- Family: Crassulaceae J.St.-Hil.
- Genus: Crassula L.
Crassula nodulosa Schönland
- Genus: Crassula L.
[FTEA]
Crassulaceae, G.E. Wickens. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987
- Morphology General Habit
- Biennial or perennial rosette herb with tuberous root.
- Morphology Stem
- Stems annual, dying back after flowering, terete, erect, usually solitary, rarely 2–3(fide F.Z.), usually simple, up to 42(–80) cm. high, 3–6(–11) mm. in diameter, whitish, greyish or fulvous papillose-hairy; hairs up to 0.75 mm. long, spreading or ± reflexed-appressed, or sometimes very short and bulliform, scattered to dense.
- Morphology Leaves
- Rosette leaves apparently persistent, tightly packed, orbicular (but not in E. Africa) or broadly obovate to narrowly triangular-lanceolate, up to 5(–7) cm. long, 1.5(–3) cm. wide, apex rounded to acute or acuminate, bases of opposite leaves united to form a sheath around the stem up to 1 mm. high, margins entire and papillose-ciliate, glabrous to sparsely papillose-pubescent above and beneath or glabrous above and pubescent beneath; cauline leaves similar but smaller, equalling or shorter than the internodes, grading into bracts.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence consisting of numerous verticillasters of subcapitate cymes in the axils of the bracts, lower bracts sometimes developing short fertile branches; cymes usually very condensed, up to 2–5 cm. in diameter, shortly and inconspicuously pedunculate; pedicels up to 4 mm. long, papillose-pubescent or glabrous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers 5-merous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx-lobes ovate-lanceolate to oblong- or triangular-lanceolate, (1.5–)2–4(–4.5) mm. long, acute, united at the base for 0.5–1 mm., margins papillose-ciliate, dorsal surface glabrous to ± densely papillose-pubescent.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Petals white, oblong-ovate to oblong-elliptic or oblong, 2.2–4 mm. long, obtuse to subacute, thickened and somewhat hooded, with a subapical conical appendage up to 0.5 mm. long, margins smooth or minutely ciliate, dorsal surface minutely scabrid towards the apex.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamen-filaments attached to the base of the petals, 0.7–2 mm. long; anthers oblong-ovate, 0.5–0.75 mm. long.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
- Nectary scales transversely oblong to square, up to 0.5 mm. long, truncate or slightly emarginate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Carpels oblong-ovate, 1–2 mm. long, contracted into a very short style with ± lateral stigma.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds 8–16 per carpel, oblong, ± 0.5 mm. long, 0.25 mm. wide, minutely longitudinally rugulose.
[FZ]
Crassulaceae, R. Fernandes. Flora Zambesiaca 7:1. 1983
- Morphology General Habit
- A biennial or perennial succulent herb with a tuberous root and a basal rosette of leaves up to 10 cm. in diameter, sometimes very dense and ± persisting at flowering time.
- Morphology Stem
- Stem up to 60(80) cm. high, leafy below, floriferous above, usually solitary, rarely 2-3 per root, simple, rarely with some slender short to ± long branches at the median cauline nodes or at the lower floral ones, terete, firm, slender to ± thick (up to 8(11) mm. in diameter at the base), whitish, greyish or fulvous-papillose-pilose (the hairs up to 0·75 mm. long, patent or subretrorse, ± dense, obtuse or acute, sometimes very short and bubble-like).
