Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 5, 2026

Macledium

Macledium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Both Macledium and Dicoma are distributed largely in tropical and southern Africa. Macledium is distinguished from genus Dicoma by a large number of characters relating to morphology and anatomy of phyllaries, corolla, anthers, style, cypsela and testa.

Last revised
Jun 5, 2026
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Macledium
Macledium zeyheri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Carduoideae
Tribe: Dicomeae
Genus: Macledium
Cass.1
Species

See text.

Synonyms1
  • Cryptostephane Sch.Bip.
  • Cullumiopsis Drake
  • Nitelium Cass.

Macledium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.2 Both Macledium and Dicoma are distributed largely in tropical and southern Africa.3 Macledium is distinguished from genus Dicoma by a large number of characters relating to morphology and anatomy of phyllaries, corolla, anthers, style, cypsela and testa.2

Species

As of April 2023, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:1

  • Macledium anmadochrissum (Lawalrée) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium auriculatum (Hutch. & B.L.Burtt) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium canum (Balf.f.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium ellipticum (G.V.Pope) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium gossweileri (S.Moore) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium grandidieri (Drake) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium humile (Lawalrée) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium kirkii (Harv.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium nanum (Welw. ex Hiern) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium oblongum (Lawalrée & Mvukiy.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium plantaginifolium (O.Hoffm.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium poggei (O.Hoffm.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium pretoriense (C.A.Sm.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium relhanioides (Less.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium sessiliflorum (Harv.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium speciosum (DC.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium spinosum (L.) S.Ortiz
  • Macledium zeyheri (Sond.) S.Ortiz

In southern Africa it is informally divided into the Cape and grassland groups:3

  • Cape species:
    • M. latifolium
    • M. relhanioides
    • M. spinosum
  • Grassland species:
    • M. pretoriense
    • M. sessiliflorum subsp. sessiliflorum var. membranaceum
    • M. speciosum
    • M. zeyheri
References

References

  1. "Macledium Cass". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  2. Ortiz, Santiago (Aug 2001). "Reinstatement of the Genus Macledium Cass. (Asteraceae, Mutisieae): Morphological and Phylogenetic Arguments". Taxon. 50 (3): 733–744. doi:10.2307/1223704. JSTOR 1223704.
  3. Netnou, N.C. (2008). "A revision of the genera Dicoma Cass. and Macledium Cass". University of Johannesburg. Retrieved 24 July 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

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