Pelargonium coronopifolium

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Pelargonium coronopifolium
Pelargonium coronopifolium Rebelo 3.jpg
Pelargonium coronopifolium Rebelo 2.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Geraniales
Family: Geraniaceae
Genus: Pelargonium
Species:
P. coronopifolium
Binomial name
Pelargonium coronopifolium
Synonyms [1]
  • Geranium coronopifolium
  • G. ellipticum, P. ellipticum
  • Campylia staticephylla, C. staticaefolium
  • P. coronopifolium var. lineare
  • P. gramineum
  • P. angustissimum

Pelargonium coronopifolium is a subshrub of up to 40 cm (1+13 ft) high. It has green to slightly greyish, linear to narrowly elliptical leaves often with irregular teeth towards the tip and white to purple flowers in groups of one to four. It can be found in the Western Cape province of South Africa. [1] Old publications suggested the name buck's horn plantain-leaved stork's bill, but this name never gained common use. [2]

Contents

Description

Pelargonium coronopifolium is a diploid with a base chromosome number of 10 (2n=20). [3] It is an upright, herbaceous subshrub with main stems of up to 40 cm (1+13 ft) high, that are rough under the level of the leaves because of the remains of old leaves and stipules. A plant may sprout several stems from the underground rootstock. [4] All above-ground parts are covered in short hairs that are pressed stifly against the surface, and fewer glandular hairs, except for the pistils, stamens, staminodes, petals, and the inside of the sepals. The leaves are green to slightly greyish in colour, with a flat to V-shaped leaf blade that has a linear to narrowly elliptical outline, usually 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) long (full range 2–17 cm (0.79–6.69 in)), and 1–7 mm (0.039–0.276 in) wide (rarely up to 1 cm (0.39 in)). It gradually narrows into the petiole, has a short sharp tip, and the margin is entire or has irregular teeth near the tip. The leaf stem is shorter than the leaf blade, 3–30 mm (0.12–1.18 in) long (rarely up to 5 cm (2.0 in)), with a groove on the upper side. At the leaf base are two reddish-brown, awl-shaped stipules of 2–10 mm (0.079–0.394 in) long and 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide. [1] [5]

The inflorescence stalks are 3–6 cm (1+152+25 in) (rarely up to 14 cm (5+35 in)) long and each carry two or three, sometimes one or four, zygomorphic flowers on 2–4 cm (451+35 in) (rarely up to 5 cm (2.0 in)) long flower stalks. Each flower has 5 green to reddish-brown sepals that are merged into a tube at base about ¼ as long as the pedicel, are oval in outline, 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) and with a pointy tip. Each flower has 5 white, pink or purple petals. Two petals that are usually pointing upwards are 7–18 mm (0.28–0.71 in) long and 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) wide, consisting of a teardrop-shaped part (or plate) at the top with darker markings, and a narrow basal part (or claw) with side extensions (or ears). Three petals usually pointing down or forwards are without markings, elliptic in outline with a narrow claw, 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) long and 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide. Each flower has 2 long, 2 medium and 1 short fertile stamens topped with anthers with yellow to orange pollen (best checked in the bud), and 5 infertile, glabrous and flattened staminodes, two of which are sometimes slightly bent backwards. At their base, the filaments of the stamens and staminodes are merged into a column of 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long. The storkbill-shaped fruit eventually splits into 5 mericarps each with a capsule 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long containing a single seed and tail of 30–33 mm (1.2–1.3 in) long. [1]

P. coronopifolium can be distinguished from P. caespitosum which usually has only 4 petals (not always 5), a hardly developed hypanthium (not 2-8 mm long), stamens reaching below the anterior petals (not above), and leaf stalks than may me longer or shorter than the leaf blade (not leaf stalk always shorter).

In P. oenothera the claws of the largest upwardly directed petals lack lobes and the plate is flat (not claws of the upper petals eared and not plate flat or folded forwards).

P. tricolor has leaf stalks that may me longer or shorter than the leaf blades and the upper petals have three differently colours due to warty spots (not just one colour and without warty spots), as well as upper petal claws without ears and plates flat.

P. elegans has leaf stalks longer than the leaf blades (not shorter), upper petal claws without ears and plates flat (not with ears and plate flat ore folded) and 7 fertile stamens (not just 5, check in fresh flowers, anthers are quickly shed).

P. capillare has leaf stalks always longer than the leaf blades (not shorter), the upper petals have two different colours due to warty spots (not unicoloured without warty spots), and 7 fertile stamens (not just 5).

