Lantana ukambensis (Vatke) Verdc.

Verbenaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1992

Morphology General Habit

Subshrubby herb or rarely ± shrubby, aromatic, with several stems from a woody base, (0.14–)0.3–1.5 m. tall; stems becoming brownish, often ± unbranched, densely adpressed pubescent or hispid and with shorter hairs, or the indumentum more spreading, particularly near to base.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves paired or in whorls of 3, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.7–8(–10) cm. long, 0.5–5 cm. wide, ± acute at the apex or actual tip rounded, broadly cuneate at the base, slightly discolorous, rugose and ± rough or even scabrid above with adpressed hairs but not velvety, roughly velvety beneath with dense matted yellow-grey-green hairs and glandular, closely rounded-serrate, the venation usually prominent beneath, subsessile or petiole 1–5(–8) mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, solitary or paired (i.e. up to 6 per node), ± cone-like and shortly pedunculate, mostly not reaching beyond base of leaf but elongating and becoming oblong in fruit, 0.3–3.5(–5) cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. wide; peduncles 0–1.3(–1.8) (or even up to 5–6 cm. in some variants (?hybrids)); bracts very conspicuous, rounded-ovate, obovate, lanceolate or triangular-lanceolate, 0.8–1.3(–2) cm. long, 0.5–0.7(–1.3) cm. wide, larger at base of inflorescence, acute to cuspidate, the cusp often purplish, adpressed pubescent glandular and ciliate, often clearly 5-nerved or ribbed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx thin, 2.5 mm. long, ± truncate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla deep purple, crimson or magenta, sometimes with white or yellow centre, scarcely exceeding the bracts above and shorter in lower part of inflorescence; tube slender, (2–)3–4(–5) mm. long, densely spreading pubescent; limb 1.5–3 mm. wide, the lobes rounded, ± 1 mm. long, not so pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits blue or purple, subglobose, 2–4 mm. long and wide, often ± shiny, invested at first in the thin membranous calyx.

Figures

Fig. 6.

Habitat

Hyparrhenia grassland, Combretum and other wooded grassland, open woodland including Brachystegia, old cultivations, sometimes amongst granitic rocks; 75–2070 m.

Distribution

Guinea Bissau to Cameroon, K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 U1 U2

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol 8, Pt 7. Avicenniaceae, R. Fernandes. Nesogenaceae, M.A. Diniz. Verbenaceae, R. Fernandes. Lamiaceae, R. Fernandes. 2005.

Morphology General Habit

Subshrub 0.30–0.90(1.20) m tall, bushy erect or with sprawling procumbent stems, rarely a shrub Subshrub 0.30–0.90(1.20) m tall, bushy erect or with sprawling procumbent stems, rarely a shrub.

