Afrocarduus
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| 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 Afrocarduus Kazmi (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]