Names and synonyms

Relhania spathulifolia Bremer

Type

Bremer 517, between Bosheuwel and Soutbos, shore of vlei, 1972 (S).

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.
spathufolia = with spoon-shaped leaves

Diagnostic characters

Leaves obovate to subrotund, tips rounded
Upper surface white-woolly
Lower leaf surface woolly when young, sparsely hairy when older.
Capitula large.

Description

A moderately branched shrublet, 0.3- 0.5 m tall. Stems ascending, tomentose, leafy, becoming glabrous and nude and marked with leaf-scars. Leaves alternate, 8-15 x 4-9 mm, spreading, flat with slightly involute margins, obovate to spatulate, densely tomentose dorsally, densely white-hairy above, rounded. Capitula solitary, sessile, terminal. Involucre widely urn-shaped-almost globose, 5-10 mm wide. Involucral bracts 30-60, outer ovate, innermost spatulate with an ovate, spreading apical limb. Receptacle flat, epaleate, but sometimes shortly squamose. Ray florets 20-40, tube 2-2.5 mm long, lamina narrowly elliptic, 5.5-6.5 x 1.2-1.8 mm, 4-veined. Disc florets >50, sterile. Pappus crownlike, of connate scales, up to 2 mm long. Cypselas almost terete, narrowly oblong, 1.5-2 x 0.3-0.6 mm, glabrous.

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Flowering time

Mainly from September to October.

Distribution

Known from two localities only, Waskraalsvlei and near Soetendalsvlei south of Bredasdorp.
Known from less than 10 specimens.

Habitat

In seasonally wet clay soil, roadside near salt pan. It grows in heavy soil on partially moist edges of marshy places (vleis).

Notes

This new species is closely related to R. rotundifolia, but has slightly smaller capitula, epaleate receptacle, villose ray floret cypselas and sterile disc florets.

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.

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