Fleischmannia soratae (B.L. Rob.) R.M. King & H. Rob., Phytologia 19: 206. 1970

Robinson, Harold, 2015, The genus Fleischmannia in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay (Eupatorieae, Asteraceae), PhytoKeys 57, pp. 61-92 : 80

Fleischmannia soratae (B.L. Rob.) R.M. King & H. Rob., Phytologia 19: 206. 1970

Eupatorium soratae Sch.Bip. ex B.L. Rob., Contrib. Gray Herb. 61: 541. 1920. Type: Bolivia. La Paz: Prov. Larecaja, in woods of the temperate region in the valley of Challasuya, near Sorata, alt. 2700-2800 m, 8 Apr. 1858, Mandon 251 (holotype NY, photos GH, US).

Description.

Perennial herbs to 1 m tall; stems slender, flexuous, terete, glabrate, branches few. Leaves opposite; petioles flexuous, 3-8 mm long, puberulous with short purple-jointed hairs; leaf blades thin-membranaceous, 2.0-2.5 cm long, ca. 0.8 cm wide, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, base subcuneate, margins serrate with 3 or 4 blunt teeth on each side, apex scarcely acuminate, surfaces sparsely puberulous chiefly on veins; triplinervate from petiole, main veins whitish. Inflorescence a loose panicle with short-spreading mostly opposite branches, branches terminating in cymes with 5-14 heads; peduncles slender, ca. 1-3 mm long, puberulous. Heads ca. 6 mm high; involucral bracts 10-12 in 3-4 weakly gradate series, mucronate from rather obtuse tips, outer bracts short, ovate, intermediate bracts oblong, inner bracts oblong-linear. Florets 7-9 in a head; corollas apparently white, ca. 3 mm long, basal tube ca. 0.5 mm long, throat ca. 1.5 mm long, lobes ca, 0.4 mm long, slightly hispiduous outside; anther thecae ca. 1 mm long; apical appendages ca. 0.2 mm long; style branches not broadened distally. Achenes ca. 1.5 mm long, black with pale seemingly glabrous ribs; pappus white, with ca. 30 slightly non-contiguous bristles ca. 2.5 mm long.

The NY holotype has been seen, but no other specimens have been seen that seem to be the same species. This is apparently one of the few species of the genus that can be distinguished by the fewer involucral bracts and florets in the heads. The species was described as having heads with only about 10 involucral bracts and 7 florets.