Names and synonyms

Relhania pungens L'H�r. ssp. trinervis (Thunb.) K.Bremer
=Relhania pungens L'H�r. p.p.
=Relhania trinervis Thunb.

Type

Drege, J.F. 'a', Kapie, Kalkh�gel bei der M�ndung des Zwartkopsrivier (HBG)

Derivation of names

Relhania = after Irish-born Richard Relhan (1754-1823), botanist, plant collector, bryologist, lichenologist, one of the founders of the Linnean Society, rector in Lincolnshire and author of Flora Cantabile.
pungens = with sharp points
trinervis = three-veined

Diagnostic characters

Leaves narrowly elliptic
Nerves spaced wider than their own width

Description

A sparsely branched shrublet or suffrutex, 0.3-0.5 m tall. Stems ascending-erect, tomentose, leafy, becoming glabrous and nude and marked with leaf-scars. Leaves 8-25 x 0.5-5 mm, usually linear or sometimes lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, coriaceous and sometimes somewhat rigid, distinctly 3-9-nerved with closely parallel to widely spaced nerves, usually tomentose with deciduous indumentum or occasionally glabrous dorsally, densely lanate and whitish above, acute, often pungent. Capitula solitary, sessile, terminal. Involucre 6-18 mm wide, bell-shaped. Involucral bracts 25-60, outer ovate, inner gradually longer with a spreading apical limb, glabrous or dorsally tomentose and whitish. Receptacle flat-convex, paleate. Paleae canaliculate, subulate, entire or slightly and irregularly serrate, 5.5-10 x 0.4-0.8 mm, acute-acuminate, persistent. Ray florets 15-30, tube somewhat triquetrous, 2.5-5 mm long, lamina narrowly elliptic-oblong, 6.5-14 x 1.5-2.7 mm, 4- or occasionally 5-6-veined. Disc florets 25-100, perfect. Pappus crownlike, of � connate scales, up to 1.9 mm long. Cypsela flat with inner edge often winged, elliptic-oblong-oblong, 1.9-3.5 x 0.6-1.2 mm wide, glabrous or shortly hispid-pilose with longer hairs on lateral ribs

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Flowering time

Mainly from October to February.

Distribution

Ssp. trinervis follows the coast mainly from Port Elizabeth to East London.
Known from more than 25 specimens.

Notes

This is a variable species, composed of three subspecies, which look quite different from each other. Their leaves have many nerves and are always densely lanate above, which distinguish them from R. calycina and R. speciosa.
The shape and venation of the leaves are the most important varying characters. Others are the shape of the involucral bracts and the size of the capitula with the floral parts.
Although three subspecies are distinguished, the boundaries between them are not exactly defined and there will be specimens that are difficult to place.

Key to the subspecies
1a  Leaves linear -lanceolate, with closely parallel nerves; the nerves not separated more than the width of the nerves themselves ......................................................................... 2
1b  Leaves narrowly elliptic, with widely spaced nerves; the nerves separated more than the width of the nerves themselves ............................................................................ ssp. trinervis
2a  Leaves hard and rigid, pungent, usually glabrous dorsally............................... ssp. pungens
2b  Leaves � soft, acute, but not pungent, usually tomentose with deciduous indumentums dorsally ................................................................................................................. ssp. angustifolia

References

BREMER, K. 1976. The genus Relhania (Compositae). Opera Botanica 40.
GLEN, H.F. 2004. SAPPI, What's in a Name? The Meanings of the Botanical Names of Trees. Jacana.
KESTING, D. & CLARKE, H. 2008. Botanical names, what they mean. Wild Flowers of the Cape Peninsula, 3rd revised edition. Friends of Silvermine.