Cotula turbinata L. 1753
Creators: name: Jakoet, A.
name: Mucina, L.
name: Magee, A. R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteraceae
Cotula
Cotula turbinata

description: 3. Cotula turbinata L., Sp. Pl. 2: 892 (1753); Krauss, Beit. zur Fl. des Cap-und Natal 79. (1846); Levyns in Adamson & Salter, Fl. Cape Penins. 162 (1950); Merr. & Houtt. in Rehder, J. Arn. Arb. 19: 371(1938).
Lidbeckia turbinata (L.) Thunb., Prodr. Pl. Cap. 2: 161 (1800).
Cenia turbinata (L.) Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 465 (1807); Less., Syn. Gen. Compos. 261 (1832); DC., Prodr. 6: 82 (1838); Dietrich, Syn. Pl. 4: 1606 (1847); Harv., in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 185 (1865); Levyns, J.S. African Bot. 7: 131 (1941).
Cenia concolor Harv., in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 185 (1865) nom. superfl. autonym.
Type: Aethiopia [South Africa], s.d., George Clifford 417, Cotula 1 (BM barcode BM–000647224, lecto.– image!, designated by Humphries in Jarvis and Turland, 1998).
Cenia debilis DC., Prodr. 6: 83 (1838). Cenia turbinata var. debilis (DC.) Harv., in Harv. & Sond., Fl. Cap. 3: 185 (1865). Type: South Africa, Western Cape, Paarl (3318): Paarlberg (− DD), s.d., Drege 965 (G-DC barcode G-DC 00460777, holo.–image!).
Annual herbs, 40–410 mm. Not rooting at nodes. Stems usually erect, 25–240 mm long, pilose to slightly hispid. Leaves alternate, decreasing in length towards upper part of plant, 2- or 3-pinnatisect, 12–46 × 4–20 mm, oblanceolate to obovate, green, petiole-like base absent; lobes linear, 2–6 × 0.4 mm, ± terete, becoming progressively smaller towards the leaf base, usually pilose, apices acute. Capitula heterogamous, 4–13 mm in diameter, disciform, pseudo-radiate, disc face convex, solitary, terminal, pedunculate; peduncles 25–90 mm long, apically swollen in fruit; swelling obconical, 3–16 × 1–7 mm, green to light brown, hollow. Involucre hemispherical; bracts 2- or 3-seriate, broadly ovate, 2–4 × 0.5–4.5 mm, apex obtuse to rounded, glabrous, green, opaque, apex and margins scarious, brownish, 3- to 5-veined. Receptacle shallowly convex. Filiform fl orets female, in single outermost series, pedicellate; corolla absent; ovary elliptic, broadly winged, slightly concave on the ventral surface, glandular; pedicels linear, 0.5 mm long at maturity. Disc fl orets bisexual, heteromorphic, pedicellate, 4-lobed; lobes mostly triangular, ca. 0.3 mm long, florets in outermost series with the dorsal lobe greatly enlarged to resemble a ray limb, dorsal lobe ±2 times length of the other three lobes, cuneate to elliptic, ca. 1–4 mm long; tube not basally draping over ovary; limbs bell to cup-shaped, usually white or with those in inner series often yellow; pedicels 0.1–0.3 mm long, gradually decreasing in length towards the center. Cypselae heteromorphic; those of filiform florets ovoid, 1.0–2.5 × 0.7–1.5 mm, broadly winged, wing ca. ¼ times width of the fertile portion, slightly concave on outer surface, sessile glands present; those of disc florets ovoid, 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–1.0 mm, marginal ribs prominent, sessile glands present; myxogenic cells absent or occasionally present on the fertile ventral surface; resin canals absent.
Diagnosic characters: Cotula turbinata is a white pseudo-radiate annual, with the central disc florets usually yellow (Fig. 1. D). It shares the white pseudo-rays, annual habit and absence of a conspicuous band of myogenic cells flanking the fertile portion of the cypselae with C. calcicola, but can be distinguished by the cypselae of filiform florets which are only slightly concave (Fig. 3. F 1) on the outer surface and smaller than the involucral bracts (vs. deeply concave and larger than the bracts in C. calcicola). Also the pedicels become gradually longer towards the outer series of florets in C. turbinata (pedicels of outermost series of florets are prominently longer than those of the inner series of florets in C. calcicola). Cotula turbinata has been treated as conspecific with Cotula pruinosa in the past, but can be readily distinguished by the white rather than yellow pseudo-rays and the absence of a conspicuous band of myogenic cells flanking the fertile portion of the cypselae.
