Names and synonyms

Oreoleysera montana (Bolus) Bremer
=Leysera montana Bolus

Type

A. Bolus 6367, Cape Colony, South-western region, district Worcester, on the Matroosberg, alt. circ. 6,500 ft., fl. Jan. (BOL).

Derivation of names

oreo- = pertaining to mountains; leysera = the genus Leysera 
montana = to do with mountains

Diagnostic characters

Pappus consist of several bristles but no scales.
Solitary capitula on long pedicels
Leaves in a small tuft, very densely spaced, equally densely woolly-hairy on both surfaces, with a solitary long pedicel and capitulum standing high above the leaves.
Pedicel sparsely covered with long glandular hairs.

Description

Low, compact, robust, densely branched woody perennial dwarf shrub, 0.05-0.15 m tall, sometimes forming dense tufts. Stems densely leafy, basally tufted with dry leaf bases, with a solitary pedicel and capitulum standing erect, high above the leaves. Leaves crowded on the branches, alternate, sessile, flat or somewhat concave, mid-ribbed, oblanceolate-narrow spathulate, 7-20 x 1-4 mm, densely brownish or greyish-tomentose, very sticky with rufous glands on both surfaces, margins entire, apex obtuse. Capitula heterogamous, radiate, terminal, solitary on glandular, leafless peduncles covered with sparse long hairs, peduncles 10-75 mm long. Involucre bell-shaped, 10-16 mm wide. Involucral bracts 40-75, in several rows, imbricated, entire, glabrous, yellowish brown, acute; outer small and ovate; inner gradually longer and narrowly elliptic-oblong, apically scarious and spreading with lanceolate laminas, 7-11 x 0.8-2.5 mm. Receptacle epaleate. Ray florets (12-)20-24(-25), female fertile, in one row, fewer than the disc florets; tube cylindrical, glabrous or with a few hairs similar to those of the disc florets; lamina elliptic-oblong, 5-9 x 1.2-3 mm, citrus-yellow with purple bands dorsally, 4-veined, apically 3-lobed. Disc florets 40-125, perfect, yellow, 5-lobed; tube with a collar of slender multicellular hairs just below the limb. Cypselas terete, rodlike with five vascular bundles, narrowly-elliptic-oblong, 3.5-5.4 mm long, densely covered with slender twin hairs on a basal cell. Pappus 11-15, free or basally somewhat connate, barbellate bristles in one indistinct row, with an outer row of very narrow scales.

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Flowering time

November to January.

Distribution

Confined to the mountains of southwestern Cape above 1000 m. Generally very localized and not common.
Known from about 5 specimens.

Habitat

On bare rock of cliff face in well-drained sandy soil in shaded areas protected from fire, S aspect. In vertical cracks, rock crevices.

References

BREMER, K. 1978. Oreoleysera and Antithrixia, new and old South African genera of the Compositae. Botaniska Notiser 131: 449-453.
GLEN, H.F. 2004. SAPPI, What's in a Name? The Meanings of the Botanical Names of Trees. Jacana.