Agathisanthemum globosum (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Bremek.

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Path to Chisanga Falls, Nyika National Park

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Synonyms:	Agathisanthemum petersii Klotzsch Agathisanthemum quadricostatum Bremek. Hedyotis globosa Hochst. ex A. Rich. Oldenlandia globosa (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Klotzsch ex Hiern
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Erect perennial herb up to 1.2 m tall, usually with several sparsely branched stems growing from a woody rootstock; branches densely pubescent with short spreading hairs. Leaves subsessile, elliptic, oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 2.5–8 cm long, almost hairless, pubescent or scabrid on both surfaces but always with some hairs on the margins; petiole less than 1 mm long; aborted leafy shoots are present in most axils; stipules with a triangular sheath, 1–9 mm long, bearing 3–15 linear fimbriae 3–10 mm long or sometimes only with a practically unfimbriated triangular lobe. Flowers numerous, in dense subglobose terminal inflorescences 1–3.5 cm in diameter; pedicels 0.2–3 mm long. Calyx hairless or pubescent; lobes linear-lanceolate, 2.5-9 mm long, shortly ciliate on margins or densely pubescent. Corolla very variable in colour, white, cream, pale yellow, blue, lilac, pink, purple or mauve, the lobes sometimes coloured at least outside and tube whitish, hairless, puberulous or minutely papillate; tube 2–4 mm long; lobes triangular, 1.7–4.1 mm long. Anthers exserted, often dark. Style white to yellow, 3.7–6.5 mm long, exserted. Capsule compressed-ellipsoid, 1.5–3 mm long and wide, grooved between the loculi, crowned by the persistent calyx lobes, hairless or pubescent.
Notes:	Plants often drying a peculiar yellow-green caused by an aluminium accumulator. A highly variable species and although typical forms are easily distinguished from Agathisanthemum bojeri intermediates with that species are found and it is possible that in some inland areas hybrids do occur.
Derivation of specific name:	globosum: globose, referring to the dense rounded inflorescence.
Habitat:	Grassland, Brachystegia woodland, roadsides, edges of dambos or in cultivated fields.
Altitude range:	60 - 1800 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, Gabon, DRC, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Mozambique distribution:	N,Z
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Friday 11 October 2019
Literature:	Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 112 - 113. Listed as A. bojeri but should refer to A. globosum (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 238. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 99. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 71. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 86. Verdcourt, B. (1988). Rubiaceae, Part 1 Flora Zambesiaca 5(1) Pages 110 - 111.

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Flora of Burundi: Agathisanthemum globosum
Flora of Malawi: Agathisanthemum globosum
Flora of Zambia: Agathisanthemum globosum
Flora of Zimbabwe: Agathisanthemum globosum

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Agathisanthemum globosum
African Plant Database: Agathisanthemum globosum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Agathisanthemum globosum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Agathisanthemum globosum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Agathisanthemum globosum
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iNaturalist: Agathisanthemum globosum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Agathisanthemum globosum
JSTOR Plant Science: Agathisanthemum globosum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Agathisanthemum globosum
Plants of the World Online: Agathisanthemum globosum
Tropicos: Agathisanthemum globosum
Wikipedia: Agathisanthemum globosum