Achyranthemum N. G. Bergh, a new genus segregated from Syncarpha DC. (Asteraceae, Gnaphalieae) * Author Bergh, N. G. Author Manning, J. C. text South African Journal of Botany 2019 2019-09-30 125 434 456 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2019.08.015 journal article 10.1016/j.sajb.2019.08.015 1727-9321 10496693 Achyranthemum N.G.Bergh , gen. nov . Type species : Achyranthemum paniculatum (L.) N.G.Bergh Helichrysum [unranked] Paniculatae [as ‘ Paniculata ’] Harv. in Fl. Cap. 3: 225 (1865). Type : H. paniculatum (L.) Willd. = A. paniculatum (L.) N.G.Bergh, lecto., designated here. Diagnosis: Perennial shrublets; abaxial or both leaf surfaces with a grey-white, usually dense and sheathing indumentum of hairs; capitula homogamous, discoid; involucral bract stereomes undivided, laminae papery and shiny; receptacles epaleate; apical anther appendages mucronate to caudiculate, cypsela twin hairs ± hemispherical and without a swelling cushion; pappus bristles fused into a smooth ring at the base, shaft nude to scabrid, apex scabrid to barbellate. Low, sparsely branched subshrubs, usually 0.2–0.7 m high but up to 1.2 m , woody below, branching mostly near base, stems simple or sparsely branched above, new growth initiated from below previous year’ s synflorescence. Leaves alternate, laxly to densely imbricate, sessile, basal portion apressed or decurrent, distal portion erect to spreading, sometimes incurved or apically recurved, linear to oblanceolate, ± concave or conduplicate, size variable, 8–35(–65) × 0.8–3.0(–5.0) mm, margins flat or narrowly involute, usually mucronate or sometimes pungent, firm-textured or rigid, abaxial or both leaf surfaces with a dense (rarely sparse) indumentum of grey-white or silvery hairs, usually cohering to form a reticulating sheath-like layer. Capitula terminal, (1–)3 to 12(–40) in corymbiform synflorescences, spherical or cylindrical, 7–18 × 4–18 mm , sessile in bud but usually pedunculate at maturity, individual peduncles slender, branched or unbranched, 2–60 mm long, variously hairy, subtended by a basal leaf and often bearing one or two bracteoles. Involucral bracts ± 40 to 120 in ±6–9 series, with a distinct stereome and lamina, stereome undivided, cartilaginous, strongly curved, concave, thickened and tinged reddish-purple, abaxially with a patch of woolly hairs, size relative to lamina increasing acropetally; lamina and margins thin, glabrous, shiny and papery, white, cream, or yellow, frequently tinged pink when immature, rarely rose-pink at maturity, progressively narrower acropetally; outermost involucral bracts erect or squarrose at maturity, broadly lanceolate, stereome small, lamina and margins translucent, lamina apically acute, somewhat keeled; most bracts in middle series, erect sometimes becoming squarrose, linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, overtopping florets, with small ovate stereome bearing a patch of dense white hairs; bracts in innermost series sparse, smaller than outer and middle, erect, equalling florets, stereome linear, cartilaginous with dark purple-brown steaks and glabrous or with a patch of long, tangled white hairs on the abaxial apex, lamina as in outer bracts but short and obtuse. Receptacle flat, shallowly tubercled or honeycombed. Florets ±(20–)40 to 90(–150), hermaphrodite, corolla not or slightly expanded apically, yellow, lobes small, recurved after anthesis, narrowly triangular, acute with marginal vascular trace, abaxially bearing small globose trichomes; anther apical appendage acuminate to caudiculate. Cypselae cylindrical, dark reddish-brown, bearing hemispherical myxogenic twin hairs without a swelling cushion. Pappus bristles united at base into a smooth ring, shaft barbellate, apex nude but ends of apical cells inflated and enlarged forming acute, barb-like projections, frequently appressed. Basic chromosome number : unknown. Species 7, almost restricted to the Core Cape Floristic Region of South Africa , with most taxa centred on the coastal plain in the Algoa Bay area. Key to the species of Achyranthemum : 1. Leaves with a dense sheath-like layer of thick, long silvery-white arachnoid hairs that cohere to form shiny , ropy longitudinally oriented reticulating strands.......................................................................................................2 1'. Leaves not as above: either with a thick layer of tangled villous hairs, or with a very thin layer of fine, cohering grey-white hairs; or with a sparse- to dense covering of long non-cohering, non-tangled, straight whitish hairs...................................................................................................3 1. Capitula strictly solitary.................................................................................3. A. recurvatum 2'. Capitula in groups of at least 2, rarely a plant with some solitary capitula..............................................................................................................................4 3. Stems below synflorescences sparsely leafy; inner involucral bracts white, outer bracts white and deep rose-pink; rarely all bracts white..................................................................................................................................5. A. affine 3'. Stems below synflorescences densely leafy; involucral bracts whitish (white, cream or greyish) or yellow....................................................5 4. Involucral bracts yellow, sometimes inner bracts flushed pink when immature............................................................................................................2. A. mucronatum 4'. Involucral bracts white, sometimes inner bracts flushed pink when immature...............................................................................................1. A. paniculatum 5. Peduncles shortly grey-felted but lacking long spreading hairs...6 5'. Peduncles dark reddish-brown and densely covered with very slender, long, spreading whitish hairs................................................................7. A. striatum 6. Leaves with a thick loose indumentum of tangled villous hairs; involucral bracts cream to very pale yellow becoming greyish with age, capitula narrowly cupulate, up to 10 mm long; corolla tube 6.5–7.0 mm long...........................................................................................................6. A. sordescens 6'. Leaves with a thin sheath-like layer of long silvery-white arachnoid cohering hairs; involucral bracts bright white or cream, remaining so on drying, capitula spherical, 12–18 mm long; corolla tube up to 6 mm long.......................................................................................................................4. A. argenteum