Apiaceae
Alepidea macowani Dummer
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Common names: Amathole alepidea, MacOwan’s alepidea (Eng.); kalmoes (Afr.); ikhatazo (isiZulu); inkatazo, iqwili (isiXhosa)
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Alepidea F.Delaroche
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Common names: alepidea, tinsel flower (Eng.); kalmoes (Afr.); ikhathazo (isiZulu); iqwili (isiXhosa); lesoko (South Sotho); inkatsankatsa (Swazi)
Species
Alepidea amatymbica Eckl. & Zeyh.
A robust, erect perennial herb reaching up to 2 m tall, featuring a hollow, grooved, branched stem and aromatic rootstock. Its triangular, prominently toothed leaves form a basal rosette, with stem leaves lacking stalks. The flat-topped flowers, 20 mm wide, have 5 unequal bracts, white to pale yellow above and olive-green below, blooming from late summer to autumn.
This species is naturally found in the Amathole Mountains in Eastern Cape, extending along the east coast to KwaZulu-Natal and along the eastern border of Lesotho. It typically occurs on west- to south-facing slopes along drainage lines, in damp grassland near streams, or in rocky grassland at altitudes of 1 520–2 590 m.
Alepidea cordifolia B.-E.van Wyk
A robust, erect perennial herb up to 2 m high with a hollow, grooved stem and aromatic roots from a rhizome. Its heart-shaped basal leaves form a rosette, while stem leaves lack stalks. The plant has a 1.8 m high inflorescence with star-shaped flowerheads and 5 unequal bracts. Flowers bloom in late summer to autumn.
This species is found along the north and north-eastern borders of Lesotho, extending into the eastern Free State, western KwaZulu-Natal, Eswatini, Mpumalanga, the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, and the Chimanimani Mountains in Mozambique. It grows along forest margins, on west to north-facing mountain slopes, and on rivers or streams.
Alepidea macowanii Dummer
A robust, erect perennial herb reaching up to 2 m tall, with a hollow, grooved, branched stem and a thick, aromatic rootstock. The basal leaves are arranged in a loose rosette, simple, and range from 100 to 380 mm long and 20 to 135 mm wide. A. macowannii is distinguished by its crisped, lobed, multi-toothed leaf margins with inward-pointing setae, present in both basal leaves and peduncular bracts. Its equal or nearly equal involucral bracts differentiate it from A. amatymbica.
This species is found only in the Amathole mountain range, Eastern Cape, on steep, moist, south-facing rocky slopes.
Alepidea natalensis J.M.Wood & M.S.Evans
A herbaceous perennial, reaching 200–600 mm in height, characterized by small, leathery leaves and slender flower stalks bearing small, white star-shaped flowers at the tips. The upper stems are bare. Basal leaves form a rosette narrowing to 10–20 mm stalks, dark green and leathery with entire or toothed margins and bristles. Flowerheads are ±15 mm wide with 5 equal triangular bracts, initially white and aging to pink on the margins.
Found in mountain grasslands among rocks in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and Lesotho, flowering from late summer to autumn (December to April).
Alepidea pusilla Weim.
A dwarf perennial herb with short flowering stems, reaching 100-150 mm in height. It forms a basal rosette of thick leaves, 8-15 mm long and 4-7 mm wide, with bluntly toothed margins and no bristles. The white flowerheads feature 5 oval bracts with prominent net veins and appear in summer (January to February).
Endemic to the Eastern Mountain Region (EMR), including Lesotho's high mountains, it thrives in marshy turf at altitudes from 2 100 to 3 300 m.
Alepidea thodei Dummer
A small perennial herb with flowering stems reaching 200-300 mm in height. Its mostly basal leaves have long marginal teeth that bend backward, with long stalks. The flowerheads are large and showy, measuring 30 mm in diameter, with 10-15 irregular white bracts and a dark blue-black center, blooming from late summer to autumn (January to April).
Endemic to the Eastern Mountain Region (EMR), which includes Lesotho's high mountains, it naturally grows in damp turf at the base of cliffs and on steep slopes, typically found at elevations between 2 400 and 3 000 m.
Alepidea peduncularis Steud. ex A.Rich.
A herbaceous, perennial plant producing strongly branched stems up to 1.2 m tall from a cluster of thick, fleshy, fibrous roots. The leaves are usually basal, up to 200 mm long in matured plants, hairless; margin toothed with a very prominent cilia at the apex of the teeth; petiole up to 100 mm long, sheathing at the base. Inflorescence branched, terminal; each branch with a terminal small dense head of minute florets subtended by a whorl of conspicuous white triangular bracts, the whole head resembling a single white-petaled flower. The leaves are edible, and the roots are used in medicine.
Found in grassland, open places in montane forest and woodland, rocky hillsides, often in seepage zones, from the Drakensberg region in southern Africa to Ethiopia, Sudan and DRC.
Alepidea woodii Oliv.
A slender perennial herb with flowering stems that grow to heights of 250-300 mm. Its papery leaves primarily form a basal rosette, measuring 70-100 mm long and 1.5-4 mm wide, with margins adorned by fine, evenly spaced teeth perpendicular to the edges. The flowerheads feature greenish-white bracts and bloom in summer, from January to February.
Endemic to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), this species thrives along stream banks and on steep, damp grass slopes at elevations ranging from 1 800 to 2 400 m.
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Anginon difforme (L.) B.L.Burtt
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Common names: common needle-leaf, common finkel (Eng.); wildevinkel, wildeseldery (Afr.)
SA Tree No: 568.5
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Alepidea cordifolia B.-E. Van Wyk
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Common names: heart-leaf alepidea (Eng.); iqwili (isiXhosa); ikhathazo (isiZulu); lesoko (South Sotho), inkatsankatsa (Swazi)
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Alepidea natalensis J.M.Wood & M.S.Evans
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Common names: Natal star flower
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Notobubon capense (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Magee (= Peucedanum polyactinum B.L.Burtt)
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Common names: bush parsley ( Eng. ); bergseldery (Afr.)
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Notobubon galbanum (L.) Magee
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Common names: blister bush (Eng.); bergseldery, wilde seldery, droëdas (Afr.)
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Heteromorpha arborescens (Spreng.) Cham. & Schltdl.
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Common names: parsley tree (Eng.); wildepietersielie, pietersieliebos (Afr.), umbangadlala (Zul.), umbangadlala, umbangandlatho, umbangeza, iyeza-lempambano (Xho.)
SA Tree No: 568
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Hermas villosa (L.) Thunb.
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Common names: Tinderleaf (Eng.); tontelblaar (Afr.)
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Dracosciadium italae Hilliard & B.L.Burtt
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