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Spermacoce filifolia
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Photo: Penny English
in damp grassy area near a seasonal pan, in mopane woodland, Midlands
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| Synonyms: |
Borreria filifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) K. Schum. Octodon filifolium Schum. & Thonn. |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Erect annual herb 15–90 cm tall with 1-several mostly hairless stems. Leaves sessile, filiform 3–10 cm; stipule sheaths long and narrow at sterile nodes c. 5 mm, with 1–2 setae mostly 3 mm long but much wider at flowering nodes 0.5–1 cm wide, with 3 short subulate setae up to c. 1 mm long. Flowers 10–50 in tight clusters up to 1.3 cm wide, supported by the stipular involucre at the terminal and 1–2 immediately lower nodes. Calyx tube 1 mm long, hairy above; lobes 8, minute, c. 0.5 mm long, more or less purplish. Corolla tube white, c. 1.5 mm long, funnel-shaped; lobes blue or purple, c. 1 mm long. Capsule with upper half purplish, more or less obovoid, c. 4 mm long, opening at the apex, densely covered with distinctive flattened white or purple hairs. |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | filifolia: with very narrowly linear, filiform or thread-like leaves. |
| Habitat: | In mixed Acacia woodland and Hyparrhenia grassland, termite mounds by dambos, road drains, etc., mostly in damp or wet places but also drier Brachystegia-Isoberlinia woodland. |
| Altitude range: | 1120 - 1200 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Senegal to Nigeria, DRC, Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. |
| Malawi distribution: | N |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Content last updated: | Sunday 24 June 2018 |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 252. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 74. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 92. Verdcourt, B. (1988). Rubiaceae, Part 1 Flora Zambesiaca 5(1) Page 174. (Includes a picture). |
Other sources of information about Spermacoce filifolia:
Our websites:
Flora of Zambia: Spermacoce filifoliaFlora of Zimbabwe: Spermacoce filifolia
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Spermacoce filifoliaBHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Spermacoce filifolia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Spermacoce filifolia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Spermacoce filifolia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Spermacoce filifolia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Spermacoce filifolia
JSTOR Plant Science: Spermacoce filifolia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Spermacoce filifolia
Plants of the World Online: Spermacoce filifolia
Tropicos: Spermacoce filifolia
Wikipedia: Spermacoce filifolia
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