Cotula bipinnata Thunb., Fl. Cap.

Powell, R. F., Boatwright, J. S. & Magee, A. R., 2014, A taxonomic revision of the Cotula coronopifolia group (Asteraceae) and implications for the conservation statuses of the species *, South African Journal of Botany 93, pp. 105-117 : 113-114

6. Cotula bipinnata Thunb., Fl. Cap. : 694 (1823);

Spreng. in Linn., Syst. Veg 3: 499 (1826); Harv. in Harv. & Sond., Fl Cap. 3: 179 (1865); Levyns in Adamson & Salter, Fl. Cap. Penins.: 161 (1950); Goldblatt & Manning, Cape Pl.: 366 (2000); Manning & Goldblatt, Pl. Gr. C.F.R. 366 (2012).

Type: South Africa. Western Cape, Clanwilliam (3218) Swartland, Piketberg, Verloeren valley (–DD) Thunberg s.n. sub THUNB-UPS 20214 (UPS, lecto. - image!, designated here).

Cotula oxydonta DC., Prodr. : 78 (1838). Type: South Africa. Western Cape, Cape Town (3318): Paarl (–DB), 1835, Drège 5827 (sheet G00455517, G-DC, lecto. - image!; TUB!, - image!, isolecto., designated here).

Cotula oxydonta var. major DC., Prodr. : 78 (1838), syn. nov. Type: South Africa. Northern Cape, Gariep, 1835, Drège 2865 (sheet G00455516, G-DC, lecto. image!, sheet G00386486, G-DC, image! isolecto., designated here).

Upright annual herb. Stems 20–300 mm, sparsely hairy, herbaceous, sometime spongy, 0.5–5.0 mm wide. Leaves alternate, spreading, consistently twice-pinnate, 8.0–80.0 × 2.0–15.0 mm, base dilated, clasping (northern populations) to prominently sheathing around the stem (often in southern populations), sheath 0.5–4.0 mm long; lobes 3.0–6.0 × 0.5–2.5 mm, leathery, light green, sparsely hairy to densely hairy, apices acute, margins entire. Capitula heterogamous, disciform, solitary, terminal, pedunculate, peduncle hairy, 5.0–25.0 mm. Involucre hemispherical, 2.0–6.0 × 3.0–7.0 mm, 1-seriate, sometimes 2-seriate, bracts lanceolate, 2.0–6.0 × 1.0–2.0 mm, glabrous, green to purplish, opaque, apex and margins scarious, distinctly three veined, secondary venation obscure. Receptacle flat, epaleate; pedicels linear, 0.3–1.0 mm at anthesis, uniform, attaching to floret apically. Disciform fl orets female, ca. 1 to 14, sometimes absent in head, in single outer series, corolla absent, style 0.2–0.4 mm, ovary marginally winged, glabrous to sparsely hairy on inner face. Disc fl orets bisexual, ca. 30 to 45, corolla 0.9–1.3 mm long, yellow to whitish, oblong, tube draped basally over ovary apex, resin canals not present, limb slightly wider than tube, 4 lobed; lobes triangular, upright to spreading, dorsally tuberculate, not glandular, anthers 0.5–1.2 mm long (including apical appendages), ecaudate, apical appendages ovate, acute; style terete with thickened base; branches truncate, papillate apically–dorsally; ovary marginally ribbed. Cypselas heteromorphic; disciform cypselas ovoid, ca. 1.1 × 0.7 mm, marginally winged, wing width ½ of the ovary, base slightly cordate, inner face glabrous to sparsely hairy; disc cypselas ovoid, ca. 1.4 × 0.5 mm, marginally ribbed, glabrous.

Diagnostic characters

The white-flowered southern populations of C. bipinnata have often been incorrectly identified as C.pusilla ( Fig. 4.I and K ), but can be distinguished by the lanceolate bracts (broadly elliptic in C. pusilla ) and the glabrous, marginally ribbed ( Fig. 4.F ) disc ovaries (winged with dense terete hairs on inner face in C. pusilla ). Cotula bipinnata may also be confused with C. coronopifolia , particularly in the Northern Cape where the leaves of the latter may be very pinnately divided ( Fig. 2.G 3 ). However, C. bipinnata is distinguished by clasping leaf bases (often sheathing in the southern populations), herbaceous stems with erect or spreading branches, regularly pinnate or bipinnate leaves ( Fig. 4.F ) and fewer disciform florets (0 to 14, 25–50 in C. coronopifolia ).

