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(Last Modified On 6/3/2013)
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(Last Modified On 6/3/2013)
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Species
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Elephantopus mollis H.B.K.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Nov. Gen. Sp. P1. 4: 26. 1820.
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Note
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TYPE: Caracas, Herb. Humboldt & Bonpland 627 (P, not seen, IDC 6209. 91. I, 1).
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Synonym
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Elephantopus carolinianus var. mollis (H.B.K.) Beurl., Bidr. Portobellensis Fl. 134. 1854. Elephantopus hypomalacus Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. 52: 20. 1917. TYPE: Costa Rica, Holway 314 (GH, not seen).
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Description
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Coarse perennial herbs mostly 30-150 (-200) cm tall, occasionally from a creeping rootstock; stem erect, leafy, usually hollow, villous, the trichomes to 1.5 mm long. Leaves cauline, rarely basal, more or less oblanceolate, basally attenuate, apically acute, crenate, mostly 7-22 cm long, 2-7 cm wide, less than 3?/ times longer than wide, chartaceous, green throughout, darker above, resin-dotted and densely soft-puberulent beneath, the trichomes to 0.5 mm long, slightly longer on the veins, above muricate and sparsely appressed-pubescent, somewhat obscurely veined above; petioles broadly expanded at the base, clasping. Inflores- cence solitary, terminal, a much-branched corymbose panicle, the branches sub- tended by oblong leaflike bracts to 6 cm long; peduncles appressed-pubescent; glomerules many, with ca. 40 heads, hemispheric, to 10 mm high and 20 mm across, subtended by 2 or 3 ovate bracts; bracts obtuse at base, slightly acuminate, 6-12 mm long, the venation arcuate-ascending, conspicuous beneath, obscure above. Heads with 4 florets; involucral bracts 8, in 2 decussate series, minutely sericeous towards the apex, usually resin-dotted, the outer 4 lanceolate, 4.5-5.0 mm long, the inner 4 lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, 5.5-7.5 mm long; corolla white or occasionally pinkish, the tube slender, 3.0-4.0 mm long, ca. 0.15 mm wide, the limb ca. 2.0 mm long, deeply divided on the adaxial side, 5-parted, the lobes linear, ca. 1.2 mm long, ca. 0.18 mm wide; anthers ca. 1.0 mm long, ca. 0.18 mm wide, basally sagittate, 0.12-0.15 mm long, the apical appendage ca. 0.1 mm long; style branches slender, terete, somewhat flattened adaxially, ca. 0.7 mm long, strigulose throughout, but less densely on the adaxial surfaces. Achenes obovoid, slightly flattened, 10-ribbed, 1.9-2.7 mm long, ca. 0.7 mm wide, brown in the sulci when mature, pale on the ribs, strigulose and resin-dotted; pappus in 1 series of 5(-8) straight bristles, 3.5-4.7 mm long, abruptly or somewhat gradually dilated at the base, to 0.25 mm wide, the dilated portion 0.2-0.6 mm long, the bristles appressed-puberulent, often ciliate at the base.
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Habit
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herbs
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Note
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At high elevations Elephantopus mollis assumes a dwarfed, rosette-type habit, and such forms have been mistaken for the Old World E. scaber L. The latter is distinguished by its stiff, coriaceous, oblong-oblanceolate leaves that are not soft-puberulent beneath. In Mexico, E. mollis overlaps with and perhaps inter- grades with the temperate E. tomentosus L. The latter is distinguished by leaves that are appressed-pubescent beneath with trichomes ca. 1 mm long, and by achenes that are at least 4 mm long. The soft-puberulence on the undersides of the leaves of Elephantopus mollis is a distinctive character and, when used to separate E. mollis from related taxa, is well correlated with achene size and geographic distribution. Thus, it is useful to recognize this taxon at the species level. Earlier workers have, however, con- sidered E. mollis at infraspecific levels under other names, e.g., E. scaber var. tomentosus (L.) Baker sensu Baker in Mart., Fl. Bras. 6(2): 173, and E. tomentosus var. carolinianus (Raeusch. not Willd.) Schultz-Bip. sensu Schultz- Bip., Linnaea 20: 516. 1847. Furthermore, E. mollis demonstrates throughout its range all degrees of variation in the abruptness of dilation of the pappus bristles, and the segregation of forms with very gradually dilate pappus bristles, as E. hypomalacus Blake, is unjustified.
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Distribution
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pantropical.
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Note
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In Panama it is widespread, particularly in more protected habitats along roadsides, in pastures, and on forest margins. It flowers almost exclusively from December to March. Names for this species include "yerba de caballo" (Colombia), "lengua de vaca" (Puerto Rico), and "cucha-cara" (Peru).