P. ovale has 3 straight and 2 short, hook-shaped staminodes, and leaf stalks longer than leaf blades (not 5 straight staminodes and shorter leaf stalks). [1]

Taxonomy

Etching from volume 3 Icones plantarum rariorum (1794) by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin; note the ears on the claw of the largest petals Pelargonium coronopifolium B526.jpg
Etching from volume 3 Icones plantarum rariorum (1794) by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin; note the ears on the claw of the largest petals

Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin first described this species in part 3 of his publication lcones Plantarum Rariorum of 1794, giving it the name Pelargonium coronopifolium. He based it on a herbarium specimen from an unknown location and collector, but annotated in his own handwriting. In 1803, Gábor Andreánszky reassigned it to the genus Geranium, creating the combination Geranium coronopifolium. The "father of South African botany", Carl Peter Thunberg described another plant from his own collection, from Caput Bonae-Spei (a term used at that time for the larger Cape region), but again from an unknown collector, and he called it Geranium ellipticum in 1823. Already in 1824, the famous Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle reassigned Thunberg's plant to the genus Pelargonium, making the new combination P. ellipticum. In 1835, Christian Friedrich Ecklon and Karl Ludwig Philipp Zeyher described a plant they had collected themselves at Heerenlogement in the Cape Province, and assigned it to the genus Campylia that had been erected by Robert Sweet in 1820, calling it Campylia staticephylla. Ernst Gottlieb von Steudel gave the new but illegitimate name Campylia staticaefolium to Ecklon and Zeyher's plant in 1841. William Henry Harvey in 1860 distinguished P. coronopifolium variety lineare. A form with narrow leaves from Gydo Pass was collected and described by Harry Bolus in 1889, who called it Pelargonium gramineum. A second form with narrow leaves, but flowering later in the season with white to pale pink flowers, found in the Cederberg Mountains was named by Reinhard Knuth Pelargonium angustissimum. He described it in a book by Ernst Heinrich Friedrich Meyer in 1912. Since the structure of the flowers of all these forms is identical, they have the same number of chromosomes, the extremes in leaf shape grade into each other and the distribution is not disjunct, J.J.A. van der Walt and Loretta van Zyl-Hugo in their revision of Pelargonium section Campylia of 1988, considered all of these names synonymous. [1]

Pelargonium coronopifolium is assigned to the section Campylia. A recent comparison of homologous DNA resulted in the following relationship tree: [6]

section Campylia

P. oenothera

P. ocellatum

P. burgerianum

P. althaeoides

P. elegans

P. capillare

P. ovale

P. tricolor

P. caespitosum

P. coronopifolium

Distribution, habitat and ecology

Pelargonium coronopifolium can be found in the Western Cape province, from the Gifberg through the Cederberg and Kouebokkeveld Mountains to Worcester, where it grows in arid fynbos on sandstone slopes. It occurs from about 150 m (490 ft) west of the Olifants river to approximately 1,400 m (4,600 ft) altitude in the Cederberg. [1] [7] [8] The species is primarily pollinated by bees. [9]

Conservation

The continued survival of Pelargonium coronopifolium is considered to be of least concern because it is a widely distributed species that is not in decline. [8]

Related Research Articles

Geraniaceae Family of plants

Geraniaceae is a family of flowering plants placed in the order Geraniales. The family name is derived from the genus Geranium. The family includes both the genus Geranium and the garden plants called geraniums, which modern botany classifies as genus Pelargonium, along with other related genera.

<i>Pelargonium</i> Genus of plants

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants which includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly known as geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. Geranium is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae. Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium, and they were later separated into two genera by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.

<i>Commelina</i> Genus of flowering plants

Commelina is a genus of approximately 170 species commonly called dayflowers due to the short lives of their flowers. They are less often known as widow's tears. It is by far the largest genus of its family, Commelinaceae. The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus of the 18th century named the genus after the two Dutch botanists Jan Commelijn and his nephew Caspar, each representing one of the showy petals of Commelina communis.

<i>Pelargonium peltatum</i> The ivy-leaved pelargonium is a scrambling perennial plant in the family Geraniaceae from southern and eastern South Africa

Pelargonium peltatum is a scrambling perennial plant with shallow or deeply five lobed, circular to heart-shaped, somewhat fleshy leaves, sometimes with a differently coloured semicircular band, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It carries umbel-like inflorescences with 2–10, white to mauve, bilateral symmetrical flowers, each with a "spur" that is merged with the flower stalk. It is known by several common names including ivy-leaved pelargonium and cascading geranium. It is native to southern and eastern South Africa. In its home range, it flowers year round but most vigorously from August to October.

<i>Geranium reuteri</i> Species of flowering plant

Geranium reuteri, the giant geranium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to the Canary Islands and Madeira. It was known for many years under the name Geranium canariense. In Spanish, it is called pata de gallo.

<i>Verticordia staminosa</i> Species of shrub

Verticordia staminosa is a flowering plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub comprising two subspecies, one of which has two varieties. All three types have a limited distribution and have been classified as "Threatened". It is distinguished from other species of verticordia by its prominent, long stamens which extend well beyond its feathery yellow sepals and petals.

<i>Pelargonium cucullatum</i> A plant in the Geraniaceae from South Africa

Pelargonium cucullatum is a hairy, upright, branching, perennial shrub, of 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) high, that has been assigned to the cranesbill family. It sprouts new stems from the underground rootstock and becomes woody at its base. It has alternately set, sometimes slightly succulent leaves crowded near the top of the branches, with leaf stalks and flat to hood-shaped leaf blades, with a rounded broad triangular to kidney-shaped outline of about 4–5.5 cm long and 5–9 cm wide, often somewhat incised, the margin with irregular teeth. The white to purplish red, 5-merous, somewhat mirror symmetrical flowers grow in umbel-like clusters, and each contain mostly 7 fertile stamens and 3 infertile staminodes of different length. P. cucullatum has been cultivated as a garden ornamental and house plant since the 17th century. It has been used to breed many modern pelargonium hybrids, notably the Regal pelargoniums. It is called hooded-leaf pelargonium or herba althaea in English and wildemalva in Afrikaans.