Distribution, ecology and conservation status

Populations of C. bipinnata are found on the margins of seasonal pools and streams from Namaqualand to Malmesbury and Wellington ( Fig. 10 ). Populations in the Northern Cape are largely yellowflowered, while those in the Western Cape are white-flowered. However, no other clearly discontinuous characters can be found and a few cream-flowered individuals were found around Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape. Similar floret colour variation is also found in Hippia pilosa Druce and Cotula turbinata L. The conservation status of the species remains unchanged and it is listed as LC ( Powell and von Staden, 2013) with only the southern populations threatened by habitat loss as a result of urban and agricultural expansion.

Additional specimens examined

South Africa. NORTHERN CAPE: 3017 (Hondeklipbaai): Port Nolloth, P.E. Schoeman Rylyn towards McDougalls Bay (–AC), Mucina & Santos Guerra 7256/4 (NBG): Kamieskroon, yard of Succulent Karoo Research Centre (–BB), Jakubowsky 040906/19 (NBG): Road to Skilpad, at the river (–BB), Mucina 010906/07 (NBG): Kamieskroon, Farm Wolvepoort, near Skilpad (–BB), Jakubowsky & Mucina 010906/22 (NBG): 10 km NE of Kotzerus, east of Langekloof farm (–DD), Helme 7333 (NBG); Klipfontein (–DD), Bolus 1189 (NBG). 3018 (Kamiesberg): Namaqualand, Kamieskroon, Kamiesberg Pass, on plateau top (–AA), Jakubowsky 140907/02 (NBG); Namaqualand, around campsite between Bloudraai and Witwater (–AC), Le Roux & Ramsey 782 (NBG). WESTERN CAPE: 3117 (Lepelfontein): Toringberg, 27 km West of Bitterfontein, Louisfontein 44, Pan, NE of de Toren (–BB), Helme 6353 (NBG). 3118 (Vanrynsdorp): On Hoogstaan Farm on road to Moedverloor (–AD), Boatwright & Manning, 677 (NBG); Namaqualand, Knersvlakte, Vanrhynsdorp, on road to Gifberg (–DA), Mucina 290706/06 (NBG); Vanrhynsdorp, 1 km along road to Gifberg from N7 (–DA), Manning 2779 (NBG); North of Vanrhynsdorp (–DA), Maguire 282 (NBG): Knersvlakte, Vanrhynsdorp, on road to Gifberg (–DA), Mucina 290706/ 06 (NBG). 3119 (Calvinia): Brandkop, N of Nieuwoudtville (–AA), Barker 6483 (NBG); Nieuwoudtville Flower Reserve (–AC), Snijman 2335, Mucina 7261/1, Mucina & Jakubowsky 130907/04 (NBG); Nieuwoudtville, Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve (–AC), Pretorius 175 (NBG); Nieuwoudtville, Wilheminasrivier Farm (–AC), Mucina 120907/ 18 (NBG); Hantam, Nieuwoudtville, road between Nieuwoudtville and Calvinia (–AC), Mucina 120907/10 (NBG); Hantam, Nieuwoudtville, Leeuwriet Farm, (–AC), Jakubowsky & Mucina 120907/11 (NBG); Ekerdam (–BD), Taylor 2662 (NBG); Lokenburg (–CA), Compton 11542 (NBG); West coast, Aurora, Klipfontein Farm 183, NE of Utopia at the road Aurora– Piketberg (–CB), Mucina & Steffan 270307/22 (NBG). 3217 (Vredenburg): Witklip (–DD), Compton 15909 (NBG). 3218 (Clanwilliam): Pools, near Piketberg (–DD), Manning 2645 (NBG), Levyns 10177 (BOL). 3318 (Cape Town): Langebaan distrik, Postberg Reserve, suid van die Oude Post, se poshuis (–AA), Craven 86 (NBG); West coast, Hopefield, road Malmesbury–Hopefield, Enkelvlei Boedery at turnoff to farm (–AB), Mucina & Jakubowsky 150807/03 (NBG); Hopefield (–AB), Bachman 184 (BOL); Boland, S of Gouda, at road to Wellington (–BD), Jakubowsky & Mucina 210906/52 (NBG); Robben Island (–CD), Walgate 492, 627 (NBG); Milnerton (–CD), Compton 13423 (NBG); Green Point (–CD), Pappe 38781 (SAM); West end of excavation Klipheuwel farm, North of Durbanville (–DA), Van Zyl 3168 (NBG); Near van Schoorsdrif, pool margin (–DA), Compton 20051 (NBG); Near van Schoorsdrif, beside pool (–DA), Compton 20052 (NBG); Northern end of Paarl (–DB), Esterhuysen 6138 (BOL); Klapmuts (–DD), Esterhuysen 20434 (BOL). 3319 (Worcester): Tulbagh (–AC), Hutchinson 382 (NBG); Tulbagh (–AC), Bolus s.n. (NBG); Roman River (–AC), Compton 11670 (NBG); Ceres, Warm Bokkeveld, Farm Wingerd S of Waboomberg (–AD), Jakubowsky & Mucina 210906/57 (NBG); Wellington (–CA), Compton 11632 (NBG); Karoo Garden Veld (–CB), Dobay 38 (NBG). Precise locality unknown Clanwilliam, Schlechter 5065 (NBG); Between Nieuwoutdville and Garies. Levyns 6972 (BOL).

