Hilliardiella H. Rob.

Swelankomo, N., Manning, J. C. & Magee, A. R., 2016, The genus Hilliardiella (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) in southern Africa *, South African Journal of Botany 106, pp. 41-59 : 42

3.1. Hilliardiella H. Rob. in Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 112: 229 (1999).

Type: Hilliardiella pinifolia H. Rob. , nom. illeg. = H. capensis (Houtt.) H. Rob. et al.

Webbia DC., Prodr. 5: 72 ([Oct] 1836), nom. illegit., non Spach ([Jun] 1836).

Lectotype: Webbia pinifolia DC. , nom. illeg., designated by Robinson in Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 112: 229 (1999) = H. capensis (Houtt.) H. Rob. et al.

Vernonia subsect. Hilliardianae S.B.Jones in Rhodora 83: 66 (1981).

Type: Vernonia oligocephala (DC.) Sch. Bip. = H. elaeagnoides (DC.) N.Swelankomo & J.C.Manning.

Herbaceous perennials, with erect, leafy annual stems from a rhizomatous woody rootstock, roots thong-like, stems simple below, sometimes with ascending axillary branches above, striate, glandular and variously pubescent with eglandular trichomes T-shaped or Y-shaped and medifixed. Leaves alternate, sessile or shortly petioled, linear or lanceolate to cordate, margins entire or serrate to dentate, pilosepubescent or sericeous, especially on undersurface, eglandular trichomes T-shaped and medifixed. Capitula few to many in a terminal corymb or panicle. Involucre campanulate; involucral bracts in ±4 series, outer two series subulate, inner two series larger, oblong to lanceolate, acute to acuminate or mucronate, eglandular trichomes T-shaped and medifixed. Receptacle convex, epaleate. Florets bisexual, fertile, purple, rarely whitish or pink, corolla long and slender below and funnelshaped above, gland-dotted and with medifixed T-shaped trichomes in distal part and on lobes, 5-lobed, lobes linear-oblong. Anthers sagittate with ovate apical appendage. Style pilose or shortly hirsute distally and on branches. Cypselas 4- or 5-ribbed, gland-dotted and setosesericeous; pappus bi-seriate, outer series of small barbellate scales, inner series of barbellate bristles. Pollen non-lophate, echinate.

±10 spp., southern and tropical Africa; 7 spp. in southern Africa with 2 spp. endemic, restricted to the eastern half of the region and occurring mainly in grassland and open savannah, all of them softly woody, pyrophytic perennials with simple, erect stems flowering after fire ( Fig. 1 ).

Etymology: The genus is named for Dr. Olive Mary Hilliard, expert on Asteraceae of southern Africa, particularly of KwaZulu-Natal ( Hilliard, 1977).

3.2. Key to southern African species

1a. Plants rosulate with dimorphic leaves, radical leaves obovate to oblanceolate, sometimes lacking at flowering, cauline leaves distant and linear-ericoid … 4. H. nudicaulis .

1b. Plants not rosulate and leaves not dimorphic, stems more or less leafy throughout though upper leaves may be reduced:

2a. Leaves roughly hairy beneath, never silvery-silky:

3a. Upper part of stem with vestigial leaves; leaves thinly and equally hispid above and beneath, hairs prominently stalked with the arms mostly much shorter than the stalks … 3. H. sutherlandii .

3b. Stems leafy to the summit although upper leavers may be reduced in size but never vestigial; leaves thinly tomentose above and densely woolly-tomentose beneath, hairs short-stalked with the arms much longer than the stalks:

4a. Leaves sub-cordate to cordate at base; inner involucral bracts oblong-ovate, 3–4 mm long, abruptly contracted to shortly mucronate tip … 1. H. hirsuta .

4b. Leaves cuneate at base; inner involucral bracts lanceolate,

5–7 mm long, long-acuminate and gradually narrowed to apex … 2. H. fl anaganii.

2b. Leaves densely silvery-silky beneath and sometimes also above:

5a. Leaves ± equally densely silvery-silky on both surfaces or sometimes slightly less so above and leaves then weakly discolorous; inner involucral bracts lanceolate, acute to long-acuminate and bristle-tipped … 7. H. aristata .

5b. Leaves markedly discolorous, sub-glabrous or thinly hairy above and silvery-silky beneath; inner involucral bracts oblong-elliptic, abruptly mucronate or acute but never bristle-tipped:

6a. Leaves elliptic to sub-rotund, rarely with axillary tufts, usually less than, or not much more than, twice as long as broad, 5–25 mm wide, margins not revolute … 5. H. elaeagnoides .

6b. Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate and ericoid, often with axillary tufts, much longer than broad, 1–2 (–4) mm wide, margins strongly revolute … 6. H. capensis .

Figures

Fig. 1. Habit and morphology in southern African species of Hilliardiella. A.H. capensis flowering plant, Cathcart;B.H. aristata flowering plant, Kwelera; C.H.sutherlandii flowering plant, Johannesburg;D.H.elaeagnoides foliage,Bloemfontein;E.H.hirsuta flowering plant,Witsieshoek;F.H.hirsuta foliage,Swaziland;G,H.flanaganii foliage,Bergville.Photographs:A,B and E, J. Manning; C,A.Hankey; D, N.Berkel; F, K. Brauns; G, P. Warren.