Dendrosenecio elgonensis
Encyclopedia
Dendrosenecio elgonensis is one of the giant groundsel of East Africa
, this one is endemic to Mount Elgon
. They used to be considered part of the Senecio
genus but recently have been reclassified to their own genus
Dendrosenecio
.
2.5 to 3 centimeters in diameter. D. elgonensis generally keeps its stem cloaked with its withered and decaying foliage (or with retained leaf-bases after fire) but eventually loses them as bark develops. "Periodic reproduction yields sparsely branched, spreading plants that rarely exceed five reproductive cycles."
Leaf surfaces are elliptic or heart-shaped, 97 centimeters long and 32 centimeters wide. The lower portion of the leaves are hairless except for along the mid-vein.
Flower heads are presented horizontally. 11 to 13, 24 millimeter long ray florets and 40 to 70 disc florets.
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, this one is endemic to Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale.- Physical features :It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering an area of around 3500 km²....
. They used to be considered part of the Senecio
Senecio
Senecio is a genus of the daisy family that includes ragworts and groundsels. The flower heads are normally rayed, completely yellow, and the heads are borne in branched clusters...
genus but recently have been reclassified to their own genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Dendrosenecio
Dendrosenecio
Dendrosenecio is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is a segregate of Senecio, in which it formed the subgenus Dendrosenecio...
.
Description
Dendrosenecio elgonensis can grow to 7 meters tall, with a trunk to 30 centimeters in diameter and pithPith
Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which store and transport nutrients throughout the plant. In eudicots, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocots, it extends also into flowering stems and roots...
2.5 to 3 centimeters in diameter. D. elgonensis generally keeps its stem cloaked with its withered and decaying foliage (or with retained leaf-bases after fire) but eventually loses them as bark develops. "Periodic reproduction yields sparsely branched, spreading plants that rarely exceed five reproductive cycles."
Leaf surfaces are elliptic or heart-shaped, 97 centimeters long and 32 centimeters wide. The lower portion of the leaves are hairless except for along the mid-vein.
Flower heads are presented horizontally. 11 to 13, 24 millimeter long ray florets and 40 to 70 disc florets.
Infraspecific name synonymy
The names for the giant groundsels have become somewhat confusing:- Dendrosenecio elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) E.B.Knox
- Dendrosenecio elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) E.B.Knox subsp. barbatipes (Hedberg) E.B.Knox
- Dendrosenecio johnstonii (Oliv.) B.Nord. subsp. barbatipes (Hedberg) B.Nord.
- Senecio barbatipes Hedberg
- Senecio gardneri Cotton - non C.B.Clarke-- nom.illegit. (ill.)
- Senecio gardneri Cotton var. ligulatus Cotton & Blakelock
- Senecio johnstonii Oliv. subsp. barbatipes (Hedberg) Mabb.
- Senecio johnstonii Oliv. var. ligulatus (Cotton & Blakelock) C.Jeffrey
- Dendrosenecio elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) E.B.Knox subsp. elgonensis
- Dendrosenecio johnstonii (Oliv.) B.Nord. subsp. elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) B.Nord.
- Senecio amblyphyllus Cotton
- Senecio elgonensis T.C.E.Fr.
- Senecio johnstonii Oliv. var. elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) Mabb.
- Dendrosenecio elgonensis (T.C.E.Fr.) E.B.Knox subsp. barbatipes (Hedberg) E.B.Knox