Dendrosenecio adnivalis explained

Dendrosenecio adnivalis (synonym Senecio adnivalis) is one of the giant groundsels of the mountains of Eastern Africa. D. adnivalis grows on the Rwenzori Mountains[1] and on the Virunga Mountains[2] in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Description

Dendrosenecio adnivalis attains heights of 6m-10mm (20feet-30feetm) tall, trunk can be 40 centimeters diameter and the pith 3cm-4cmcm (01inches-02inchescm) diameter.[1] [3] The stems have 25 to 60 leaves densely packed in a rosette shape at the top. Old leaves are persistent,[1] withered leaf-bases covering the stalk for 1 to 3 meters below the leaf-rosettes. Leaf surfaces are elliptic to heart shaped and can be 96cm (38inches) long and 26cm (10inches) wide, hairy on the top and not hairy on the bottom. Branched clusters of flowers to 160cm (60inches) tall and 60cm (20inches) wide. The droopy flower heads have 9 to 20 ray florets, 16 millimeters long or no ray florets at all and 90 to 250 disc florets.[3]

Distribution

The Congo Basin is very wet; humid air is trapped by the mountains and rain falls on most days even in the drier months. Above 2500 meters (8,200 ft) clouds can persist for several days making the Rwenzori and the Virunga a wetter environment than the other East African mountains.[4] Dendrosenecio adnivalis lives at altitudes of 3,000 to 3,800 meters (9,800 to 12,000 feet) on the Rwenzori Mountains with another giant groundsel, Dendrosenecio johnstonii. D. adnivalis more common on the wetter soils.[5]

On the Virunga Mountains groves of Senecio stanleyi (Dendrosenecio adnivalis) grow after the tree heaths (Erica sp.) in clearings along with Lobelia wollastonii until the altitude of 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) when vegetation becomes sparse.[6]

Synonyms

The herbarium has all of the Dendrosenecio adnivalis specimens filed under Senecio johnstonii[7] and indeed, one is probably a variety or subspecies of the other that adapted to live closer to water and on damper ground.[8] [9]

A synonym for Senecio stanleyi is Dendrosenecio adnivalis (Stapf) E.B.Knox var. petiolatus (Hedberg) E.B.Knox; for this article, Senecio stanleyi was considered to be a synonym of Dendrosenecio adnivalis.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Common plants of the Rwenzori, particularly the upper zones . 2008-05-06 . H. Peter Linder . University of Zurich . Berit Gehrke. 2 March 2006 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080530005602/http://www.systbot.unizh.ch/datenbanken/rwenzori/Rwenzori_desktop.pdf . 2008-05-30 . dead .
  2. Web site: THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE VIRUNGA VOLCANOES . 2008-05-12 . I.Owiunji . D. Nkuutu . D. Kujirakwinja . I. Liengola . A. Plumptre . A.Nsanzurwimo . K. Fawcett . M. Gray . A. McNeilage . amp . 2005 . Unpublished report . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061213174516/http://albertinerift.org/media/file/Volcanoes_Biodiv_survey.pdf . December 13, 2006 .
  3. Web site: Entry for Dendrosenecio adnivalis (Stapf) E.B.Knox [family COMPOSITAE] ]. 2008-05-13 . Aluka . Aluka . African Plants . Ithaka Harbors, Inc..
  4. Web site: RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, UGANDA . 2008-05-06 . March 1994 . Protected Areas and World Heritage . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080510070450/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/rwenzor.html . 2008-05-10 . dead.
  5. Web site: Common plants of the Rwenzori, particularly the upper zones . 2008-05-06 . H. Peter Linder . University of Zurich . Berit Gehrke. 2 March 2006 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080530005602/http://www.systbot.unizh.ch/datenbanken/rwenzori/Rwenzori_desktop.pdf . 2008-05-30 . dead .
  6. Web site: VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO . 2008-05-09 . 1984 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080430220945/http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/virunga.html . 2008-04-30 . dead.
  7. Web site: Results List . 2008-05-13 . Aluka . Aluka . African Plants . Ithaka Harbors, Inc. .
  8. Knox . Eric B. . Eric B. Knox . Jeffrey D. Palmer . Chloroplast DNA Variation and the Recent Radiation of the Giant Senecios (Asteraceae) on the Tall Mountains of Eastern Africa . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 92 . 22 . 10349–10353 . . October 24, 1995 . 19951024 . 10.1073/pnas.92.22.10349. 7479782 . 40794. 1995PNAS...9210349K . free .
  9. Book: Knox , Eric B. . Eric B. Knox . Ulf Dieckmann . Michael Doebeli . Diethard Tautz . Johan A. J. Metz . Adaptive Speciation . 2008-03-29 . 2004 . . 0-521-82842-2 . Adaptive radiation of African montane plants . https://books.google.com/books?id=Z-gCf7TD9-MC&pg=RA1-PA345.
  10. Web site: Senecio stanleyi Hauman record n° 98843 . https://archive.today/20130116002703/http://www.ville-ge.ch/cjb/bd/africa/details.php?langue=an&id=98843 . dead . 2013-01-16 . 2008-05-12 . African Plants Database . South African National Biodiversity Institute, the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève and Tela Botanica .

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