Swertia welwitschii Engl.

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Picture: Bart Wursten
Airedale rd to Bonda, Nyanga

Picture: Bart Wursten
Along Circular Drive towards Mt Nyangani, Nyanga National Park.

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Synonyms:	Adenopogon stellarioides Welw. Swertia sharpei N.E. Br. Swertia stellarioides Hiern
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Erect annual herb, 25-80 cm. Stems simple or branching at the apex. Basal leaves soon disappearing. Leaves along the stem suberect, linear-lanceolate, 3 veined from the base. Flowers 5-merous, white or cream with darker veins. Corolla divided nearly to the base with two yellowish nectar glands at the base of each lobe. Fruit a small, narrowly ellipsoid capsule, splitting into 2 valves.
Type location:	Angola
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	welwitschii: named after the Austrian botanist, Friedrich Martin Welwitsch (1806-1872)
Habitat:	In wet, marshy grassland and along river banks.
Altitude range:	1350 - 2200 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca):	N,W,E
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Nw,N,Mc,E,W
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 178. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 54. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 53. Paiva, J. & Nogueira, I. (1990). Gentianaceae Flora Zambesiaca 7(4) Page 28. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 67. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 92.

Other sources of information about Swertia welwitschii:

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Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Swertia welwitschii
Flora of Malawi: Swertia welwitschii
Flora of Mozambique: Swertia welwitschii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Swertia welwitschii

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Swertia welwitschii
African Plant Database: Swertia welwitschii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Swertia welwitschii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Swertia welwitschii
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Swertia welwitschii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Swertia welwitschii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Swertia welwitschii
JSTOR Plant Science: Swertia welwitschii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Swertia welwitschii
Plants of the World Online: Swertia welwitschii
Tropicos: Swertia welwitschii
Wikipedia: Swertia welwitschii