Abstract
Background: Thesium L. is the largest genus in the family Santalaceae (sandalwood family). The last taxonomic revision of the southern African species dates back to 1925. An urgent revision of the genus is required as indicated in a recent national biosystematics research strategy for South Africa.Objectives: To revise the Thesium confine species complex (Thesium durum, T. confine and Thesium spartioides) and to update the typification, nomenclature, descriptions and distribution ranges.Method: Morphological characters were studied using own field collections as well as herbarium specimens from K, NU, PRE and PRU and images on Global Plants (JSTOR). Distribution ranges of the studied species were updated.Results: An examination of morphological characters revealed great similarity between T. spartioides and T. confine. Both species have an herbaceous habit, decumbent growth form, terminal (or less frequently axillary) inflorescences and a sympatric northern distribution in South Africa. Thesium durum differs from T. spartioides and T. confine in having a shrubby habit, erect growth form and axillary inflorescences and occurs in the southern part of South Africa.Conclusion: Thesium spartioides is synonymised under T. confine, and T. durum is retained as a separate species.
Highlights
Thesium L. is the largest member of the family Santalaceae, tribe Thesieae (Germishuizen 2000; Jordaan & Burgoyne 2000), and currently includes 305 ‘accepted’ species concepts (The Plant List 2017)
The genus is distributed across temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres but its centre of diversity is in southern Africa
In T. confine and T. spartioides, the number of flowers ranges from five to eight per inflorescence and involucral bracts are usually absent, while in T. durum the number of flowers per inflorescence ranges from one to five and involucral bracts are invariably present
Summary
Thesium L. is the largest genus in the family Santalaceae (sandalwood family). The last taxonomic revision of the southern African species dates back to 1925.
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