''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' is one of the
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
n giant groundsel, this one
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Cherangani Hills
The Cherang'any Hills are a range of hills in the western highlands of Kenya. The hills are one of Kenya's five main forests and catchment areas. The highlands, the large central plateau, is divided by the Mau Escarpment which rises from the bor ...
. Once it was a genus of ''
Senecio
''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels.
Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants.
Description
Morp ...
'' but has recently been reclassified as a ''
Dendrosenecio
''Dendrosenecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae, sunflower family. It is a segregate (taxonomy), segregate of ''Senecio'', in which it formed the subgenus ''Dendrosenecio''. Its members, the giant groundsels, are native to the ...
''.
Description
''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' can grow to 6 meters tall, with trunks up to 25 centimeters in diameter and
pith
Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stem
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other ...
with diameters of 2 centimeters. Leaf-rosettes of 40–70 leaves. Infrequent reproduction makes these giant plants sparsely branched and columnar. They rarely exceed three reproductive cycles. Leaves can be up to 94 centimeters long and 25 centimeters wide. Inflorescence can be 100 centimeters tall and 70 centimeters in diameter. 10 to 13 ray florets 10–13 and 25 to 50 disc florets.
Distribution
''D. cheranganiensis'' grows between 2600 and 3400 meters on the slopes of the
Cherangani Hills
The Cherang'any Hills are a range of hills in the western highlands of Kenya. The hills are one of Kenya's five main forests and catchment areas. The highlands, the large central plateau, is divided by the Mau Escarpment which rises from the bor ...
.
Infraspecific name
In botany, an infraspecific name is the scientific name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecific taxon or infraspecies. (A "taxon", plural "taxa", is a group of organisms to be given a particular name.) The scientific names ...
synonymy
The names for the giant groundsels have become somewhat confusing:
*''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) E.B.Knox
**''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) E.B.Knox subsp. ''cheranganiensis''
***''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) E.B.Knox subsp. ''cheranganiensis'' (2005).
***''Dendrosenecio johnstonii'' (Oliv.) B.Nord. subsp. ''cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) B.Nord.
***''Senecio cheranganiensis'' Cotton & Blakelock
***''
Senecio johnstonii'' Oliv. subsp. ''cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) Mabb.
**''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) E.B.Knox subsp. ''dalei''
***''Dendrosenecio cheranganiensis'' (Cotton & Blakelock) E.B.Knox subsp. ''dalei''
***''Dendrosenecio johnstonii'' (Oliv.) B.Nord. subsp. ''dalei'' (Cotton & Blakelock) B.Nord.
***''Senecio dalei'' Cotton & Blakelock
***''Senecio johnstonii'' Oliv. subsp. ''dalei'' (Cotton & Blakelock) Mabb.
References
External links
*
cheranganiensis
Endemic flora of Kenya
Afromontane flora
{{Senecioneae-stub