Helichrysum foetidum (L.) Moench

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial herb, 0.3–1.5 m high; stem erect, simple but for the inflorescence (rarely branched near base), hollow?, thinly pubescent or tomentose and glandular.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves sticky and aromatic, sessile, lanceolate to slightly panduriform, 2–10(–12) cm long, 0.5–2.5(–3.5) cm wide, base semi-amplexicaul and slightly auriculate, margins entire, apex acute and mucronate, glandular-scabridulous with traces of pubescence above, similar or white-tomentellous beneath.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum

Capitula 6–10 mm long, heterogamous, several to many (–100) in dense or lax leafy corymbs; stalks of individual capitula 1–12 mm long; phyllaries pale lemon to golden yellow, (rarely whitish on drying), shiny, multiseriate, 2.5–9 mm long, acute, the outermost woolly at base; receptacle honeycombed, 3.5–8 mm in diameter.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets yellow to orange, many; outer florets many, in several rows, tube filiform from a wider base, 1.5–3.6 mm long, lobes 0.1–0.2 mm long, style 2–4 mm long; inner florets few to many, but generally (much) fewer than the outer, tube cylindric, 1.9–3 mm long, lobes 0.3–0.5 mm long, anthers 1.2–1.5 mm long, style 2.1–3.5 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes ellipsoid, 0.5–0.8 mm long, glabrous; pappus yellow or white, 2.5–4 mm long, falling separately.

Habitat

Forest margins, forest clearings, river-banks in forest, less often in grassland and fallow cultivation; pioneer species; 1350–2700 m

Distribution

K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7 U1 U2 U3

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Annual or short-lived perennial herb, 0.3–1.5 m high

Morphology Stem

Stem erect, simple but for the inflorescence, rarely branched near base, thinly pubescent or tomentose and glandular

Morphology Leaves

Leaves sticky and aromatic, sessile, lanceolate to slightly fiddle-shaped, 2–10 x 0.5–2.5 cm, base semi-amplexicaul and slightly auriculate, acute and mucronate, glandular-scabridulous with traces of pubescence above, similar or white-tomentellous beneath

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Capitula several to many in leafy corymbs; involucre 6–9 mm long; phyllaries lemon yellow, shiny, multiseriate, 2.5–9 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets

Florets yellow to orange; outer florets many, in several rows, 2.5–3.6 mm long; inner florets few to many, but generally (much) fewer than the outer, 2.5–3.5 mm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Achenes ellipsoid, 0.5–0.8 mm long, glabrous; pappus yellow or white, 3–4 mm long.

Distribution

N2 widespread in tropical Africa from Nigeria to South Africa, Arabia, Spain

Ecology

Altitude c. 2100 m.

Vernacular

Farah od (Somali)

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident