Chascanum pumilum E.Mey.

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Verbenaceae > Chascanum

Characteristics

Leaves petiolate, somewhat fleshy when fresh, rather thick and rigid when dried, grey-green to dark green on both surfaces; lamina 1–3.5 × 0.6–2.2 cm, elliptic to ovate-oblong or subspathulate, rounded to obtuse at the apex, tapering ± abruptly or gradually into the petiole, dentate to serrate-dentate in the upper ½ to 2/3, with 2–4 teeth on each side, entire toward the base, puberulous on both surfaces; midrib somewhat impressed above, prominent beneath; petiole 0.5–2.5 cm long, flatish.
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Shrub or dwarf shrub, up to 0.3 m tall. Leaves opposite, 2-ranked, elliptic-ovate or ovate-oblong, narrowed apically, densely covered with sharp-pointed, appressed hairs, margin coarsely toothed, mostly with new shoots and leaves in axils. Flowers in short, terminal spikes, slender-tubed with a flat, 5-parted limb, white to yellow. Jan.-Apr.(-Oct.).
Inflorescences of 1–few-flowered spikes 1–3.5 cm long, terminal on branches and branchlets, and overtopped by lateral branchlets also bearing terminal inflorescences (dichasial-like); peduncle 0 or very short; bracts c. 3 × 1 mm, ovate or lanceolate; bracteoles 1–1.5 mm long, subulate.
Schizocarp 6–7 mm long and 2–2.5 mm wide, oblong-ovoid, reticulate-alveolate at the apex and around the pit, faintly reticulate-striate at the posterior face; pit 4.5–5.5 × 2.7 mm, deeply excavate, bordered by a prominent-toothed margin; the 2 mericarps not separating when ripe.
Calyx 11–14 mm long and c. 1.4 mm in diameter, puberulous outside and minutely hairy inside; teeth c. 0.2 mm long, subulate, subequal; fruiting calyx up to 3 mm in diameter, oblong-ovoid, somewhat gibbous at the base, splitting nearly to the apex, chartaceous when dry.
Corolla white, with a slender tube abruptly expanded into a flat limb; tube 1.4–2.7 cm long and c. 0.7 mm in diameter at the base, up to c. 2.2 mm in diameter above, straight; lobes 2.9–3.5 × 1.7–2 mm, emarginate.
Twiggy shrublet to 50 cm. Leaves glaucous, opposite, ovate, petiolate, mostly 5-7-toothed. Flowers in subcapitate spikes, cream-coloured to orange. Cocci with large, lateral areole (excavation).
Perennial herb up to 30 cm high, with a long slender woody taproot; the indumentum of minute or uniformly short, erect or somewhat retrorse, stiff eglandular white hairs.
Stems up to 7 mm thick at the base, branched; branches spreading, terete, leafy and again branched giving the plant a bushy habit, the branchlets opposite.
Filaments c. 1.4 mm long in the upper pair of stamens, c. 0.7 mm long in the lower pair.
Ovary c. 9 mm long and 0.5 mm in diameter; style 1–2 cm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.3
Root system tap-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 5-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Chascanum pumilum world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:861658-1
WFO ID wfo-0000840617
COL ID 99M8M
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Bouchea lignosa Bouchea pubescens Bouchea pumila Chascanum pumilum Plexipus pumilus Plexipus pumilus Chascanum incisum var. canescens Bouchea pumila var. subcanescens Bouchea namaquana var. latifolia Chascanum lignosum