An annotated checklist to the trees and shrubs of the Upper Katanga (D.R. Congo)

Pierre Meerts

doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.258.3.1

Abstract

A checklist to the trees and shrubs of Upper Katanga (the Zambezian part of Katanga, ca. 260,000 km²) (D.R. Congo) is presented. It comprises 694 taxa (664 species, 15 subspecies, 15 varieties). For each accepted taxon the list provides habitat and geographic distribution. Eleven taxa are new records for the D.R. Congo and 29 are new records for Upper Katanga. Fourteen new synonyms are proposed. Two families stand out as particularly species-rich, i.e. Fabaceae (110 taxa, i.e. Caesalpinioideae: 50; Faboideae: 29; Mimosoideae: 31) and Rubiaceae (74). Six genera comprise 10 taxa or more i.e. Ficus (25), Combretum (17), Monotes (17), Brachystegia (15), Diospyros (11), Acacia (11). The three most important woody vegetation types in Upper Katanga have different phytogeographic and taxonomic assemblages: miombo woodland (254 taxa, 62% of which are Zambezian, over-representation of Caesalpinioideae), riverine and swamp forest (196 taxa, 36% of which are Guineo-Congolian, 17% Afromontane), and Zambezian dry evergreen forest (117 taxa, 37% of which are Guineo-Congolian, Rubiaceae over-represented). Twenty taxa (3%) are strictly endemic to Upper Katanga, most of which occur only in the Katango-Zambian sector of the Zambezian region. Taxonomic uncertainties are emphasized including 13 endemics known by one or two collections only. Forty-nine taxa are almost exclusively associated with termite mounds. For the miombo woodlands eight ecological groups of indicator species are proposed.

Highlights

The Province of Katanga covers the SE quarter of D.R
The high species richness of Upper Katanga was confirmed by Linder (2014) who ascribed it to the broad phytogeographic spectrum of the flora
The main target sites included the Luapula river valley ca. 120 km NE of Lubumbashi (Lubemba, S10°54’ E28°32’), the Lufukwe river (Eastern foothills of Kundelungu, S09°59’ E28°05’), Kafubu River E of Lubumbashi (S11°33’ E28°07’), Mikembo Sanctuary (S11°28’ E27°40’) and Kiubo falls (S09°31’ E27°02’). These areas were chosen as they include a broad range of woody vegetation types, miombo woodland, Zambezian dry evergreen forest, riverine and swamp forests

Summary

Introduction

The Province of Katanga covers the SE quarter of D.R. Congo. The mainland vegetation of Upper Katanga comprises miombo woodland, dry evergreen forest, riverine and swamp forest and wooded grassland (Duvigneaud 1958; Schmitz 1971). The miombo of Upper Katanga is extremely variable in species composition, depending on soil conditions and topography (Duvigneaud 1958). The high species richness of Upper Katanga was confirmed by Linder (2014) who ascribed it to the broad phytogeographic spectrum of the flora. Other important collectors of trees and shrubs from Katanga include Hock, Delevoy, Homblé, Lisowski, Malaisse, Schmitz, Symoens, Verdick (deposited at BR). In Katanga, during the last 20 years, demographic expansion and the steady increase in demand for fuel wood and charcoal from fast growing cities has accelerated forest destruction.

Methods

Findings

Discussion