Morphology Stem

Stems several to many from a woody rootstock, annual or becoming ± woody below, somewhat angular, simple or sometimes branched; internodes (6)8–10.5(11–14) cm long, usually longer than the leaves; indumentum hispid-pubescent with long whitish tubercle-based hairs usually curving and upwardly directed or ± spreading, intermixed with very short patent bristles and usually with scattered sessile glands; branches 1–3, slender, 9–30 cm long Stems several to many from a woody rootstock, annual or becoming ± woody below, somewhat angular, simple or sometimes branched; internodes (6)8–10.5(11–14) cm long, usually longer than the leaves; indumentum hispid-pubescent with long whitish tubercle-based hairs usually curving and upwardly directed or ± spreading, intermixed with very short patent bristles and usually with scattered sessile glands; branches 1–3, slender, 9–30 cm long.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 3-whorled or sometimes opposite, both often in the same plant, all opposite on some branches, usually shortly petiolate; lamina mostly (4.2–4.5)5–8(8.5–10) × (2)2.5–4(5) cm, smaller on the branches and lower part of stem, ovate or narrowly ovate, tapering-attenuate to an acute apex, ± abruptly rounded at the base with the middle part of the rounded base cuneate and somewhat decurrent into the petiole, serrate-crenate or crenulate on the margins with 14–23 shallow teeth along almost the entire length of each side, somewhat membranous or chartaceous, light green and velvety-hispidulous above with spreading tubercle-based bristles, becoming ± scabrous with the tubercle-bases persisting in older leaves, paler and ± densely hispidulous-pubescent to tomentose beneath with hairs mainly on the venation and not tubercle-based, indumentum intermixed with sessile glands; venation slightly impressed on leaf upper surface and slightly raised beneath; petiole 3–8 mm long, slender Leaves 3-whorled or sometimes opposite, both often in the same plant, all opposite on some branches, usually shortly petiolate; lamina mostly (4.2–4.5)5–8(8.5–10) × (2)2.5–4(5) cm, smaller on the branches and lower part of stem, ovate or narrowly ovate, tapering-attenuate to an acute apex, ± abruptly rounded at the base with the middle part of the rounded base cuneate and somewhat decurrent into the petiole, serrate-crenate or crenulate on the margins with 14–23 shallow teeth along almost the entire length of each side, somewhat membranous or chartaceous, light green and velvety-hispidulous above with spreading tubercle-based bristles, becoming ± scabrous with the tubercle-bases persisting in older leaves, paler and ± densely hispidulous-pubescent to tomentose beneath with hairs mainly on the venation and not tubercle-based, indumentum intermixed with sessile glands; venation slightly impressed on leaf upper surface and slightly raised beneath; petiole 3–8 mm long, slender.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles 1 per leaf axil with 2–3 per node, or sometimes 2 per axil, erect or ascending, 0.3–2.5(3–5) cm long, usually no longer than half the length of the subtending leaf, (0.5)1–4(5.5) cm long in fruit Peduncles 1 per leaf axil with 2–3 per node, or sometimes 2 per axil, erect or ascending, 0.3–2.5(3–5) cm long, usually no longer than half the length of the subtending leaf, (0.5)1–4(5.5) cm long in fruit.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Flowering spikes somewhat clustered, (10)13–18 × (4)9–14 mm, ovoid or subspherical in flower, elongating to 3.5 cm long in fruit and becoming ovoid-oblong to subcylindric; lower bracts leaf-like, as long as or exceeding the flowering spike and obscuring the upper corollas at anthesis, (8.5)11–17(20) × (5)7–11(13) mm, ovate to broadly ovate, rarely ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate-cuspidate at apex, truncate or rounded at the base, with 5–7 ± prominent nerves from the base, appressed hispidulous-puberulous mainly on the nerves, often purple or brownish-purple at least in the upper bracts; fruiting spike-axes 2.5 cm long, with ± spaced prominent scars often within the remains of persistent calyces, sometimes with pedicels up to c. 3 mm long Flowering spikes somewhat clustered, (10)13–18 × (4)9–14 mm, ovoid or subspherical in flower, elongating to 3.5 cm long in fruit and becoming ovoid-oblong to subcylindric; lower bracts leaf-like, as long as or exceeding the flowering spike and obscuring the upper corollas at anthesis, (8.5)11–17(20) × (5)7–11(13) mm, ovate to broadly ovate, rarely ovate-lanceolate, acute to acuminate-cuspidate at apex, truncate or rounded at the base, with 5–7 ± prominent nerves from the base, appressed hispidulous-puberulous mainly on the nerves, often purple or brownish-purple at least in the upper bracts; fruiting spike-axes 2.5 cm long, with ± spaced prominent scars often within the remains of persistent calyces, sometimes with pedicels up to c. 3 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla usually purple, sometimes magenta or mauvish-pink, with or without white or yellow centre; tube (2)3–4(5) mm long; limb (1)1.5–3 mm wide Corolla usually purple, sometimes magenta or mauvish-pink, with or without white or yellow centre; tube (2)3–4(5) mm long; limb (1)1.5–3 mm wide.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Drupes 2–3.5 × 2–4 mm, subglobose, shiny, mauve, magenta to metallic.purple when mature. Drupes 2–3.5 × 2–4 mm, subglobose, shiny, mauve, magenta to metallic-purple when mature.

