A revision of the genus Fusifilum RAF. 1837 (hyacinthaceae of Southern Africa): 1. Ten new species in the genus fusifilum vel prodromus fusifili revisionis

Abstract

Among the seven species transferred by SPETA (1998: 69–70) to Fusifilum RAF. 1837 there were four true Fusifilum species, and Fusifilum emdeorum sp. nova1 was described by TANG & WEIGLIN (2001). In the present paper ten new species of Fusifilum from South Africa are proposed and, in addition, a fifth old species is transferred from Urginea to Fusifilum resulting in altogether 16 Fusifilum species. The genus Fusifilum was subdivided into the following three sections, viz. F. sect. Archiphysodia, F. sect. Fusifilum, and F. sect. Stenophysodia using two variants of cluster analysis, then Principal Components Analysis, and two cladistic programs. The distribution of all 16 Fusifilum species is given in Table 1: The genus Fusifilum. endemic to Southern Africa, occurs in all four countries of Southern Africa (S. A.) s. str. (Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland) and, in the case of S. A., all nine new provinces. Fusifilum may possibly radiate into Botswana, Zimbabwe, and/or Mozambique. In an extra column of the table a quantitative approach to the degree of endemism is given. Five species are considered as local endemics: three are only known from the type locality and two are confined to a single degree square (F. bruce‐bayeri with about 10 collections) or to an area of the same size (square of 16 quarter degree squares: F. giflyergeme). Five species can be called provincial endemics (used for spp. confined to a square of nine degree squares = nearly 100.000 sq.km). Another five species are regional endemics: three old species (F. pusillum. F. capitatum, and F. depressum, all of sect. Archiphysodia) and two new ones (F. glaucum and F. spirale, both of F. sect. Fusifilum). Finally, F. physodes of F. sect. Fusifilum is considered to be a supraregional endemic of Southern Africa.

Austronea (Asparagaceae, Scilloideae), a new genus from southern Africa, including the description of seven new species

“…Regarding the circumscription of this species, Manning & Goldblatt (2007) considered Drimia minor (Duthie 1928: 11) Jessop (1977 as a synonym of Drimia virens (Schlechter 1897: 433) Manning & Goldblatt (2000: 712). However, Urginea minor Duthie (1928: 11) is a distinct species of Fusifilum as shown by the original description "filamenta albida, compressa, 1.5 mm longa, in medio 0.33 mm lata [...] ovarium albidum" (Duthie 1928), a solution in agreement with the latest revision of Fusifilum (Müller-Doblies et al 2001). Furthermore, Duthie (1928) illustrated in her plate number 2 both newly described Urginea pygmaea Duthie (1928: 10) (Plate 2: 1-12) and U. minor (Plate 2: 13-19).…”

“…Physodia Salisbury (1866: 37) has been considered as a synonym of Fusifilum in recent works. At present, 17 species are accepted in Fusifilum (Müller-Doblies et al 2001, Tang & Weiglin 2001, that form a coherent group easily identified by a distinct morphology such as the stellate flowers with spreading, free tepals, white on the adaxial side with a greenish to purplish longitudinal band on the abaxial side; filaments fusiform and widened in the middle, distinctly papillate on the lower portion; ovary white or tinged with violet or purple, ovate-oblong and commonly truncate to the apex; inflorescence erect at all developing stages; and seeds commonly elliptical in outline, flat and widely winged on the margins (Figs. 1-2).…”

New combinations in the tribe Urgineeae (Asparagaceae subfam. Scilloideae) with comments on contrasting taxonomic treatments

“…418) Raf. ex Speta (1998b: 69) is included in the revision of Fusifilum by Müller-Doblies et al (2001). Manning et al (2004) record that these "terminal taxa [were] labelled according to the generic concepts of Speta (1998aSpeta ( , 2001)".…”

De Liliifloris Notulae – 7. De decuria altera specierum novarum generis Androcymbium (Colchicaceae) in Africa Australi s.l.

“…In column D the approach to endemism proposed by MÜLLER-DOBLIES (1996) is further formalized by distinguishing five levels of distribution areas with the digits 1 -5 applied in the present table (as in MÜLLER-DOBLIES et al 2001). Furthermore a preceding symbol indicates the endemism in relation to RSA: asterisk * = taxon endemic to RSA (38 spp.)…”

“…For the presentation of distribution data, the geographic table for Southern Africa developed by MÜLLER-DOBLIES (1996) (refined by MÜLLER-DOBLIES et al 2001) is used in Tables 5 -7. After the inclusion of two Androcymbium species and one subspecies described by PEDROLA MONTFORT et al (1999a, b), the three distribution tables of Androcymbium in Southern Africa comprise 50 species…”