Gerbera grandis J.C.Manning & B.Simka, 2016

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 : 156

8. Gerbera grandis J.C.Manning & B.Simka , sp. nov.

Type: South Africa, Western Cape Province, Caledon (3419): Vogelgat, above Silver Stairs , dry, stony, N facing slopes, (− AD), 15 Oct 1988, Williams 3695 (NBG, holo. [3 sheets])

Acaulescent perennial. Leaves suberect, blades oblanceolate, (50–)95–220 × (18–) 25–45 mm, obtuse, base attenuate, margins dentate or regularly toothed, rarely sinuate, rarely revolute, only slightly discolorous, upper surface glabrous, pale green or yellowish green, under surface densely yellowish–brownish felted or woolly; petioles 55–70 mm long, whitish felted, densely silky at base. Scapes sparsely bracteate, 210–550 mm long, densely whitish felted, bracts ±5, subulate, 7–15 mm, densely whitish felted. Capitula ± 30–55 mm diam. Involucre campanulate; bracts 3- or 4-subseriate, densely whitish felted, subulate, attenuate, inner bracts 20–27 mm long. Ray fl orets ± 30, white, cream or pale yellow, perianth tube 7 mm long, lower limb 33 mm long, upper limb 3–7 mm long, staminodes present. Disc fl orets pale in colour, tube 6 mm long, limbs 5–8 mm long; anther appendages pale yellow. Cypselas not seen. Pappus bristles 7–9 mm long, whitish tawny.

Flowering time: September to October.

Distribution and ecology: a local endemic of the Kleinrivier Mountains in Western Cape, where it is known so far only from Vogelgat above Hermanus in the west and Salmonsdam Nature Reserve near Stanford in the east ( Fig. 10 ), occurring on sandstone slopes at around 400 m. The species flowers only after fire.

Diagnosis: the largest species in the genus, Gerbera grandis resembles G. tomentosa in the densely woolly scapes and involucral bracts, the yellowish–brownish felted leaf under surface ( Fig. 2H ) and the pale yellow anther appendages but is distinguished by its larger size, with scapes up to 550 mm long, the suberect, pale green, oblanceolate leaves with blades mostly more than 90 mm long ( Fig. 2H ), and the attenuate and much longer inner involucral bracts, 20–27 mm long. Typical G. tomentosa , which is also recorded from the Kleinrivier Mountains, has leaf blades less than 60 mm long, and lanceolate involucral bracts up to 15 mm long.

Additional collections examined.

South Africa. WESTERN CAPE: 3419 (Caledon): Vogelgat Nature Reserve, burnt hillside, (− AD), 15 Oct 1986, Stirton 11,172 (NBG); Keeromskloof summit, Salmonsdam Nature Reserve , (− BC), 11 Sep 1981, Fellingham 54 (NBG) .

Figures

Fig. 10. Distribution of Gerbera grandis.

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.