Plantaginaceae
Limosella

Limosella africana Glück

First published in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 12: 76 (1934)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mali, Cameroon, Eritrea to N. Tanzania, Namibia to N. Cape Prov., Yemen. It is a helophyte and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Scrophulariaceae, S.A. Ghazanfar, F.N. Hepper & D. Philcox. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2008

Type
Types: South Africa, Cape, Greenpoint, Ex herb. Brehm s.n. & SW Africa, Dinter 4704 (?HBG, syn.)
Morphology General Habit
Small herb with stolons, often forming mats
Morphology Leaves
Leaves fasciculate or rosulate, (0.5–)1–4(–10) cm long, lamina ovate to linear lanceolate, (2–)6–11(–10) mm long, up to 10 mm wide, base cuneate, apex subacute, margins entire, ± 3-veined
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axillary, amongst leaf bases, erect in flower, reflexed in fruit; pedicels up to 1 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx ± 2.5 mm long, lobes broadly ovate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, bluish or pale rose, ± 3 mm long, 5-lobed; tube twice as long as lobes, lobes obtuse
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 4
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule ovoid, ± 3.5 mm long and ± 2 mm in diameter
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovoid, 0.3 mm long, 0.2 mm broad, acute at each end.
Ecology
Upland pools, stream banks, edges of waterfalls and boggy places, 2200–2500 m
Conservation
Least Concern (LC); common
Note
Hedberg (A.V.P.: 318 (1957)) commented on the fine distinctions Glück recognised between L. aquatica L. and his L. africana. Although the taxonomy is still unsatisfactory I have maintained the use of the name L. africana pending further research. However, I do not recognise forma terrestris Glück and forma natans Glück (op. cit. 1934) as taxonomically distinct. Clear distinctions between small plants of L. capensis and L. africana have not been found.
Distribution
Range: Yemen Range: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Southern African mountains Flora districts: U2 U3 K3 K4 T2
[FTEA]

Scrophulariaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 2. 1963

Morphology General Habit
A small tufted aquatic or marsh herb, often with stolons bearing tufts of leaves and rooting
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, lilac or pinkish.
[FWTA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/13582358/13598412

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use
None recorded on specimens from our area
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0