Ecology

In miombo woodland, plateau woodland and mopane , submontane grassland and grassland on hillsides, dambo margins and sometimes in shallow soil overlying rock; 760–1670 m.

Note

Specimens from west tropical Africa were included in Lantana rhodesiensis by Meikle in F.W.T.A., ed. 2, 2: 435 (1963). However, those specimens seen by myself (from Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, and N and S Nigeria) differ from typical L. rhodesiensis mainly in the smaller bracts, the lower ones of which do not reach the top of the spike, and the upper ones of which are nearly filiform at the apex and narrower than in L. rhodesiensis. These west tropical African specimens also have a shrubby habit and larger relatively broader leaves. Perhaps these plants represent a separate subspecies of L. rhodesiensis. Meikle (loc. cit.) also considered L. mearnsii var. latibracteolata Moldenke to be a synonym of L. rhodesiensis. However, the type of this variety, a specimen from Dem. Rep. Congo, differs not only from the west tropical African specimens but also from typical L. rhodesiensis in having retrorse hairs on the stem, obtuse leaves, narrower spikes, smaller bracts and smaller drupes. L. rhodesiensis is extremely polymorphic and has been confused, in various herbaria, with L. mearnsii , L. rugosa (as L. salviifolia ), L. trifolia , L. viburnoides and even with Lippia baumii , Lippia radula and Lippia wilmsii [See R. Fernandes in Bol. Soc. Brot., sér. 2, 61 : 156–162 (1989), and discussion by Verdcourt, F.T.E.A., Verbenaceae: 45 (1992)].  Specimens intermediate between this species and L. angolensis , and between it and L. trifolia , are discussed under those species in this treatment. With regard to the difficulty in distinguishing taxa Verdcourt (loc. cit.) pointed out that the situation is confused by the almost certain existence of hybrids between the ‘ L. ukambensis - L. rhodesiensis - L. angolensis ’ complex and both L. trifolia and L. viburnoides .   He suggested that a possible solution may be to recognise a broad taxon with three subspecies based on  L. ukambensis , L. rhodesiensis and L. angolensis. Verdcourt, in F.T.E.A., Verbenaceae: 45 (1992), sank L. rhodesiensis into L. ukambensis (Vatke) Verdc., a species based on Lippia ukambensis Vatke, the type specimen of which ( Hildebrandt 2739; B†, holotype; K, isotype + fragment of holotype) is a small branch of a shrub with short internodes, opposite leaves and oblong floral bracts; whereas L. rhodesiensis is usually a many-stemmed perennial subshrub with unbranched stems, very long internodes, and larger spikes with larger ovate to broadly ovate floral bracts.  In some respects the isotype of Lantana ukambensis approaches Lantana angolensis Moldenke more closely than L. rhodesiensis .  On the other hand, the type specimen of L. ukambensis may be a hybrid between L. rhodesiensis and another species. However, the type of this variety, a specimen from Dem Congo, differs from the west tropical African specimens

Distribution

Zimbabwe Malawi Mozambique Botswana Zambia Mozambique Also in Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania, perhaps elsewhere. Zambia Zimbabwe Malawi District code: MOZ N, MOZ W, MOZ C, MOZ E, MOZ S, ZIM N, MAL N, MAL C, MOZ N, BOT N, BOT SW, BOT SE, BOT B, BOT W, BOT C, BOT E, BOT S, ZIM N, ZIM W, ZIM C, MAL C, MOZ T.

Verbenaceae, H. Huber, F. N. Hepper & R. D. Meikle. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit

A woody herb of open grassland, 1-6 ft. high;

Morphology Leaves

Leaves in threes or occasionally opposite

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Peduncles short

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers minute usually magenta or purple

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits crimson or purple.