<i>Roscoea alpina</i> Species of plant

Roscoea alpina is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Himalayas. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. alpina, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in gardens.

<i>Roscoea kunmingensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea kunmingensis is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the mountains of China, being found in Yunnan. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. kunmingensis, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

<i>Roscoea tumjensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea tumjensis is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in the Himalayas, in Nepal. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. tumjensis, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

Roscoea cangshanensis is a perennial herbaceous plant native to the mountains of China, being found in Yunnan. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. canshanensis, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

<i>Roscoea debilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea debilis is a perennial herbaceous plant found in Yunnan, China. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. debilis, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

<i>Roscoea schneideriana</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea schneideriana is a perennial herbaceous plant found in China, in Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but R. schneideriana, like other species of Roscoea, grows in much colder mountainous regions.

Roscoea ngainoi is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in the Ukhrul district of Manipur state, India. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but like other species of Roscoea, R. ngainoi grows in much colder mountainous regions.

Roscoea ganeshensis is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in Ganesh Himal in central Nepal. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but like other species of Roscoea, R. ganeshensis grows in much colder mountainous regions. It is used as an ornamental garden plant, requiring moisture and shade in the summer.

<i>Roscoea</i> × <i>beesiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea × beesiana is considered to be a hybrid between R. auriculata and R. cautleyoides which occurred in cultivation. The flowers are variable: most forms have a pale cream base colour with varying amounts of purple streaking, particularly on the lip or labellum. It was given the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society in 2011. It is classified as being hardy throughout the British Isles.

<i>Roscoea wardii</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea wardii is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring from eastern Arunachal Pradesh in India to western Yunnan in China. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but like other species of Roscoea, R. wardii grows in much colder mountainous regions.

<i>Roscoea scillifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Roscoea scillifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant occurring in Yunnan in China. Most members of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), to which it belongs, are tropical, but like other species of Roscoea, R. scillifolia grows in much colder mountainous regions. As of 2013, the species is only known in cultivation and may be extinct in the wild.

Zieria boolbunda is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is only known from an area near Mount Perry in Queensland. It is a dense, compact shrub with wiry branches, three-part, clover-like leaves and pinkish-cream flowers in small groups, each flower with four petals and four stamens.

<i>Pelargonium luridum</i> Species of flowering plant

Pelargonium luridum, locally called variable stork's bill, is a medium high, tuberous herbaceous perennial geophyte, belonging to the Stork's bill family, with white to pink, slightly mirror symmetrical flowers in umbels on long unbranched stalks directly from the ground rosette that consists of few initially ovate, later pinnately incised or linear leaves, with blunt teeth around the margin. The variable stork's bill naturally occurs from South Africa to Angola, southern Congo and Tanzania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Van der Walt, J.J.A.; Van Zyl, L. (1988). "A taxonomic revision of Pelargonium section Campylia (Geraniaceae)" (PDF). South African Journal of Botany. 54 (2): 160–163.
  2. Wilkes, John (1823). Encyclopaedia Londinensis. 19. p. 494.
  3. Bakker, Freek T.; Culham, Alastair; Hettiarachi, Priyani; Touloumenidou, Tasoula; Gibby, Mary (2004). "Phylogeny of Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) based on DNA sequences from three genomes" (PDF). Taxon. 53 (1): 17–28. doi:10.2307/4135485. JSTOR   4135485. S2CID   55525245. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-12.
  4. van der Walt, J.J.A.; Roux, J.P. (1991). "Taxonomy and phylogeny of Pelargonium section Campylia (Geraniaceae)" (PDF). Journal of South African Botany. 57 (5): 291–293. doi: 10.1016/S0254-6299(16)30929-2 .
  5. "Compilation – Pelargonium coronopifolium". GSTOR Global Plants.
  6. van de Kerke, Sara J.; Shrestha, Bikash; Ruhlman, Tracey A.; Weng, Mao-Lun; Jansen, Robert K.; Jones, Cynthia S.; Schlichting, Carl D.; Hosseini, Samin; Mohammadin, Setareh; Schranz, M. Eric; Bakker, Freek T. (2019). "Plastome based phylogenetics and younger crown node age in Pelargonium". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 137: Suppl. Figure S3A. Manually grafted phylogenetic tree including 258 tips representing same amount of Pelargonium species.
  7. "Pelargonium coronopifolium". iNaturalist.
  8. 1 2 "Pelargonium coronopifolium". SANBI Red List of South African Plants.
  9. Ringelberg, Jens (2012). Floral evolution in Cape Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) – Inferring shifts in nectar spur length and pollination. p. 102.