- Family: Polygonaceae Juss.
- Genus: Rumex L.
Rumex hypogaeus T.M.Schust. & Reveal
- Genus: Rumex L.
This species is accepted, and its native range is S. Africa.
[FTEA]
Polygonaceae, R. A. Graham. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1958
- Habit
- An erect or diffuse, much branched, green herb, glabrous throughout.
- Stem
- Stem furrowed.
- Ocrea
- Ocreae 5 mm. long, membranous, brown, readily tearing and falling away.
- Leaves
- Leaves long-petiolate, ovate, with a rounded or obtuse apex, basally rounded, truncate or cordate, shortly decurrent to the petiole; when mature with rounded basal lobes containing a broad basal sinus.
- Inflorescences
- Inflorescence rather laxly racemose, the flowers borne in axillary and sometimes shortly pedunculate clusters (or terminally as a spiciform raceme if the upper leaves are absent).
- Flowers
- Male tepals green, in two subequal series, ovate-elliptic, 2 mm. long, scarcely exceeding 1 mm. in width, all with brown midrib and veins. Anthers ovate, brownish-orange; filaments filiform, free. Female flowers sessile, all in axillary clusters. Inner 3 tepals erect, rounded or very broadly ovate, strongly veined with lateral veins bifurcating near the margin, the midrib excurrent as a short, rigid, spiny arista. Outer 3 tepals forming at the tips very sharp, rigid spreading spines, 4–5 mm. long; the faces perforated at maturity with usually 4 large pits.
- Male
- Male tepals green, in two subequal series, ovate-elliptic, 2 mm. long, scarcely exceeding 1 mm. in width, all with brown midrib and veins. Anthers ovate, brownish-orange; filaments filiform, free.
- Female
- Female flowers sessile, all in axillary clusters. Inner 3 tepals erect, rounded or very broadly ovate, strongly veined with lateral veins bifurcating near the margin, the midrib excurrent as a short, rigid, spiny arista. Outer 3 tepals forming at the tips very sharp, rigid spreading spines, 4–5 mm. long; the faces perforated at maturity with usually 4 large pits.
- Fruits
- Fruiting perianth parallel-sided, very accrescent and hard, 6 mm. long, 12–13 mm. overall broad.
- Figures
- Fig. 1/1 and 2.
- Habitat
- By roads and railways; essentially a plant of waste land; 1800–1900 m.
- Distribution
- K3 K4 introduced into our area, probably from South Africa, where it is reputedly native and known as Cape Spinach. Introduced into New Zealand, Madagascar, Australia (intentionally), and occasionally elsewhere as in Florida, California and Hawaii
[FZ]
Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 9, Part 3. Polygonaceae-Myriaceae. Pope GV, Polhill RM, Martins ES. 2006.
- Type
- Type from South Africa.
- Habit
- An erect or prostrate, much branched herb with a semi-woody rootstock An erect or prostrate, much branched herb with a semi-woody rootstock.
- Stem
- Stem green or tinged with red especially towards the base, up to 30 cm or more long, furrowed, glabrous Stem green or tinged with red especially towards the base, up to 30 cm or more long, furrowed, glabrous.
- Leaves
- Leaf lamina 3.5–6 × 2–3 cm, oblong-ovate to ovate, rounded or obtuse at the apex, rounded cordate or truncate at the base and ± decurrent on the petiole; petiole 3–10 cm long, channelled Leaf lamina 3.5–6 × 2–3 cm, oblong-ovate to ovate, rounded or obtuse at the apex, rounded cordate or truncate at the base and ± decurrent on the petiole; petiole 3–10 cm long, channelled.
- Ocrea
- Ocrea brown, 5 mm long, membranous, lacerated Ocrea brown, 5 mm long, membranous, lacerated.
