The phenological and morphological variation studies among forms of
Laggera Sch. Bip. Ex. Benth. and Hook species are limited, despite the medicinal use of the genus. Therefore, this study aimed to document phenology and morphological variation in cultivated populations of
Laggera alata and
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The phenological and morphological variation studies among forms of
Laggera Sch. Bip. Ex. Benth. and Hook species are limited, despite the medicinal use of the genus. Therefore, this study aimed to document phenology and morphological variation in cultivated populations of
Laggera alata and
Laggera crispata forms from seedling to maturity. The forms were categorized as
Laggera alata with a small capitulum (LA-SC),
Laggera alata with a large capitulum (LA-BC),
Laggera crispata from South Africa (LC-SA), and
Laggera crispata from Zimbabwe (LC-ZIM). Seeds were germinated in Petri dishes, transplanted to plug trays, and later to field plots at 60 days. Phenological events were recorded when observed in at least one plant. Twelve qualitative and four morphometric traits were measured monthly on five plants per
Laggera form. Analysis of variance and Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference test (
p < 0.05) were used for data analysis. Results indicated significant variation in phenology, qualitative traits, leaf traits, plant height, and stem diameter both within and between
L. crispata and
L. alata forms. Morphometric traits, such as leaf size and the number of leaves per plant, were identified as key descriptors for differentiating
L. alata forms. These findings provide a foundation for the introduction of
Laggera forms into farming systems for medicinal and commercial purposes.
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