Teucrium trifidum
| Teucrium trifidum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Teucrium |
| Species: | T. trifidum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Teucrium trifidum | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Teucrium trifidum, commonly called the fever woodsage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is found in South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana.[2][3]
Description
This species is an erect, softly woody undershrub growing 30–110 cm (0.98–3.61 ft) tall, freely branched from the base. The stems are slender and wand-like, woody near the base and herbaceous above, with a thin covering of short greyish hairs.[4]
The leaves can be variable in shape, but they are usually deeply divided into three, or sometimes up to five, narrow lobes, and are 2–6 cm (0.79–2.36 in) long. They are thinly hairy to almost silvery; the lobes are linear to lance-shaped, 1–3.5 cm (0.39–1.38 in) long and 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) wide, and may be further shallowly lobed or toothed.[4]
The inflorescence is a leafy, branched panicle occupying the upper third of the stem, with the flowers usually borne in small clusters of three to seven on stalks 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long, typically longer than the spaces between the leaves. The calyx is 2.5–4.0 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long. The corolla is 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and white; the lower lip is obovate and the remaining four lobes oblong to rounded. The anthers are exserted by 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in).[4]
Identification
The three species of Teucrium present in South Africa all have white flowers so similar in appearance that only vegetative and inflorescence characteristics can be relied on for identification.[4]
Teucrium trifidum overlaps with Teucrium africanum in the Eastern Cape, from about Makhanda to Komani. Teucrium trifidum is typically over 30 cm (12 in) in height and Teucrium africanum under. The latter species also usually has solitary flowers on short stalks.[4]
Teucrium trifidum also overlaps with Teucrium kraussii in the Eastern Cape, around Komga. Its leaves are smaller and greyer than those of the latter, even if they are sometimes similarly shaped.[4]
Distribution and habitat
This species is common in South Africa′s Gauteng and North West provinces, briefly crossing into Botswana and extending down into the central Free State, Lesotho, and parts of the Northern Cape. It′s also found in eastern Mpumalanga, northern KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape as far south as Humansdorp. It typically grows in dry woodland, especially in overgrazed or disturbed places.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Akkedispoot". Red List of South African Plants. SANBI. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
- ^ a b "Teucrium trifidum Retz". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Klopper, R. R.; Winter, P. J. D., eds. (20 March 2025). "The South African National Plant Checklist: 2025 official yearly release". South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g 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. 10–11. ISBN 0621082686.
External links
- SANBI Biodiversity Advisor
- Data related to Teucrium trifidum at Wikispecies