Distribution and ecology: Cotula turbinata occurs from Darling to Swellendam and on Robben Island (Fig. 6). It has been recorded as a weed in Australia (Lohr and Keighery, 2016) and New Zealand (Howell and Sawyer, 2006). It is common in disturbed places (particularly in grassy road verges, lawns, abandoned fields). It typically occurs on nutrient-rich, loamy soils. Flowering is usually from early winter to mid-spring (May to October).
Additional specimens examined: South Africa. WESTERN CAPE: 3318 (Cape Town): Tienie Versveld, weed along entrance (–AC), 29 Aug 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1103 (NBG); Darling Flora Reserve (− AD), 28 Jun 1956, Rycroft 1938 (NBG); Slangkop, Darling (− AD), 13 Aug 1955, Rycroft 1783 (NBG); West Coast, Rondeberg Nature Reserve (− AD), 25 Sep 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1128 (NBG); Rondeberg Nature Reserve, roadside near shed (–CB), 29 Aug 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1108 (NBG); Banks of Liesbeek River (–CD), 20 Sep 2011, Tywalana & Van Wyk 11 (NBG); Kenilworth Racecourse (–CD), 9 Sep 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1114 (NBG); Kirstenbosch, road to Research Centre, growing in lawn near house (–CD), 26 Aug 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1109 (NBG); Rondebosch Commons (–CD), 20 Jul 1938, Barker 421 (NBG); 18 Jun 1949, Heginbotham 6 (NBG); 9 Sep 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1112 (NBG); Rondebosch Golf Course (–CD), 6 Jul 1903, Phillips 203 (NBG); Robben Island (–CD), 1 Aug 1943, Walgate 460 (NBG); Robben Island, Jan Van Riebeeck's quarry on western slope of the island (–CD), 8 Nov 1985, Lloyd 545 (NBG); Signal Hill, near Kramat (–CD), 16 Jul 2003, Manning & Reeves 2836 (NBG); Klipheuwel (− DA), 10 Sep 1975, Thompson 2577 (NBG); Malmesbury district, Pella, Burgers Post Farm, Fynbos Biome Research Site (− DA), 7 Sep 1979, Boucher & Shepherd 4639 (NBG); Berg river valley (–DB), 18 Aug 1994, Boucher & Ahmed 0106 (NBG); Wellington garden (–DB), Jun 1964, Holzapfel 3 (NBG); Fire Brigade locality, Epping (–DC), 1 Oct 1966, Pienaar 49 (NBG); Langverwacht above Kuils River main Kloof (–DC), 26 Sep 1973, Oliver 4659 (NBG); Simondium area (− DD), Jul 1981, Stedman s.n. (NBG); outside dept. Natural Sciences, Merriman Ave, Stellenbosch (− DD), 14 Oct 1981, Fellingham 230 (NBG). 3418 (Simonstown): Timour Hall Estate, Plumstead (–AB), 15 May 1983, Dryfhous s.n. (NBG); Kogelberg State Forest (–BD. 3419 (Caledon): Kleinmond, Caledon (–AC), 15 Aug 1947, de Vos 588 (NBG); Grotto Beach at Hermanus, in lawn at lagoon (− AD), 9 Oct 2014, Magee & Jakoet 1142 (NBG). 3420 (Swellendam): National Bontebok Park (–AB), Sept 1962, Liebenberg 6391 (NBG); Swellendam (–AB), 23 Aug 1965, Grobler 428 (NBG); Suurbraak, Middelplaas (–BA), 12 May 1982, Viviers 284 (NBG); Plot 12 Breede River (–BD), 10 Oct 1983, Elsan 35 (NBG). Precise locality unknown: Cape Town to Malmesbury, 6 Sep 1973, Montgomery 458 (NBG).
description: Published as part of Jakoet, A., Mucina, L. & Magee, A. R., 2019, The pseudo-radiate buttons: A taxonomic revision of the Cotula turbinata group (Asteraceae; Anthemideae) and the description of two new species *, pp. 282-293 in South African Journal of Botany 121 on pages 287-288, DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2018.11.016, http://zenodo.org/record/10496566