Aerva leucura Moq.

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Aerva leucura

Photo: Bart Wursten
Borrowdale Common

Aerva leucura

Photo: Bart Wursten
Borrowdale Common

Aerva leucura

Photo: Bart Wursten
Haka game reserve

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

Synonyms: Aerva ambigua Moq.
Aerva edulis Suess.
Aerva leucura Moq. var. lanatoides Suess.
Common names: Fototo (Shona) Furanondo (Shona) Hoto (Shona) Nyarotarota (Shona)
Frequency: Common
Status: Native
Description:
Perennial herb, often erect and straggling up to 1 m tall, occasionally prostrate. Stems and branches more or less densely whitish woolly. Leaves alternate, broadly elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, 1.6-10 cm long, more or less thinly hairy on both surfaces; petiole up to 1.5 cm long. Inflorescences variable, always with a terminal head of multiple pedunculate or sessile spikes but also with similar axillary heads or simple spikes. Spikes 0.6-5 cm long, densely white woolly. Flowers greenish with yellowish stamens.
Notes: The young leaves are cooked as a spinach.
Derivation of specific name: leucura: white.
Habitat: In a wide variety of habitats and soils, particularly on disturbed land.
Altitude range: (metres) Up to 1600 m
Flowering time:Sep - May
Worldwide distribution: Angola, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and northern South Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution: N,W,C,E,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 3.

Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 3.

Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 20.

Ellery, K. & W. (1997). Plants of the Okavango Delta, a Field Guide Tsaro Publishers, Durban, South Africa Page 154. (Includes a picture).

Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 130 - 131. (Includes a picture).

Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 334. (Includes a picture).

Kamumvuri, G. (ed.) (2004). Plants of Zimbabwe Report No. 1 National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 41.

Kirby, G. (2013). Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana Struik Nature, Cape Town South Africa Page 46. (Includes a picture).

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 16.

Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 20.

Pickering, H. & Roe, E. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area Helen Pickering, London Page 20. (Includes a picture).

Roodt, V. (1998). Common Wild Flowers of the Okavango Delta Shell Field Guide Series: Part II Shell Oil Botswana, Gaberone. Pages 17 - 18. (Includes a picture).

Roodt, V. (2011). Wild flowers, Waterplants and Grasses of the Okavango Delta and Kalahari "Did You Know" nature series Struik Nature for Veronica Roodt Publications Page 26. (Includes a picture).

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 20.

Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 195.

Townsend, C.C. (1988). Amaranthaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(1) Pages 95 - 97. (Includes a picture).

Van Wyk, B. & Malan, S. (1988). Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria Region Struik, Cape Town Pages 36 - 37. (Includes a picture).


Other sources of information about Aerva leucura:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Aerva leucura
Flora of Caprivi: Aerva leucura
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Aerva leucura
Flora of Malawi: Aerva leucura
Flora of Mozambique: Aerva leucura
Flora of Zambia: Aerva leucura

External websites:

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


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Aerva leucura.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=122410, retrieved 19 March 2024

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