Stachys bolusii
| Stachys bolusii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Stachys |
| Species: | S. bolusii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stachys bolusii | |
Stachys bolusii, the strandveld woundwort, is a species of hedgenettle endemic to South Africa′s Western Cape province.[2][3]
Description
This species is a perennial herb with spreading to ascending, branched stems up to 0.45 m (1 ft 6 in) long. The stems are sparsely to fairly densely covered with long spreading to backward-pointing hairs, with some gland-tipped hairs also present.[4]
The leaves are borne on stalks, with broadly ovate blades, the larger leaves 30–55 mm (1.2–2.2 in) long. Both surfaces are fairly densely hairy, with blunt to rounded tips and deeply heart-shaped bases. The margins are regularly and somewhat coarsely scalloped, with about ten to fourteen rounded teeth on each side.[4]
The inflorescence is simple and scarcely tapering, up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long, composed of several whorls each bearing six flowers. The bracts are densely hairy and leaf-like, especially the lower ones, becoming smaller upwards but remaining longer than the corolla. The flowers are nearly stalkless. The calyx is densely hairy and about 7 mm (0.28 in) long. The corolla is white with purple or pink markings on the lower lip, with a short tube, an ascending upper lip, and a downward-curving lower lip.[4]
Stachys lamarckii flowers from August to September.[2][4]
Identification
This species was at one time considered rare, possibly because it has often been confused with the highly variable Stachys aethiopica, which overlaps it in much of its geographic range. The key distinction between the two is the floral bracts, which in Stachys bolusii are longer than the corolla. In Stachys aethiopica, the bracts are shorter or equal to the calyx.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Stachys lamarckii is found among rocks in the greater Malmesbury area, and along the coast from Saldanha to the Cape Peninsula. Some sources extend the range to Stanford.[2][4]
Etymology
The species epithet honours the English-born South African botanist Harry Bolus (1834–1911). He started collecting plant specimens in Graaff-Reinet in 1865 and went on to organise six large-scale collecting expeditions in South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique between 1883 and 1904. His donation of his extensive private herbarium and library formed the basis of the Bolus Herbarium at the University of Cape Town. Plant genera named for him are Bolusia, Bolusafra, Neobolusia, Bolusanthus, and Bolusiella. Species include Leucospermum bolusii, Muraltia bolusii, Pleiospilos bolusii, and Serruria bolusii.[5][6]
Notes
- ^ "Stachys bolusii". Red List of South African Plants. SANBI. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
- ^ a b c Manning, J., Goldblatt, P. (2012). Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region. Vol. 1. Pretoria: SANBI. p. 604. ISBN 9781919976747.
- ^ Klopper, R.R. & Winter, P.J.D., ed. (20 March 2025). "The South African National Plant Checklist: 2025 official yearly release". South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Retrieved 13 January 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f Codd, L. E. W., Dyer, R. A., Rycroft, H. B., de Winter, B. (1985). Flora of Southern Africa: The Republic of South Africa, Basutoland, Swaziland and South West Africa. Vol. 28. Govt. Printer. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0621082686.
- ^ "Bolus, Dr Harry (botany)". S2A3 Biographical Database of Southern African Science. Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
- ^ Clarke, Hugh; Charters, Michael (2016). The Illustrated Dictionary of Southern African Plant Names. Johannesburg: Jacana Media. p. 47. ISBN 9781431424436.
See also
External links
- SANBI Biodiversity Advisor
- Media related to Stachys bolusii at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Stachys bolusii at Wikispecies