''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the sunflower family,

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

. It includes ten species of

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp spikes on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. T ...

s native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are native to

Afromontane The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions o ...

Afroalpine The Afromontane regions are subregions of the Afrotropical realm, one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms, covering the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The Afromontane regions of ...

regions of Africa, ranging from 1600 and 4600 meters elevation. Some are restricted to a single mountain or mountain range, while others are native to two or more ranges, some widespread. The species now placed in genus ''Afrocarduus'' were previously placed in genus ''

Carduus ''Carduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, and the tribe Cardueae, one of two genera considered to be true thistles, the other being ''Cirsium''. Plants of the genus are known commonly as plumeless thistles.

'' as subgenus ''Afrocarduus''. The sub-Saharan African species have morphological and karyological features of genera ''Carduus'' and ''

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of Perennial plant, perennial and Biennial plant, biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thist ...

''. A phylogenetic study by Moreyra ''et al.'' concluded that these African species formed a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

distinct from ''Carduus'' and ''Cirsium'', and sister to the newly described genus ''

Afrocirsium ''Afrocirsium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes three species of thistles native to the mountains of eastern tropical Africa. They are spiny perennial herbs growing 0.5 to 2.5 meters tall. They hav ...

''.

Species

Ten species are accepted. *'' Afrocarduus afromontanus'' – Kenya (

Mount Kenya Mount Kenya (Meru people, Meru: ''Kĩrĩmaara,'' Kikuyu people, Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba language, Kamba: ''Ki nyaa'', Embu language, Embu: ''Kĩ nyaga'') is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the Highest mountain peaks of Africa, second-highe ...

and

Aberdare Range The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Murang'a, Kiambu and ...

) and Uganda *''

Afrocarduus keniensis ''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are n ...

'' – Kenya (

Mount Elgon Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda.

and Mount Kenya), Tanzania (

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

), and Uganda *'' Afrocarduus kikuyorum'' –

Albertine Rift The Albertine Rift is the western branch of the East African Rift, covering parts of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. It extends from the northern end of Lake Albert to the southern end of Lake Tan ...

mountains of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Uganda, and Rwanda; Southern Highlands and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania;

Mount Nyiru Mount Ng'iro, also known as Mount Nyiru or Mount Nyiro, is a mountain in the north of Kenya overlooking the Suguta Valley, part of the Great Rift Valley, to the west. The mountain is surrounded by desert, but is forested on its upper slopes. It li ...

in Kenya *'' Afrocarduus leptacanthus'' – Ethiopia; Albertine Rift of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda; Southern Highlands in Tanzania;

Mau Escarpment The Mau Escarpment is a fault scarp running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. The top of the escarpment reaches approximately 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level, and is over 1,000 m higher than the floor of ...

in Kenya *''

Afrocarduus macracanthus ''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are n ...

'' –

Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands (also called the Abyssinian Highlands) is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , whil ...

in Ethiopia *''

Afrocarduus millefolius ''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are n ...

'' – Mount Kenya in Kenya *''

Afrocarduus nyassanus ''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are n ...

'' – Nigeria and Cameroon to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe *''

Afrocarduus ruwenzoriensis ''Afrocarduus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae. It includes ten species of thistles native to the mountains of tropical Africa, ranging from Nigeria to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All the species in the genus are n ...

'' –

Ruwenzori Mountains The Rwenzori (also known as the Ruwenzori, Rwenzururu or Rwenjura) are a mountain range, range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruw ...

of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda *'' Afrocarduus schimperi'' – Ethiopia and South Sudan to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of the Congo *'' Afrocarduus silvarum'' – Kenya

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q126281584 Cardueae Asteraceae genera Afromontane flora