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(Last Modified On 8/18/2016)
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Acceptance
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Accepted
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(Last Modified On 8/19/2016)
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Description:
Plants 80–300(450) mm high. Corm ± globose, slightly asymmetric with obliquely flattened side, 7–12mm diam.; tunics woody, splitting from base into truncate sections. Stem simple or sometimes branched from near base. Leaves 3 or 4, sometimes 5 or only 3, lower 2(3) basal, reaching to middle of stem, 2–6 mm wide, sword-shaped to falcate, margins and main vein visibly thickened; upper 2 leaves cauline and largely or completely sheathing. Spike flexuose, mostly 2–6(–9)-flowered; bracts mostly (9)12–15 mm long, sometimes flushed red distally. Flowers diurnal, pale pink, mauve or white, not scented; perianth tube 6.–9 mm long, cylindric, dilated at throat; tepals (9)12–18 × 5–7 mm, elliptic to obovate, spreading. Filaments ascending, 3--4 mm long; anthers (3)4–7.5 mm long, yellow; pollen yellow. Style branches 6--7 mm long, spreading,. Capsules ± ovoid–ellipsoid, 10–15 mm long. Seeds light brown, angular, angles narrowly ridged, pale. Flowering time: May to August or November to January.
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Country:
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia
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Distribution and ecology:
extending though the tropical African highlands from Zimbabwe to Ethiopia and in Cameroon; in rocky sites and short grassland, often on cliffs and rock outcrops; above 1800 m.
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Diagnosis:
unspecialized in general aspect, pale pink- or white-flowered Hesperantha petitiana seems hardly to differ from the common southern African H. baurii. Although Hilliard & Burtt (1986) suggested that H. petitiana could readily be distinguished from H. baurii by the smaller anthers, 4–4.8 mm long versus 5–9 mm in H. baurii, material I have examined of H. petitiana has anthers 3–5 mm long. This tropical African species may also be distinguished in fruit from similar, short-tubed eastern south African species by the larger capsules, (7–)10–15 mm long and often slightly exceeding the bracts. In H. baurii the capsules are mostly 6–9 mm long, thus shorter than the bracts which subtend them. The two species also appear to have different seeds, those of H. petitiana often being angular and slightly larger, 1.0–1.2 mm in diameter, compared with those of H. baurii and its immediate allies, which typically have more or less uniformly rounded and small seeds, 0.8–1.0 mm in diameter. Spikes of H. petitiana often bear only 2 to 4 flowers on nearly straight spikes, but sometimes up to 10 flowers, whereas flexuose spikes of 8 to 12 flowers or more are more common in H. baurii. Chromosome counts for several population across it range indicate that the species is polyploid, both tetraploid and hexaplois. This is the only polyploid species in the genus so far known..
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General Notes:
the species is remarkably variable, sometimes only 8‑12 cm. high with 1‑3 relatively small flowers per spike, or as much as 30 cm. and with six or more larger flowers per spike.
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Specimens whose coordinates are enclosed in square brackets [ ] have been mapped to a standard reference mark based on political
units.
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Africa & Madagascar
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Ethiopia
:
[10°43'28"N 040°40'11"E],
09 August 1842,
Georg W. Schimper 1239
(MO)
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Malawi
Southern:
2350 m,
16 February 1986,
J.D. Chapman & E.G. Chapman 7209
(MO)
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Malawi
Southern:
16 February 1986,
J.D. Chapman & E.G. Chapman 7212
(MO)
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Kenya
Rift Valley:
2500 m,
02°30'02"S 036°45'12"E,
7 May 2000,
John A. Mlangwa, John Elia & et al. 865
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Tanzania
Arusha, Arumeru:
T2, Arusha Region,
2500 m,
03°14'54"S 036°46'47"E,
21/ 7/1997,
Peter B. Phillipson 4867b
(MO)
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Malawi
Southern:
2000 m,
10 April 1991,
Peter Goldblatt 9100
(MO)
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Ethiopia
:
[10°43'28"N 040°40'11"E],
R. Quartin-Dillon & A. Petit s.n.
(MO)
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Tanzania
Iringa, Kilolo:
2420 m,
07°30'00"S 036°09'00"E,
1 March 1962,
R.M. Polhill & S.P. Kibuwa 1625
(K)
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