Pycnosphaera buchananii (Baker) N.E. Br.

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Photo: António Martins
Kwanza river spring, Bié, Angola.

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Synonyms:	Faroa buchananii Baker Pycnosphaera quarrei De Wild. Pycnosphaera trimera Gilg Pycnosphaera vanderystii De Wild.
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Description:	Annual or perennial herb up to 1.5 m. tall. Stem, longitudinally 2-ridged, hairless. Basal leaves sometimes crowded, oblong-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 1.5–5.5 cm long; stem-leaves opposite, from elliptic to linear or linear-oblong, 3–5.5 cm long, decurrent at the base. Inflorescence in dense bracteate heads with bracts elliptic to sub-ovate, 3–6 mm long, sometimes solitary or corymbosely arranged to the apex of the stem and branches. Flowers from pink, mauve and blue-violet to white, on pedicels 0.3–1.2 mm. long. Calyx tripartite; lateral sepals oblong-elliptic, 3–3.5 mm long; dorsal sepal oblong-obovate, c. 1.5 mm long, emarginate or obscurely 3-lobed at the apex. Corolla tube 3–3.5 mm long; lobes elliptic or ovate lanceolate, 2.5 mm long. Capsule cylindric-ellipsoid, 2–2.5 mm long.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	buchananii: after John Buchanan (1855 – 1896), Scottish horticulturist, missionary, farmer and plant collector in Malawi, who became Acting British Consul to Central Africa. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Buchanan_(settler).
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Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa as far as Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and northern Zimbabwe.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	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 53. Paiva, J. & Nogueira, I. (1990). Gentianaceae Flora Zambesiaca 7(4) Pages 47 - 48. As Pychnosphaera buchananii (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 66. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 76.

Other sources of information about Pycnosphaera buchananii:

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Flora of Botswana: Pycnosphaera buchananii
Flora of Malawi: Pycnosphaera buchananii
Flora of Zambia: Pycnosphaera buchananii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Pycnosphaera buchananii

External websites:

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