Geigeria alata Benth. & Hook.F. ex Oliv.

Species

Angiosperms > Asterales > Asteraceae > Geigeria

Characteristics

Annual herb, usually up to 10 cm high but in temporarily swampy sites to 30 cm high; stems usually much branched, minutely scabridulous, with continuous wings up to 3 mm wide.. Leaves subopposite, sessile, lanceolate, 2–5(–8) cm long, 0.4–1.5(–2.5) cm wide, base cuneate and decurrent, margins obscurely denticulate, apex acute with a spiny point, scabridulous and glandular on both surfaces.. Capitula 7–10 mm long, solitary in leaf axils and branching points, sessile; phyllaries of two kinds, the outermost distally green and foliose, to 14 mm long and 4 mm wide, at anthesis spreading, the inner ones cream, ovate, 2–8 mm long, tapering to a spiny and outcurving tip, ciliate, glandular; receptacle with membranaceous paleae to 4 mm long, 3-lobed.. Florets 10–12; outer florets with tube cylindric, 2–3.5 mm long, ray 2.5 mm long, 0.6–0.8 mm wide and glandular beneath, style 2.5–3.8 mm long; inner florets with tube cylindric and rather squat, 1–2.6 mm long, lobes 1.2–1.5 mm long and pilose and glandular, anthers 1.4–1.5 mm long, style 2.2–4 mm long.. Achenes ellipsoid, 0.8–1.1 mm long, densely hairy; pappus of membranaceous scales, those of the inner series awned and to 2 mm long.
More
A herb. It grows 30 cm high.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.2 - 0.3
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in drier parts of south and central Africa.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

Caution: Several Geigeria species have a toxic chemical called geigerin. The leaves are used in sauces and for flavouring.
Uses food material medicinal social use
Edible leaves
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

Geigeria alata world distribution map, present in Angola, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Chad, and Yemen

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:208747-1
WFO ID wfo-0000044480
COL ID 3FGNV
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Geigeria macdougalii Diplostemma alatum Geigeria alata Cichorium alatum