Pechuel-loeschea
Species of flowering plants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pechuel-loeschea, (common names; stinkbush,[2] sweatbush,[3] or bitterbos,[2][4]) is a monotypic genus of African plants in the elecampane tribe within the sunflower family, and named after the German plant collector and geographer Eduard Pechuël-Loesche (1840-1913).[5]
| Pechuel-loeschea | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Spermatophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Subfamily: | Asteroideae |
| Tribe: | Inuleae |
| Genus: | Pechuel-loeschea O.Hoffm. |
| Species: | P. leubnitziae |
| Binomial name | |
| Pechuel-loeschea leubnitziae | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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The only known species is Pechuel-loeschea leubnitziae,[6][7] (or 'wild sage'[3][8]) which is native to Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the Cape Provinces and the Northern Provinces, (in South Africa).[9] The Latin specific epithet of leubnitziae refers to Leubnitzia, the maiden name of Pechuel-Loesche's wife.[3]
Description
Strongly aromatic shrubby perennial herb. It grows up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) tall. Most parts are densely grey-velvety and with short glandular hairs. It has alternately arranged leaves, which are (sub)sessile (without a leaf stalk). They are narrowly obovate-elliptic in shape and about 4.5 cm (2 in) long and 0.7 cm wide. They are velvety-grey on both leaf surfaces with a midrib prominent also on both surfaces. The margin is entire (smooth). It blooms between March and July. It has a capitula (a dense cluster of sessile or subsessile flowers) which are terminal (at the end) of 1-3 in the leaf axils. They more or less funnel-shaped and up to 1.3 cm long. The involucral scales (surround the flower head) are greyish glandular and hairy. The florets are purple with the central ray florets absent.[3]