Asteraceae

Gazania Gaertn.

First published in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 451 (1791), nom. cons.
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is S. Tropical & S. Africa.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Rhizomatous perennial herbs, more rarely annuals or subshrubs, with ± rosulate or alternate, oblanceolate to elliptic, entire to pinnately lobed leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula solitary, long- or short- pedunculate, radiate, heterogamous; involucre campanulate; phyllaries 2–4-seriate, connate for at least half their length into a basal cup; receptacle convex or conical, alveolate, naked
Ray
Ray florets’ rays neuter and sterile, usually yellow, orange or red, often dark-spotted at base; disc florets hermaphrodite, fertile
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes turbinate or clavate, ± densely sericeous; pappus scales biseriate, delicate, equal or outer series somewhat shorter.
Distribution
17 species in southern Africa, extending to Angola and Tanzania.
Etymology
Gazania (said to be named after Theodore of Gaza, 1398–1478, who translated Aristotle and Theophrastus).
[FIQ]

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit
Plants scapose, or with suberect to decumbent leafy stems. Perennial herbs with woody rootstocks, (rarely annual herbs or dwarf subshrubs with woody branches).
Morphology Leaves
Leaves basal and crowded, or alternate, araneose or glabrescent on the upper surface, white felted-araneose beneath, ± linear to oblanceolate or obovate, entire or pinnatilobed to pinnatifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula heterogamous, radiate, solitary on scapes or terminal on the stem and branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries connate below into a deeply cup-shaped ± campanulate involucre, sometimes ± obconic; free parts in 2–3 rows inserted on the rim of the connate part, with none or few scattered on the fused portion.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle ± shallowly alveolate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Disk-florets hermaphrodite, numerous, corollas yellow, infundibuliform; anther bases sagittate, shortly mucronate-acuminate; style branches linear; achenes narrowly turbinate, villous with hairs exceeding or ± equalling the pappus; pappus of biseriate subequal narrow delicate accrescent scales, at first difficult to distinguish from the ovary hairs, the outer pappus scales sessile, the inner scales shortly stipitate. Ray-florets uniseriate, neuter, without staminodes; corollas mostly yellow with rays sometimes whitish or orange inside and greenish or reddish-striped outside, sometimes with a dark spot at the base, strap-shaped ascending-erect; achenes wanting.
[FZ]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0