Inulanthera KällersjÖ

Magoswana, S. L., Boatwright, J. S., Manning, J. C. & Magee, A. R., 2016, A taxonomic revision of Inulanthera (Asteraceae: Anthemideae) *, South African Journal of Botany 105, pp. 141-157 : 144-145

Inulanthera KällersjÖ in Nord. J. Bot. 5 (6): 539 (1986);

Bremer & Humphries in Bull. Bri t. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Bot. 23: 95 (1993).

Type: I. calva (Hutch.) KällersjÖ (= I. dregeana (DC.) KällersjÖ).

Single to multi-stemmed shrubs, 0.3–2 m tall, usually resprouting from a woody caudex or rarely reseeding; stems sub-erect, simple or branched from near base or in upper half, 1–8 mm diam., striate, glabrous or sparsely lanate. Leaves alternate, sub-erect to incurved or spreading to recurved, linear to obovate or pinnatisect to bi-pinnatisect, 2–70 × 1–40 mm, entire, dentate or serrate; base tapering or cuneate to auriculate, plane or margins revolute, glabrous to villous or whitish woolly, sometimes ± discolorous, glandular-punctate, coriaceous; axillary shoots absent or developed in upper or lower leaves. Capitula homogamous, in sparse or dense compound corymbs 15–130 mm across; inflorescence branches 5–40 mm long, sometimes with primary branches 15–40 mm long and secondary branches 3–35 mm long; inflorescence bracts linear to elliptic or lanceolate, 2–10 × 1–9 mm. Involucre campanulate or subglobose, 3–10 × 3–12 mm, involucral bracts 3- to 5-seriate, glabrous to pubescent or cobwebby to densely whitish woolly, conspicuously orange gland-dotted; outer bracts ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–3.0 mm, obtuse to acuminate or attenuate, serrulate. Receptacle conical, paleate or rarely epaleate ( I. nuda only). Florets bisexual, 20 to 75, yellow; corolla funnel-shaped, 5-lobed, glandular, tube ± as long as limb. Anthers tailed, apical appendages ovate, endothecial cells polarized. Style terete with thickened base, branches truncate, papillate apically. Cypselas obconic or obovoid, 1.0–2.5 × 0.5–1.0 mm, prominently 7- to 10-ribbed, brownish-gold, glabrous to scabrid, sessile glands sometimes present between ribs ( I. dregeana and I. tridens ); non-myxogenic. Pappus formed by ribs extended apically into small horns or scales 0.2–0.5 x ± 0.5 mm, scales sometimes becoming broadly membranous and basally connate.

Diagnostic characters

Inulanthera shares tailed anthers with the shrubby South African genus Osmitopsis but is distinguished from that genus by the discoid capitula (generally in corymbs) and apically papillate, linear styles. Osmitopsis is characterised by conspicuously radiate capitula with white ray florets and apically penicillate, linear to oblong styles.

Distribution and ecology

Nine species distributed in South Africa from Eastern Cape Province through KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, extending to Lesotho and Swaziland, with a single species endemic to either Angola ( Inulanthera schistostephioides ), Madagascar ( I. brownii ) and Zimbabwe ( I. nuda ). Occurring on mountain slopes in thick grassland, on forest margins and bush clumps or along streams, often on dolerite, sandstone or basalt.

Key to the species of Inulanthera

1. Primary leaves without axillary leaf tufts or shoots:

2. Plants single-stemmed; leaves glabrous, sessile, ovate to lanceolate and sharply serrate ……………………………………......... 4. I. leucoclada

2′. Plants multi-stemmed; leaves pubescent, at least beneath, narrowed at base or petiolate, obovate to elliptic, entire or variously lobed but not sharply serrate:

3. Leaves pinnatisect; involucral bracts rounded; endemic to Angola ……….……………………………… 7. I. schistostephioides

3′. Leaves entire to 2- or 3-lobed, involucral bracts attenuate or obtuse; widespread in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland:

4. Straggling shrublets; leaves narrowly oblong to elliptic, entire or 3-lobed with lanceolate lobes; involucral bracts attenuate with dark apices …………………………. 9. I. tridens 4′. Stout rounded shrubs; leaves linear or deeply 2- or 3-lobed with linear lobes; involucral bracts obtuse without dark apices ………………………...………………………………........... 8. I. thodei

1′. At least upper primary leaves with axillary leaf tufts or shoots:

5. Leaves pinnatisect:

6. Receptacle paleate; involucral bracts glabrous; leaves ≤ 8 mm long by ≤ 2 wide; endemic to South Africa ……………………… 2. I. coronopifolia .

6′. Receptacle epaleate; involucral bracts pubescent; leaves ≥ 10 mm long by ≥ 5 mm wide; endemic to Zimbabwe ………………... 6. I. nuda

5′. Leaves entire, or variously lobed but never pinnately cut:

7. Leaf margins sharply and regularly serrate to base; leaves and involucral bracts glabrous ………….……………………………. 5. I. montana

7′. Leaf margins lobed or serrate in distal half only; leaves and involucral bracts cobwebby to glabrescent:

8. Leaves sub-erect, obovate to oblanceolate, 3- to 10-crenate or -dentate in distal half, 4–15 mm wide, base attenuate; endemic to Madagascar …………………………………………………… 1. I. brownii

8′. Leaves spreading to recurved, oblong to narrowly ovate, 3- to 5-lobed, 3–5 mm wide, base cuneate; endemic to South Africa ……………………………………………………. 3. I. dregeana .