- Flowers
- Male flowers in terminal and axillary pedunculate clusters; perianth segments 2 × 1 mm, ovate-elliptic, green with brown midribs and veins; stamens ± as long as the perianth; filaments filiform; anthers orange-brownish, 0.7–0.8 × 0.3 mm, ellipsoid-cylindric. Female flowers sessile, urceolate, 6-lobed; lobes 2-seriate, the 3 inner lobes 3 × 2.5 mm, erect, rounded or very broadly ovate, strongly veined, the lateral veins bifurcating near the margin, the midrib prominent and produced into a spiny awn at the tip; outer lobes connate, forming a tube c. 4 mm long, indurated in fruit and produced at the tips into sharp rigid spreading spines c. 4–5 mm long, the faces perforated with 4 large pits; ovary 3–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, triquetrous; styles 3, very short, 0.8 × 0.4 mm, broadly ovate, fringed on the inner side and lacerated above Female flowers sessile, urceolate, 6-lobed; lobes 2-seriate, the 3 inner lobes 3 × 2.5 mm, erect, rounded or very broadly ovate, strongly veined, the lateral veins bifurcating near the margin, the midrib prominent and produced into a spiny awn at the tip; outer lobes connate, forming a tube c. 4 mm long, indurated in fruit and produced at the tips into sharp rigid spreading spines c. 4–5 mm long, the faces perforated with 4 large pits; ovary 3–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, triquetrous; styles 3, very short, 0.8 × 0.4 mm, broadly ovate, fringed on the inner side and lacerated above. Male flowers in terminal and axillary pedunculate clusters; perianth segments 2 × 1 mm, ovate-elliptic, green with brown midribs and veins; stamens ± as long as the perianth; filaments filiform; anthers orange-brownish, 0.7–0.8 × 0.3 mm, ellipsoid-cylindric.
- Fruits
- Nut 6 × 12–13 mm (including spines), triquetrous, included within the hardened perianth, very accrescent and with divaricate rigid spines Nut 6 × 12–13 mm (including spines), triquetrous, included within the hardened perianth, very accrescent and with divaricate rigid spines.
- Seeds
- Seeds 3–3.5 × 2.5 mm, triquetrous. Seeds 3–3.5 × 2.5 mm, triquetrous.
- Note
- S.A. Probably introduced into the Flora Zambesiaca area from South Africa where it is known as ‘Cape Spinach’.
- Ecology
- On roadsides and as an arable weed in irrigated cereals; 120–1250 m.
- Distribution
- Mozambique ZIM C, ZIM E, MOZ M Zimbabwe Native to Namibia and South Africa, introduced to East Africa, Madagascar, Australasia and U.
- Male
- Male flowers in terminal and axillary pedunculate clusters; perianth segments 2 × 1 mm, ovate-elliptic, green with brown midribs and veins; stamens ± as long as the perianth; filaments filiform; anthers orange-brownish, 0.7–0.8 × 0.3 mm, ellipsoid-cylindric.
- Female
- Female flowers sessile, urceolate, 6-lobed; lobes 2-seriate, the 3 inner lobes 3 × 2.5 mm, erect, rounded or very broadly ovate, strongly veined, the lateral veins bifurcating near the margin, the midrib prominent and produced into a spiny awn at the tip; outer lobes connate, forming a tube c. 4 mm long, indurated in fruit and produced at the tips into sharp rigid spreading spines c. 4–5 mm long, the faces perforated with 4 large pits; ovary 3–3.5 × 2–2.5 mm, triquetrous; styles 3, very short, 0.8 × 0.4 mm, broadly ovate, fringed on the inner side and lacerated above.
Native to:
Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Namibia, Northern Provinces, Swaziland
Introduced into:
California, Hawaii, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Northern Territory, Pakistan, Queensland, Réunion, South Australia, St.Helena, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad-Tobago, Victoria, Western Australia, Zimbabwe
Rumex hypogaeus T.M.Schust. & Reveal appears in other Kew resources:
| Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 1956 | unknown [2877], South Africa | Emex australis | K000244117 | |
| Forster [s.n.], South Africa | Emex australis | K000244116 | ||
| Wallich [s.n.], South Africa | Emex australis | K000244113 | ||
| Drege [s.n.], South Africa | Emex australis | K000244114 | ||
| Drege [s.n.], South Africa | Emex australis | K000244115 |
First published in Taxon 64: 1203 (2015)
Literature
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Pope, G.V., Polhill, R.M. & Martins, E.S. (eds.) (2006). Flora Zambesiaca 9(3): 1-277. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Bosser, J. & al. (eds.) (1994). Flore des Mascareignes 136-148: 1. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.
- MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.
- Brown, L.C. (1982). The Flora and Fauna of St Helena: 1-88. Land Resources Development Centre, Surbiton, England.
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
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Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0