Afrocarduus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Afrocarduus keniensis | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Subfamily: | Carduoideae |
Tribe: | Cardueae |
Subtribe: | Carduinae |
Genus: | Afrocarduus (Kazmi) N.Garcia, Moreyra & Susanna (2023) |
Type species | |
Afrocarduus leptacanthus (Fresen.) N.Garcia, Moreyra & Susanna [1] | |
Species [2] | |
10; see text | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Carduus subgenus AfrocarduusKazmi (1963) |
Afrocarduus is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. [2]
All the species in the genus are native to Afromontane or Afroalpine regions of Africa, ranging from 1600 and 4600 meters elevation. Some are restricted to a single mountain or mountain range, while others are native to two or more ranges, some widespread. [1]
The species now placed in genus Afrocarduus were previously placed in genus Carduus as subgenus Afrocarduus. The sub-Saharan African species have morphological and karyological features of genera Carduus and Cirsium . A phylogenetic study by Moreyra et al. concluded that these African species formed a clade distinct from Carduus and Cirsium, and sister to the newly described genus Afrocirsium . [1]
Ten species are accepted. [2] [1]
Tanzania comprises many lakes, national parks, and Africa's highest point, Mount Kilimanjaro. Northeast Tanzania is mountainous, while the central area is part of a large plateau covered in grasslands. The country also contains the southern portion of Lake Victoria on its northern border with Uganda and Kenya.
Cirsium is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera in having a seed with a pappus of feathered hairs on their achenes. The other genera have a pappus of simple unbranched hairs.
Carduus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, and the tribe Cardueae, one of two genera considered to be true thistles, the other being Cirsium. Plants of the genus are known commonly as plumeless thistles. They are native to temperate Eurasia and North Africa, and several are known elsewhere as introduced species. This genus is noted for its disproportionately high number of noxious weeds compared to other flowering plant genera.
The East African mountains are a mountain region in the African Great Lakes, within Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of Africa are discontinuous, separated from each other by lower-lying areas, and are sometimes referred to as the Afromontane archipelago, as their distribution is analogous to a series of sky islands.
The Cardueae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are Carduus, Cynara, Cirsium, and Onopordum.
Dendrosenecio is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is a segregate of Senecio, in which it formed the subgenus Dendrosenecio. Its members, the giant groundsels, are native to the higher altitude zones of ten mountain groups in equatorial East Africa, where they form a conspicuous element of the flora.
Nannomys is a subgenus of the rodent genus Mus, the mice. They are known as the African pygmy mice. These species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, where they can be found in many types of habitat. There are 20 species.
Vanessa dimorphica is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.
The East African montane forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate areas above 2000 meters in the mountains of South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Mylothris sagala, the dusky dotted border or lemon dotted border, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of submontane and montane forests.
Charaxes acuminatus, the pointed pearl charaxes or mountain pearl charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Charaxes ansorgei is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. The habitat consists of montane forest on altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The larvae feed on Bersama abyssinica abyssinica, Bersama abyssinica englerana and Bersama paullinoides.It was once considered to be a very rare species but it is relatively common in dense and inaccessible montane forests
Charaxes baumanni, the little charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of open forests and woodland.
Gymnosporia arbutifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae. It is a thorny shrub or tree native to eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It grows in the mountains of eastern Africa, from the Ethiopian Highlands to the Albertine Rift, and to the southeastern Arabian Peninsula, from 1350 to 2080 meters elevation.
Erica trimera is a species of flowering plant. It is a shrub or tree which grows in the mountains of eastern and central Africa.
Galiniera saxifraga is a species of tree or small shrub native to the highlands of eastern and central Africa.
Afrocirsium is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes three species of thistles native to the mountains of eastern tropical Africa.
Nuriaea is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes two species of thistles, Nuriaea dender and Nuriaea engleriana, which are endemic to Ethiopia.