Polydora Fenzl

Swelankomo, N., Simango, N. & Manning, J. C., 2018, The genus Polydora Fenzl (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) in southern Africa *, South African Journal of Botany 119, pp. 335-339 : 336

Polydora Fenzl in Flora 27: 312 (1844).

Type: Polydora stoechadifolia Fenzl

Crystallopollen Steetz in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot.: 363 (1864).

Type: Crystallopollen angustifolium Steetz = Polydora angustifolia (Steetz) H.Rob.

Mostly annual (rarely perennial) herbs, stem and leaves with L- or asymmetrically T-shaped hairs with short multicellular stem and elongate-attenuate, one-armed cap-cell. Leaves alternate, narrow. Capitula discoid, either solitary and terminal, or in a thyrsoid panicle with corymbose branches. Involucre campanulate; involucral bracts in ±6 or 7 series, imbricate, lanceolate, usually apiculate or mucronte, often with scarious margins, ± pubescent, often black or purple at tips; receptacle epaleate. Florets ± 30 per capitulum, corollas lilac or mauve to purplish; corolla tube long, narrowly funnel-shaped, lobes linear-attenuate, glabrous. Anthers ecaudate, with glabrous apical appendage. Style branches with needle-like sweeping hairs. Cypselas narrowly obconic-turbinate, 5- to 12- ribbed, setose on ribs with twin hairs scarcely divided apically, and gland-dotted between ribs; pappus biseriate, outer series of small fimbriate scales, inner series of barbellate bristles. Pollen lophate and pantoporate (with more than five pores).

The genus includes a handful of species from tropical, subtropical and southern Africa. Species limits in the group are still unclear, and the number of species is likely to be fewer than currently recognised.