Figures

Fig.4.Floret variation showing the disciform and disc floret of each species in the Cotulacoronopifolia group.(A) C.myriophylloides: (A1) disciform floret;(A2) disc floret;(B) C.eckloniana: (B1) disciform floret,(B2) disc floret dorsal view,(B3) disc floret ventral view with ovary,(B4) disc floret ventral view without ovary; (C) C.vulgaris: (C1) disciform floret,(C2) disc floret; (D) C.fililfolia: (D1) disciform floret, (D2) disc floret; (E) C.pusilla: (E1) disciform floret, (E2) disc floret; (F) C.bipinnata: (F1) disciform floret, (F2) disc floret; (G) C.coronopifolia: (G1) disciform floret, (G2) disc floret. Vouchers: (A) Compton 15396 (NBG); (B) Mucina & Jakubowsky 040606/12 (NBG); (C) Gubb 76 (NBG); (D) Helme 3483 (NBG);(E) Jakubowsky 1/2007 (NBG); (F) Compton 11632 (NBG); (G) Oliver, TÖlken & Venter 313 (NBG).Scale = 1 mm. Artist R.F.Powell.

Fig. 2. Leaf variation in the Cotula coronopifolia group.(A) C.myriophylloides; (B) C.eckloniana; (C) C.vulgaris; (D) C.filifolia; (E) C.pusilla; (F) C.bipinnata; (G) C.coronopifolia, note that G3 illustrates the very divided leaves found in the Northern Cape populations.Vouchers:(A) Helme 5675 (NBG); (B) Barker 5788 (NBG); (C) Pappe 38780 (NBG); (D) Compton 9090 (NBG); (E) Schlechter 1066 (NBG); (F) Walgate 492 (NBG); (G) Le Roux & Ramsey 315 (NBG).Scale:A–D = 5 mm; E–G3 = 10 mm. Artist R.F. Powell.

Fig. 3. Bract variation in the Cotula coronopifolia group. (A) C. myriophylloides; (B) C. eckloniana, outer (B1) and inner (B2) bracts; (C) C. vulgaris; (D) C. filifolia; (E) C.pusilla; (F) C. bipinnata; (G) C. coronopifolia.Vouchers:(A) Compton 15396 (NBG); (B) Mucina & Jakubowsky 040606/12 (NBG); (C) Gubb 76 (NBG); (D) Helme 3483 (NBG); (E) Jakubowsky 1/2007 (NBG); (F) Compton 11632 (NBG); (G) Oliver, TÖlken & Venter 313 (NBG). Scale = 1 mm. Artist R.F.Powell.

Fig. 10. Known geographical distribution of Cotula bipinnata.