Pentzia pinnatifida

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Compositae

The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.

Genus Pentzia

Shrubs [subshrubs ], [5-]15-35[-50] cm (usually aromatic ). Stems 1-10+, usually much branched, ± tomentose (hairs medifixed ) [glabrate or glabrous ]. Leaves cauline (often fascicled, ± ericoid) ; alternate [opposite]; petiolate or sessile; blades linear to obovate or cuneate, often 1[-2]-pinnately lobed , ultimate margins entire or toothed , faces ± tomentose [glabrate or glabrous]. Heads discoid , borne singly or in loose , corymbiform arrays (pedunculate ). Involucres spheric to hemispheric or broader, 3-6[-12+] mm diam. Phyllaries persistent or tardily falling, 22-40[-60+] in 3-4+ series, distinct , deltate-ovate to elliptic or obovate (sometimes each with central resin canal and/or keel), unequal, margins and apices (often hyaline , sometimes brownish) ± scarious (tips of inner ± dilated ). Receptacles conic [convex to hemispheric], epaleate. Ray florets 0. Disc florets 40-100[-200+], bisexual , fertile ; corollas yellow, tubes ± cylindric (usually dilated, with relatively thick vascular strands ), throats abruptly dilated, lobes 5, triangular. Cypselae narrowly obovoid to oblong or elliptic, ± terete or flattened, ribs 5, faces gland-dotted between ribs (pericarps with myxogenic cells abaxially and along ribs) ; pappi of 1 (often cupped or earlike) or 3-5 (erose to lacerate ) scales (usually more developed adaxially) [asymmetrically coroniform or 0]. x = 9.

Species ± 23: introduced ; Africa (mostly South Africa, also Namibia and Mediterranean Africa and adjacent areas).[1]

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Class: Magnoliopsida () - Brongniart, 1843 - Dicotyledons
        Subclass: Asteridae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Campanulanae () - Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
        Order: Asterales () - Lindley, 1833
        Family: Compositae () - Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
        Subfamily: Asteroideae ()
        Tribe: Anthemideae ()
        Subtribe: Matricariinae ()
        Genus: Pentzia () - Thunberg, 1800 - [For Hendrik Christian Pentz, 1738-1803, Swedish plant collector]
        Specific epithet: pinnatifida - Oliv. (1880)
        Botanical name: - Pentzia pinnatifida Oliv. (1880)