Names and synonyms

Oedera sedifolia (DC.) Anderberg & Bremer
= Relhania sedifolia (DC.) Harv.
= Eclopes sedifolia DC.

Type

Drege, Cedarbergen, at Eselbank, rocky places in the krantzes, 1220-1525 m. (G-DC, G, K, L, P, W).

Common names

Bitterghombos

Derivation of names

Oedera = after George Christian Oeder (1728-1791), professor of Botany in Copenhagen, author of Flora Danica
sedifolius - sedile = three stones for priests in the south wall of a chancel, often canopied and decorated; folium = leaf - with decorated or canopied leaves.

Diagnostic characters

Leaves cylindrical, with pitted glands; apex rounded with a very short sharp tip
Capitula sessile or sometimes on a very short pedicel
Inner involucral bracts narrow and accute, without wings
Lamina of ray florets about as long as involucral bracts

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Description

A moderately branched shrublet, up to c. 0.5 m tall. Stems ascending-erect, tomentose, leafy, becoming glabrous and nude and marked with leaf-scars. Leaves alternate, spreading, flat or approaching semiterete, narrowly oblong, 3-13(-15) x 0.5-2 mm, young leaves laxly tomentose, becoming glabrous, distinctly glandular-punctate, acute-obtuse. Capitula solitary or occasionally paired, sessile or sometimes pedunculate, terminal. Peduncles up to 3 mm long. Involucre narrowly cup- to bell-shaped, 2-6 mm wide. Involucral bracts 15-45, subequal, outer ovate, innermost linear and straight or apically somewhat spreading, up to 10 x 1.4 mm, inner dorsally gland-dotted, acute. Receptacle flat-conical, paleate. Paleae canaliculate, linear or narrowly spatulate, 6-9 x 0.2-0.5 mm wide, dorsally gland-dotted, acute. Ray florets 7-20, lamina elliptic, 5-8 x 1.5-2.5 mm, 4-veined. Disc florets 8-30, perfect, tube cylindrical, glandular mainly on upper half. Cypselas angular with lateral ribs, linear, 3-6 x 0.4-0.6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose. Pappus crownlike of � connate scales, up to 1 mm long, occasionally with a few up to c. 5 mm long, slightly barbellate bristles.

Flowering time

Mainly from August to December.

Distribution

One of the more common species. It occurs on stony and rocky mountain slopes, sometimes at high altitudes along the mountain ranges from Witteberg to Cederberg and further north up in Namaqualand.
Known from more than 70 specimens.

Habitat

Rocky areas on mountain slopes and hills.

Notes

This species is recognized by its glandular -punctate leaves and slender involucres. It is related to O. multipunctata, but its capitula are not arranged in cymes and the leaves are much smaller. Another related species is O. foveolata, from which it differs e.g. in characters of the cypselas.
The size of the capitula varies considerably in this species. Generally the involucres are narrowly cup-shaped and slender with few florets, but they may be widely bell-shaped with increased space for more florets. The greatest variation is in Cederberg and it decreases further north and south respectively.

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References

ANDERBERG, A.A. & BREMER, K. 1991. Parsimony analysis and cladistic reclassification of the Relhania generic group (Asteraceae - Gnaphalieae). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 78: 1061-1072.
BREMER, K. 1976. The genus Relhania (Compositae). Opera Botanica 40.
GOLDBLATT, P. & MANNING, J.C. 2000. Cape Plants. A conspectus of the Cape flora of South Africa. Strelitzia 9. SANBI.
HARVEY. 1865. Compositae in: W.H. Harvey & O.W. Sonder. Flora Capensis 3 (ed. 1). Hodges & Smith, Dublin.
KESTING, D. & CLARKE, H. 2008. Botanical names, what they mean. Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula, 3rd revised edition. Friends of Silvermine.
PHILLIPS.1940. The Flowering Plants of South Africa 20: t. 786
SMITH, C. A. 1927. Four interesting species of Compositae. Bothalia 2: 360-365.