Origin of name:

inter = between
zonatim = in a zoned or banded manner

Diagnostic characters:

Leaves very small, scale-like, ericoid, bicoloured, inrolled
Large inflorescences
Heads small to medium sized, single or in small clusters
Golden-yellow glandular bracts

Description:

Well-branched shrublet, branches short or elongate and then decumbent and shooting at the nodes or tips, white-felted when young, closely leafy. Leaves mostly 2-6 (-8) x 0.5-l mm, diminishing slightly upwards, appressed, later spreading, ascending, linear or linear-lanceolate, apex acute, mucronate, slightly hooked, base broad, clasping, margins strongly revolute, white-woolly below, thinly woolly above, soon glabrescent. Heads heterogamous or rarely homogamous, campanulate, c. 5 x 4 mm, solitary or up to 12 corymbosely arranged at the branch tips, subsessile or rarely peduncles reaching 8 mm. Involucral bracts in c. 5 series, graded, imbricate, inner about equaling flowers, semi-pellucid, tawny, tips obtuse or subacute, somewhat crisped, scarcely radiating, backs thinly woolly with orange or red gland dots. Receptacle with fimbrils about equaling ovaries. Flowers 16-29, (0-) 1-6 female, 13-28 homogamous, staminodes sometimes present. Achenes not seen, ovaries glabrous. Pappus bristles many, about equaling corolla, barbellate, tips barbellate to subplumose, bases cohering by patent cilia.

Flowers between September and November.

Distribution:

Grows 'on the slopes of relatively arid quartzite mountains with a "Cape" flora bordering the Karoo' and 'Mountain Renosterveld. Frequent on crags on S. aspect'. Along the Cape mountains from the vicinity of Ceres across the Witteberg, Klein Swartberg and Langeberg to the Groot Swartberg and Suurberg near Uniondale.

Fynbos and Succulent Karoo Biomes.

Notes:

Not common. Illustration in J. SA Bot., Jul. 1943, p. 117.

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Taxonomy:

Literature:

Helichrysum interzonale Compton in Jl S. Afr. Bot. 9: 116, fig. 4 (1943).

Type:

Western Cape, Witteberg near Bantams, 1 500 m alt., 27 x 1941, Compton 12164 (NBG, holo.).

Synonym(s): 

Vouchers:

Acocks 23732 (PRE); Compton 11837 (NBG) and 18341 (NBG); Esterhuysen 6276 (BOL; K); Fourcade 4402 (K; PRE; SAM; STE).