''Pentanisia angustifolia'', also known as narrow-leaved pentanisia,
is a species of flower that blooms in the early rains of southern Africa.
Description
This plant has simple, undivided leaves, typical of the family.
Range
''Pentanisia angustifolia'' is found in eastern South Africa, Lesotho, eSwatini,
and Mozambique.
Habitat
Up to 800m in Mozambique
and higher in the
highveld
The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld,'' , ) is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly , but below , thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of the Highveld. It is home to some of t ...
.
Ecology
The flower lives in the herb layer of woodlands.
Etymology
Derived from Greek, "Penta-" (πέντα) means "five" and "-nisia" may come from the word "nisos" (νῆσος), which means "island" or "land." The specific epithet is derived from Latin, "angusti-" coming from "angustus," meaning "narrow" or "tight" and "-folia" coming from "folium," which means "leaf," hence the "narrow-leaved" reference in this flower's common name.
Taxonomy
Synonyms include ''Diotocarpus angustifolius'' Hochst. and ''Pentanisia variabilis'' Harv. var. glaucescens Cruse ex Sond.
The genus
Diotocarpus was revised alongside other herbaceous
Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...
in 1952, having been considered a taxonomic synonym of
Pentanisia
''Pentanisia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae.
Species
The genus contains about 19 species.
* '' Pentanisia angustifolia'' (Hochst.) Hochst.
* '' Pentanisia annua'' K.Schum.
* '' Pentanisia arenaria'' (Hiern) Verdc.
* '' ...
.
References
Knoxieae
Taxa named by Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter
{{Rubiaceae-stub