Peliostomum leucorrhizum E.Mey. ex Benth.

Habit

Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Full name:	Peliostomum leucorrhizum E.Mey. ex Benth.
Location:	Kyffhäuser (2416AD + 2416CB)
ID status:	Fairly certain
Afrikaans common name(s):	Karooviooltjie, Springbokkos, Springbokbossie, Viooltjie
English common name(s):	Veld violet, Yellowstem desert violet
Synonym(s):	Aptosimum leucorrhizum (E. Mey. ex Benth.) E. Phillips =Peliostomum leucorrhizum var. linearifolium F. E. Weber (1903) =Peliostomum lugardiae N.E. Br. ex Hemsl. & Skan (1906) =Aptosimum lugardiae (N.E. Br. ex Hemsl. & Skan) E. Phillips (1950) =Peliostomum linearifolium* Schinz ex Kuntze (1898) =Peliostomum leucorrhizum var. grandiflorum Hiern
Status:	Native
Description:	Flowers: corolla tubular; calyx deeply lobed; corolla tubular, tube 15 mm long, lobes 5, 15 mm in diameter, deep purple with blackish spots near the centre, throat whitish; flower buds greenish with purplish longitudinal lines, hairy. A rigid much-branched nearly glabrous undershrub 3–12 in. high or more, often covered on the bases of the branches, stem and on the frequently much-thickened rootstock with a whitish corky layer; primary stem erect or procumbent; branches slender, woody at the base. Leaves linear-lanceolate, linear-obovate or linear, 1.5–12 lin. long, obtuse, fleshy, glabrous or minutely puberulous. Flowers axillary. Peduncles 0.333–0.75 lin. long; bracts linear, very small. Calyx-segments 1–1.5 lin. long, narrowly linear, acute, minutely puberulous or glabrous. Corolla sparsely and minutely hairy outside, deep blue; tube about 6 lin. long, nearly straight, tubular-funnel-shaped, about 2 lin. in diam. at the mouth; constricted basal part often longer than the calyx; limb slightly oblique; lobes suborbicular, 1.5–2.75 lin. in diam. Anthers ciliate. Capsule ovoid-oblong, 1.5–2.75 lin. long, much longer than the calvx, subobtuse or scarcely acute. (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora of Tropical Africa) A rigid, much-branched, very nearly glabrous undershrub, 3–12 in. high or more; branches slender, furrowed, somewhat herbaceous and angular towards the apex, whitish, smooth and woody towards the base; branchlets somewhat virgate, slender, minutely puberulous; leaves alternate, linear or linear-obovate, or obovate (in the variety ?), obtuse, subsessile, rigidly fleshy, glabrous or nearly so, 0.125–1 in. long; midrib of the lower leaves obsolete; peduncles axillary, 0.05– 0.1 in. long; bracts very small; flowers usually 0.5– 0.666 in. long, deep purple; calyx-segments linear-lanceolate, 0.0833– 0.1875 in. long, minutely puberulous or glabrous; contracted portion of the corolla-tube often exceeding the calyx, gradually widening into the tubular-funnel-shaped upper part; anthers long-ciliate, capsule ovoid-conical, slightly compressed, subobtuse or scarcely acute, 0.2– 0.333 in. long. (from JSTOR Global Plants website / Flora Capensis) Rigid, much-branched, perennial herb, up to 250 mm high, occasionally prostrate. Stems woody at base, whitish-yellow. Leaves linear, up to 25 x 3 mm, with minute papillae. Flowers tubular, weakly irregular, single in leaf axils, dark blue to violet with dark markings in throat. Flowering September to October In winter rainfall area, January to July elsewhere. Capsules papery, splitting open when ripe, borne towards branch tips. Widespread in the drier parts of Namibia, this species shows considerable variation within its range. It can be confused with members of the genus Aptosimum and Anticharis. The pale yellow stems, however, are fairly distinctive. It is also found widely distributed in South Africa and Botswana. (from Wildflowers of the Southern Namib, by Colleen Mannheimer et. al.)
Link(s)	African Plant Database JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia
Photographer:	AA Dreyer
Date of photograph:	13 Dec 2008
Camera make:	Canon
Camera model:	PowerShot A700
Lens aperture:	f/4.0
Shutter speed:	1/160 s
ISO speed:	-
Content last updated:	18 Apr 2024