Dendrosenecio johnstonii
| Dendrosenecio johnstonii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Senecioneae |
| Genus: | Dendrosenecio |
| Species: | D. johnstonii |
| Binomial name | |
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Dendrosenecio johnstonii (Oliv.) B.Nord. |
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| Synonyms | |
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See text. |
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See text.
Source:
Dendrosenecio johnstonii, formerly Senecio johnstonii, is a giant groundsel found in the middle altitudes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. A recent botanical reclassification split off some species formerly in Senecio, putting the giant groundsels in the new genus Dendrosenecio. It also redefined the former species Senecio cottonii, as a subspecies of Dendrosenecio johnstonii. Both genera are in the family Asteraceae. The giant grounsels of the genus Dendrosenecio evolved, about a million years ago, from a Senecio that established itself on Mount Kilimanjaro, with those that survived adapting into Dendrosenecio kilimanjari. As it moved down the mountain, the adaptations necessary for the new environment created the new species, Dendrosenecio johnstonii. Various subspecies are found on other mountains.
Dendrosenecio johnstonii can be up to 10 meters tall, and grow to 40 centimeters (17 inches) or more in diameter. The centre of the stem, at full size, contains 1 to 2 centimeters of pith. It branches repeatedly, forming a dense canopy with 50 to 80 branches when mature. The leaves are hairless, heart-shaped (cordate) and large, 53 centimetres (approximately 2 feet) long by 40 centimetres (16 inches) wide.
The flower shoot is a tall, broad cone, 60 centimetres (about 2 feet) tall, and 40 centimetres (16 inches) wide, with the flower heads horizontal. Each floret is about 25 millimetres (one inch) long, and the compound flower is made up of 11 to 15 of the petal-like ray florets, with thirty to fifty "disc" florets in the centre.
D. johnstonii lives between the altitudes of 2,750 and 3,350 meters (9,000 and 11,000 feet) on Kilimanjaro.
The following excerpts were presented as first hand accounts:
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