Gymnanthemum capense (A.Spreng.) J.C.Manning & Swelank.

Scientific Name

Scientific name: Gymnanthemum capense (A.Spreng.) J.C.Manning & Swelank.

Species Growth Form

The species previously known as Gymnanthemum mespilifolium is a sprawling woody liane reaching up to 15 cm thick.

Native Range

It is native to Southern Africa, found in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape.

Habitat

It grows as a vigorous pioneer species in disturbed or degraded habitats, including cleared areas and forest margins.

Genus Name Etymology

The genus name Gymnanthemum comes from the Greek words gymnos meaning naked and anthos meaning flower, which refers to the lack of paleae on the receptacle.

Former Epithet Etymology

The former specific epithet mespilifolium means leaves that resemble those of the genus Mespilus.

Genus Species Count

The genus Gymnanthemum contains around 43 species.

Genus Distribution

These species are native to sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and Southern Asia, and have been introduced into Brazil.

Initial Genus Publication

Gymnanthemum was first formally described by Cassini in 1817.

Genus Synonymy History

It was later merged into the genus Vernonia by Candolle in 1836 and again by Bentham in 1873.

Genus Resurrection

The genus was finally resurrected by Robinson and Kahn in work published between 1986 and 1999.

Current Genus Boundaries

The current accepted taxonomic boundaries of the genus are narrower than they were in 1999.

Southern African Species Count

Currently, nine species of Gymnanthemum are recognized in southern Africa.

South African Endemics

Five of these species are endemic to South Africa.

Widespread Southern African Species

The remaining four more widespread species are Gymnanthemum theophrastifolium (Schweinf. ex Oliv. & Hiern) H. Rob., Gymnanthemum coloratum (Willd.) H. Rob. & B. Kahn, Gymnanthemum amygdalinum (Del.) Sch. Bip. ex Walp. and Gymnanthemum myrianthum (Hook. f.) H. Rob.

Taxonomic Reclassification Proposal

In the South African Journal of Botany Volume 102, January 2016, pages 81–101, N. Swelankomo, J.C. Manning and A.R. Magee proposed reclassifying Gymnanthemum mespilifolium into the new combination Gymnanthemum capense.