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Common
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yerba de caballo lengua de vaca
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Common
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cucha-cara
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Specimen
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BOCAS DEL TORO: Almirante, Blum 1310 (FSU, MO). Changuinola Valley, Dunlap 319 (GH, US). CANAL ZONE: 15 mi from Gamboa, Blum 2046 (FSU, MO). 10 km N of Gamboa, Busey 329 (DUKE, ENCB, FSU, MO, PMA, US, WIS). Cerro de Ancon, Celestine 88 (US). Pipeline Road, Correa & Haines 542 (DUKE, FSU, MO). Barro Colorado Island, Croat 7787, 13155 (both MO). Madden Forest, Croat 8936 (MO). Near Summit, Croat 9070 (MO). Chagres, Fendler 163 (MO, US). Ancon Hill, Greenman & Greenman 5093 (MO). Gatuin, Hayes 677 (NY). W of Thatcher Ferry Bridge, Lazor 2187 (MO). Ancon, Macbride & Featherstone 15 (US); Piper 5581 (US). Standley 26341 (US). Balboa, Standley 26975 (US). Corozal, Standley 27381 (US). Gamboa, Standley 28509 (US). Mount Hope Cemetery, Standley 28765 (US). Between Ft. Clayton and Corozal, Standley 29045 (US). Balboa, Standley 29247, 32101 (both US). Between France Field and Catival, Standley 30282 (US). Near Ft. Sherman, Standley 31047 (US). Obispo, Standley 31655 (US). Pipeline Road, Wilbur & Weaver 11261 (DUKE); Wilbur & Teeri 13355 (DUKE). 1 mi SW of Cocoli, Wilbur et al. 12916 (DUKE). CHIRIQUI: 17.5 km N of Paso de Canoa, Busey 618 (DUKE, ENCB, GH, MO, PMA, NY, OS, US). Boquete, 4000 ft, D'Arcy & D'Arcy 6469 (C, F, MO). Bajo Mono, Boquete, 3800 ft, Davidson 600 (GH, MO). Volcan, 4600, ft, Duke 9200 (MO). Near Volca'n, 600-750 m, Graham s.n. (GH). 1 mi S of Volcan, Lazor & Correa 2759 (FSU, MO). Near Boquete, 3300-4200 ft, Lewis et al. 626 (GH, MO, US). 14 mi N of David, 1200 ft, Lewis et al. 688 (GH, MO). 2.2 mi E of El Hato del Volcan, Luteyn 809 (DUKE, MO). Alto Boquete, 1125 m, Partch 69-84 (MO). 2.5 mi W of El Hato del Volcan, Wilbur et al. 15103 (DUKE). COCLE: 3 mi NE of Anton, Croat 9619 (MO). Near El Valle de Anton, Croat 13289 (MO). Cerro Pilon near El Valle, 700-900 m, Duke 12115 (MO, OS). 3-4 mi N of El Valle, Gentry & Dwyer 3604 (MO). S of El Valle, 600 m, Gentry 6804 (MO). About 2 mi W of Nata, McDaniel & Tyson 14703 (FSU). Foot of Cerro Pilon, 2000 ft, Porter et al. 4642 (MO). Ca. 3 mi N of El Valle, 650 m, Wilbur et al. 15679 (DUKE). COLON: 5-7 mi SW of Portobelo, Wilbur & Weaver 11172 (DUKE). DARIEN: Manene, Kirkbride & Bristan 1593 (MO). HERRERA: Near Ocui, 100 m, Allen 4050 (GH, MO). LOS SANTOS: 16 mi S of Macaracas at Quebrada Bejuco, Tyson et al. 3099 (MO). PANAMA: 7 mi N of Cerro Azul, 2600 ft, Blum et al. 1847 (FSU). Beyond Goofy Lake, Correa & Dressler 549 (DUKE, FSU, MO, OS). 2 mi above Goofy Lake, Croat 13016 (MO). Cerro Jefe to La Eneida, Duke & Dressler 8240 (MO). Cerro Azul, Duke 9362 (MO, OS); Dwyer & Gentry 9523 (MO, NY). Capira, trail between Lidice and Aguacate, 200 m, Foster 2144 (DUKE). Llanos de Panama Viejo, Heriberto 291- (GH, NY, US). Near Chepo, 30 m, Hunter & Allen 34 (MO), 60 (GH, MO, NY). San Jose Island, Johnston 1061 (GH, MO, US) 2-3 mi S of Goofy Lake, 2000-2200 ft, Lewis et al. 241 (MO). Chiman, Lewis et al. 3362 (MO). Sabanas, Macbride 2631 (US). Sabanas N of Panama City, Paul 420 (US). Near Bella Vista, Piper 5392 (US). Cerro Azul, Porter et al. 4077 (DUKE, MO, NY). Nuevo San Francisco, Standley 30785 (US). Between Las Sabanas and Matias Hernaindez, Standley 31874 (US). 9 km SE of El Valle de Anton, Wilbur et al. 11164 (DUKE). VERAGUAS: Hills W of Sonai, 500 m, Allen 1026 (GH, MO, US). Montijo, 8 mi S of Santiago, Tyson 6037 (FSU, MO).
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