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Abstract
Abrus kaokoensis Swanepoel & H.Kolberg, a woody subshrub, is described as a new species. It is only known from the vicinity of the Kunene River and the Baynes Mountains in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, Namibia. Its range is likely to extend into the botanically poorly explored adjacent mountainous parts of southwestern Angola. Illustrations of the species and a distribution map are provided. Probably most closely related to A. schimperi Baker, diagnostic characters of the new species include a suffrutescent habit and terminal elongated racemes with flowers clustered on appressed cushion-like reduced branchlets. A comparative table with diagnostic morphological characters to distinguish between the new species and A. schimperi is provided.
Highlights
Abrus precatorius L. subsp. africanus Verdc., was the only known member of this genus recorded for Namibia
A rare new species of Abrus is described from the Kaokoveld in northwestern Namibia
The seeds of the two taxa differ; the usually larger, olive or yellow–green mottled seeds of A. kaokoensis are ellipsoid or obovoid in shape and the long axis is arranged at ± 30 degrees to the long axis of the pod
Summary
Abrus precatorius L. subsp. africanus Verdc., was the only known member of this genus recorded for Namibia. Africanus Verdc., was the only known member of this genus recorded for Namibia. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and in Namibia is known from the central, northern and northeastern parts (Craven, 1999; Germishuizen and Meyer, 2003). In this contribution, a rare new species of Abrus is described from the Kaokoveld in northwestern Namibia. These plants are here proposed as a distinct new species. The Abrus holdings in WIND revealed only one earlier collection of the new species (Bethune s.n.), filed under A. precatorius subsp. A specimen from the Kaokoveld in PRE, Merxmüller & Giess 30490, labelled Abrus cf. laevigatus, belongs to the new species
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