Vernonella kirkii (Oliv. & Hiern) H. Rob. & Skvarla

kirkii: named after Dr John Kirk, who accompanied David Livingstone on his Zambezi expedition of 1858

Bushy perennial herb, up to 60(150) cm tall. Stems ribbed, pubescent, branching above. Leaves sessile, linear-elliptic up to c. 16 × 2 cm, mostly less than 1 cm wide, hairy above, pubescent and minutely gland-pitted on both surfaces, often more so beneath; margin entire or finely and sparsely toothed, often rolled under. Capitula on long stiff stalks, up to 11 cm long, together forming a lax corymbose or subpaniculate head. Involucral bracts many-seriate, 2-11 mm long, glandular on the outside, especially towards the apices. Florets purple, up to 11 mm long.

southern Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.