Vernonia tuberifera R.E. Fr.

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Habit
Stream side seepage grassland at centre of large dambo grassland plain
Mwinilunga District
Nov 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

Plant
Stream side seepage grassland at centre of large dambo grassland plain
Mwinilunga District
Nov 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

Flowers
Stream side seepage grassland at centre of large dambo grassland plain
Mwinilunga District
Nov 2025
Photo: Nick Wightman

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:	Local
Status:	Native
Description:	An erect slender perennial herb, to c. 37 cm tall from a small woody rootstock. Rootstock producing 2-5 subsessile root-tubers; tubers up to 3 x 1.5 cm, subfusiform, tapering into long thong-like roots. Stems annual, 1-several, simple or sparsely branched above, leafy, ribbed, ± coarsely pubescent and glandular, more densely so towards the apex, pilose below; indumentum a mixture of ± appressed short-stalked hairs and long patent hairs, the hairs flagelliform with an often purplish stalk and an elongate terminal cell. Leaves subsessile, to 10 x 2 cm, narrowly oblanceolate, apex obtuse, base tapering-cuneate, margins subserrate with callose-tipped teeth but entire near the base, lamina scabridulous-pilose and glandular on both surfaces; the hairs scattered, patent, flagelliform, becoming rigid below; venation not raised reticulate. Capitula solitary and terminal on stems, or 2-3 on short branches. Involucres 9-11 x 11-18 mm, broadly obconic or cup-shaped. Phyllaries several-seriate, apicies differentiated but not appendaged, purple-tipped and glandular at the apices; the outer phyllaries 6-8 x 1-2 mm, linear-lanceolate, puberulent; the middle phyllaries to c. 9 x 3 mm, oblong-lanceolate, ± acuminate at apex, glabrous or puberulent where exposed; the inner phyllaries to c. 10 mm long, linear-acute. Florets c. 20 per capitulum. Corollas purple or mauve, to c. 15 mm long, slender tubular in lower two thirds abruptly widening into a cylindric limb exerted above the pappus. Achenes (immature) c. 2 mm. long, ribbed, strigose-hispid; pappus several-seriate, copious, somewhat caducous, setae increasing in length to c. 8 mm. long on inside, somewhat flattened and barbellate on the margins.
Type location:	Zambia
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	tuberifera: tuber bearing
Habitat:	Watershed dambos
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:	Oct - Dec
Worldwide distribution:	Zambia and Angola
FZ divisions:	N,W
Zambian distribution (Provinces):	Nw,Lp
Growth form(s):	Perennial.
Endemic status:	Near Endemic
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Tuesday 31 March 2026
Literature:	Pope, G.V. (1992). Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1) Pages 133 - 136. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Vernonia tuberifera:

External websites:

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