- Morphology Leaves
- Rosulate leaves ± dense, all spreading or the uppermost erect, up to 5(7) x 3·5 cm., obovate-spathulate to broadly obovate, ovate or suborbicular or oblong to oblanceolate or lanceolate, rounded, obtuse or acute at the apex, entire and pectinate-ciliate at the margin (the cilia up to 1 mm. long, retrorse, acute, rigid, whitish), sessile and somewhat connate at the base, flat, fleshy and green when fresh, firm and ± dark on drying, glabrous or ± densely to sparsely papillose-hairy on both faces or only on the lower one (sometimes glabrous leaves and hairy ones occur in different plants of the same gathering); lower cauline leaves similar to the uppermost basal ones but smaller and less obtuse or more acute, ± approximate to ± distant, subpatent to suberect, the median ones passing gradually into the leafy bracts; lower cauline internodes up to 6·5 cm. long, the following shortening successively into the floral ones.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers 5-merous in numerous (up to 34) verticillasters in the axils of opposite leafy bracts, forming a ± long, usually narrow, sometimes up to 4-3 cm. in diam., spike-like inflorescence, interrupted below, nearly continuous towards the apex; lower floral internodes up to 4 cm. long; individual cymes usually very condensed and subcapitate, up to 2·5 cm. in diameter, shortly pedunculate (apparently sessile); bracts similar to the upper cauline leaves, but shorter and relatively broader, the lower ones shorter or longer than the cymes, the others shorter, ± densely to sparsely papillose at least towards the base on the underside or glabrous everywhere; pedicels up to 3·5(4) mm. long, papillose-hairy or glabrous.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx (1·5)2-4(4·5) mm. long; sepals ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, not to ± attenuate, acute, erect or slightly spreading, ciliate at the margin, connate for ± 0·75 mm. at base, usually hispidulous all over the dorsal surface or only along the median line, rarely completely glabrous, purplish.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla 2·25-4 mm. long, white or reddish; petals erect and subconnivent, ovate-oblong to oblong-elliptic or oblong, obtuse or sometimes subacute, with slightly inflexed apex, dorsally mucronate at the inflexion (the mucro ± up to 0·5 mm. long, conical, solid, acute or obtuse), smooth or ciliate at the margins, connate at the base, minutely tuberculate-scabrid (including the mucro) on the outer surface towards the apex.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Filaments 0·75-2 mm. long; anthers ± 0·5 mm. to 0·75 mm. long, oblong-ovate.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Follicles 1-1·5(2) mm. long, obliquely ovate-oblong, contracted into the very short or almost absent styles; stigmas thick, subsessile, lateral (at least at maturity).
- Morphology General Scales
- Scales up to 0·5 mm. long, as long as to shorter than broad, cuneate-spathulate to subrectangular, truncate or slightly emarginate, narrowly thickened at the upper margin.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds minutely tuberculate.
Native to:
Angola, Botswana, Cape Provinces, Free State, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
- Crassula avasimontana Dinter
- Crassula capitella subsp. enantiophylla (Baker f.) Toelken
- Crassula capitella subsp. nodulosa (Schönland) Toelken
- Crassula capitella subsp. sessilicymula (Moggr.) Toelken
- Crassula elata N.E.Br.
- Crassula enantiophylla Baker f.
- Crassula guchabensis Merxm.
- Crassula pectinata Conrath
- Crassula sessilicymula Mogg
Crassula nodulosa Schönland appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 1, 1976 | Conrath, P. [287], South Africa | Crassula capitella subsp. nodulosa | K000232675 | holotype |
First published in Rec. Albany Mus. 1: 56 (1903)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
- Wickens, G.E. (1987). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Crassulaceae: 1-66.
- Launert, E. (ed.) (1983). Flora Zambesiaca 7(1): 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Launert, E. (ed.) (1983). Flora Zambesiaca 7(1): 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- R. Fernandes in Flora Zambesiaca 7: 29, t. 5 (1983).
- R. Fernandes in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 55: 108 (1982)
- R. Fernandes in Consp. Fl. Angol., Fam. 70: 12 (1982)
- R. Fernandes in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 52: 189 (1979)
- A.D.Q. Agnew, Upland Kenya Wild Flowers p. 104 (1974).
- Jacobsen, Lex. Succ. Pl.: 163 (1974).
- A.J. Jex-Blake, Some Wild Flowers of Kenya p. 12 (1948).
- Schönl. in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 17: 247 (1929).
- Schönl. in Rec. Albany Mus. 1: 56 (1903)
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0