The World Flora Online

Suffrutex, moderately branched. Branches ± closely leafy to the corymb, or sparsely leafy above. Branches often short, woolly, becoming glabrous and nude when old and marked with leaf-scars. Leaves (erecto-patent-) patent-somewhat reflexed, narrowly elliptic-elliptic, 0.5-1 cm long and (1.5-)2-3(-4) mm wide, mucronate, smooth and glabrous on upper side. Corymbophore 0 or up to 4 cm long, when present densely woolly. Corymb 1.5-3(-4) cm wide. Peduncles 5-10(-20) mm long and densely woolly. Capitula 5-flowered. Involucral bracts 15-20. Outer bracts oblong-elliptic, (2.5-)3-3.5 long and 1-1.5 mm wide, light brown with browner apex and base, obtuse side and margins glabrous (-very sparsely sericeous). Middle bracts stipitate; claw narrowly oblong-narrowly elliptic 2.5 mm long and c. 1 mm wide, brown, outside and margins glabrous or sparsely sericeous at the tip; lamina circular, 1.2-1.5 mm long and wide, brown, obtuse. Inner bracts stipitate; claw narrowly elliptic-narrowly obovate, 3 mm long and 0.5-1 mm wide, light brown, outside and margins glabrous; lamina circular-transversely broadly elliptic, 1-1.5 mm long and (1-)1.5 mm wide, white, opaque, (obtuse-) truncate. Female floret 1. Corolla 2-2.2(-2.5) mm long. Pappus bristles 10-12, (0.5-)1-1.3 mm long, otherwise as in male florets. Achene narrowly oblong-narrowly elliptic, (1.3-)1.6-1.9 mm long and c. 0.6 mm wide, brown, sparingly glandular. Male florets 4. Corolla 2.8-3.1 mm long. Pappus bristles c. 15, 1.8-2 mm long, fulvous-brownish, straight, barbellate, basally fused into an annulus and connate to about the middle. Flowering period: Flowering material seen from August-October and from January. Like A. nycthemerum but outer bracts obtuse. Like A. nycthemerum but outer bracts obtuse.

A. brevipes, only represented by a few collections, is obviously closely allied to A. nycthemerum, but sufficiently distinct to receive recognition as a species. It has usually been confused with the latter species from which it can be readily distinguished, however, especially by its obtuse and mostly glabrous outer involucral bracts, the shorter or mostly lacking corymbophore, and more connate pappus bristles (especially in the male florets). A. brevipes can possibly be regarded as a high montane derivative of A. nycthemerum. A. brevipes shows very little variation.

Sandstone slopes above 1000 m. A montane species on rocky sandstone slopes. A montane species on rocky sandstone slopes.

Riviersonderend Mtns. Restricted to the River Sonderend Mts. in Caledon Division. Restricted to the River Sonderend Mts. in Caledon Division.