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Heliophila africana

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Heliophila africana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Heliophila
Species:
H. africana
Binomial name
Heliophila africana
(L.) Marais
Synonyms[1]
  • Cheiranthus africanus L.
  • Heliophila arabioides Sims
  • Heliophila coronopifolia Thunb.
  • Heliophila divaricata Eckl. & Zeyh.
  • Heliophila divaricata Eckl. & Zeyh. ex Sond.
  • Heliophila frutescens Lam.
  • Heliophila incana Thunb.
  • Heliophila incisa DC.
  • Heliophila pilosa Lam.
  • Heliophila pilosa var. digitata Sond.
  • Heliophila pilosa var. incisa DC.
  • Heliophila rostrata C.Presl
  • Heliophila stricta Sims
  • Heliophila trichincstyla E.Phillips
  • Heliophila trichinostyla E.Phillips
  • Orthoselis pilosa (Lam.) Spach
  • Pachystylum glabrum Eckl. & Zeyh.

Heliophila africana, the African sunspurge or little blue mouth, is a species of plant from South Africa.

Description

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This annual herb grows up to 135 cm (53 in) tall.[2][3] It is most commonly 60–70 cm (24–28 in) and may be sparely branched.[4] The leaves are lance shaped and are sometimes toothed. They lack stipules.[2] They grow to be up to 13 cm (5.1 in) long and sometimes have lobes.[4] The lower leaves grow on stalks, while the upper leaves are stalkless.[3]

Flowers, which are blue or mauve in colour, are most common between August and October.[2] They have four round petals with basal appendages surrounding a white center and a yellow stamen.[2][3] While one appendage per petal is most common, they may rarely have two.[4] They contain 20-52 ovules.[2] The flowers are only open when it is warm, and will close when the environment cools.[3]

The fruits are liner. They are 13–100 mm (0.51–3.94 in) long.[2] They are flat or slightly rounded in cross-section with straight margins and 3-nerved valves although rare 5-valved specimens have been found). The seeds are subcircular or a broad oblong in shape and are 1.7–2.3 mm (0.067–0.091 in) long.[4]

Distribution and habitat

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This species is endemic to South Africa. It is found between Namaqualand and Swellendam, although it is most common between the Cape Peninsula and Clanwilliam.[4] It prefers sandy flats, where it grows between bushes and rocks.[2][3]

Chemistry

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Fatty acids make up approximately a third of the seed's dry weight for this species. Approximately 41% of this is made up of very-long-chain fatty acids. Linoleic acid makes up around 22% of the seed fatty acids. The relatively high levels of nervonic acid and lower levels of erucic acid may make this species one of commercial interest.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Heliophila africana". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2012). Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region : 1: the core Cape flora (PDF). Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute, SANBI. ISBN 978-1-919976-74-7. OCLC 852384288.
  3. ^ a b c d e Clarke, Hugh G.; Merry, Corinne (2019). Wild flowers of the Cape Peninsula (3rd ed.). Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 978-1-77584-640-6. OCLC 1124073483.
  4. ^ a b c d e e-Flora of South Africa. v1.36. 2022. South African National Biodiversity Institute. http://ipt.sanbi.org.za/iptsanbi/resource?r=flora_descriptions&v=1.36
  5. ^ Smith, M. A.; Zhang, H. (2018-07-01). "Very-long-chain fatty acid diversity in nine Heliophila seed oils". South African Journal of Botany. 117: 50–56. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2018.04.019. ISSN 0254-6299. S2CID 90653582.