Gnidia mollis C.H. Wright

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Luwawa Forest Reserve, Viphya, Mzimba.

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Synonyms:	Gnidia wittei Staner
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Slender shrub, up to 1.6 m high, branching above the middle. Branches densely pubescent when young, hairless when older, reddish-brown. Leaves alternate, held stiffly erect, elliptic, to narrowly ovate or obovate, 12-19 mm long, densely ciliate and rather shaggy pubescent beneath when young. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, 50-100-flowered, 20-25 mm in diameter. Each inflorescence consisting of numerous smaller heads, up to 15-flowered, surrounded by 4-5 membranous hairy green to reddish bracts. Flowers 4-merous, white, pale yellow or tinged pinkish. Pedicels minute with soft hairs up to 6 mm long. Tube 8-12 mm long, densely shaggy hairy above.
Type location:	Syntypes from Tanzania and Mozambique
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	mollis: soft, referring to the densely velvety hairy look of this species.
Habitat:	Often in wet grasslands, bogs and dambos, more rarely on dry hillsides.
Altitude range: (metres)	2000 - 2300 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	DR Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
Botanical divisions:	XI
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Peterson, B. (updated by Verdcourt, B.) (2006). Thymelaeaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(3) Pages 103 - 104. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 101. Robyns, A. (1975). Thymelaeaceae Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaire - Rwanda - Burundi) Jardin Botanique Meise, Belgique Pages 55 - 56.

Other sources of information about Gnidia mollis:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Gnidia mollis
Flora of Mozambique: Gnidia mollis
Flora of Zambia: Gnidia mollis

External websites:

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