, basally separated but apically confluent or entire inner surface stigmatic. Ray ovaries obovate, narrowly obovate, obconic, narrowly or linear obconic, or narrowly oblong, trigonous or, of inner ray florets, obovate, laterally compressed, similar to those of disc florets, glabrous or twin hairy or surfaces glabrous but twin hairy ciliate along margins. Ray cypselae obovate, narrowly obovate, narrowly or linear obconic, or narrowly oblong, trigonous, cypselae of inner ray florets obovate, laterally compressed, similar to those of disc florets, glabrous or twin hairy or surfaces glabrous but twin hairy ciliate along margins, margins upwards elongated into pappus awns. Ray pappus dimorphic, consisting of elongated awns and few smaller obtuse scales in between, in one species sometimes absent, or of scales only, or only one awn and scales. Disc florets actinomorphic, bisexual, fertile, many, very rarely occasional outer floret female; corolla tubular below, slightly widening upwards towards lobes, deeply 5-lobed. Anthers 5, exserted, with ovate to narrowly ovate apical appendages; bases caudate and calcarate, tails ciliate. Styles bifurcate; style branches linear to oblong, apex conical or obtuse, with ring of acute hairs around base of cone outside, with broad marginal stigmatic areas, basally separated but apically confluent or entire inner surface stigmatic. Disc ovaries obovate, narrowly obovate, linear-obconic or narrowly oblong, laterally compressed, glabrous or twin hairy or surfaces glabrous but twin hairy ciliate along margins. Disc cypselae narrowly to very narrowly or broadly obovate, linear-obconical or narrowly oblong, laterally compressed, glabrous or twin hairy, or surfaces glabrous but twin hairy ciliate along margins, surface smooth or striated, margins elongated upwards into pappus awns. Disc pappus dimorphic, of awns and smaller, obtuse scales in between, in one species sometimes absent, or of scales only, or only one awn and scales.

Geographic range:—Endemic to the eastern parts of southern Africa: eSwatini ( Swaziland), Mozambique, South Africa.

Key to the species of Callilepis

1a. Involucral bracts narrow, subequal, ovaries and cypselae glabrous, vary rarely pectinate along margins ...................................... 2

1b. Involucral bracts ovate to broadly oblong, imbricate, outer shorter than inner, surfaces of ovaries and cypselae glabrous but margins long twin hairy ciliate or entire ovary and cypsela surfaces twin hairy ............................................................................. 9

2a. Leaves filiform to linear, ≤ 0.5–1.5(–2.0) mm broad .............................................................................................. 1. C. leptophylla

2b. Leaves narrowly obovate, elliptic, linear elliptic or narrowly to broadly ovate, ≥ 2 mm broad ...................................................... 3

3a. Leaves semi-succulent, narrowly obovate or sometimes narrowly elliptic or linear, attenuate or tapering to petiole-like base, usually with a single prominent main vein and sometimes two faint side veins parallel to main vein, pappus of ray florets absent, OR consisting of scales only, OR a single long awn with smaller scales, rarely with 1 long awn and 2 shorter awns with smaller scales in between; pappus of disc florets absent, OR consisting of scales only, OR a single long awn with smaller scales; rarely with 1 long awn, 1 short awn and smaller scales in between ..................................................................................... 2. C. lancifolia

3b. Leaves elliptic or ovate, pappus of ray florets usually consisting of 1 long awn and 2 shorter awns with smaller scales in between or like those in disc florets; pappus of disc florets usually consisting of 1 long awn and 1 shorter awn with smaller scales in between ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

4a. Leaves elliptic or linear-elliptic ........................................................................................................................................................ 5

4b. Leaves ovate ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

5a. Capitula arranged in few-headed corymbose synflorescences, leaves linear-elliptic, apex acuminate to attenuate, blade narrowing to petiole-like base, with a prominent main vein ......................................................................................................... 3. C. retiefiae

5b. Capitula solitary, leaves narrowly to broadly elliptic, 3(5)-veined or with a prominent main vein and two faint lateral veins fading upwards ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

6a. Plants totally glabrous except for small hair tufts in leaf axils, leaves opposite or subopposite in lower part of stem, alternate upwards, elliptic or narrowly elliptic, rarely broadly elliptic, up to 45(–50) mm long, apex acute to bluntly acute or obtuse, base cuneate, narrowly cuneate, obtuse to rounded or rarely almost subcordate, confined to a small area in southern KwaZulu-Natal and north-eastern Eastern Cape, near the coast ..................................................................................................................... 4. C. glabra

6b. Plants glabrous or sparsely to more densely hairy, leaves opposite or subopposite basally, alternate or spirally arranged upwards, narrowly elliptic, tapering to both apex and base, up to 80(–105) mm long, apex attenuate, acuminate or acute, base petiole-like, attenuate, or narrowly cuneate to cuneate, widely distributed .................................................................................. 5. C. salicifolia

7a. Involucral bracts tomentose, indumentum of leaves and stems tomentose, hairs evenly distributed on entire leaf surface ............... .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6. C. nepotiana

7b. Involucral bracts glabrous or rarely with few longish curly hairs at base and margins ± ciliate, leaves and stems glabrous or sparsely to densely villous but hairs on leaves mostly along veins and leaf margins .................................................................................... 8

8a. Capitula solitary ..................................................................................................................................... 7a. C. laureola var. laureola

8b. Capitula in few-headed corymbs .................................................................................................. 7b. C. laureola var. paucicephala

9a. Shrub or small tree, leaves obovate, narrowly obovate or rarely very narrowly obovate, ≥ 3.5 mm broad, capitula solitary ............ ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 8. C. caerulea

9b. Perennial herbs from underground rootstock, leaves linear, ≤ 2 mm broad, capitula in corymbose synflorescences ................... 10

10a. Surfaces of ovaries (and cypselae?) glabrous, margins long twin hairy ciliate, leaves linear, 42–65 × 1–2 mm, margin entire or distantly serrulate in the upper half ......................................................................................................................... 9. C. corymbosa

10b. Surfaces of ovaries (and cypselae?) densely covered with long twin hairs, leaves filiform, up to 80 mm long, ± 0.5 mm broad, margin entire ................................................................................................................................................................ 10. C. normae