Macledium

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]

Macledium
Macledium zeyheri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Carduoideae
Tribe:	Dicomeae
Genus:	Macledium Cass.[1]
Species
See text.
Synonyms[1]
Cryptostephane Sch.Bip. Cullumiopsis Drake Nitelium Cass.

Species

As of April 2023^[update], 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