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

Abstract

AbstractIn a previous paper (Müller‐Doblies 1998) we established a taxonomic framework for Androcymbium sect. Androcymbium by subdividing it into two subsections with two and six series respectively, comprising altogether 34 species. Apart from one monotypic series, the other seven series were foreseen to comprise 3–13 species, and the second largest series A. ser. Gradatocymbia was subdivided into four subseries.Encouraged by the molecular results of Caujapé Castells et al. (1999, 2001), we upgraded the two subsections of A. sect. Androcymbium to sectional level: A. subsect. Gradatocymbium became A. sect. Kunkeliocymbium with 16 spp. and the emended A. sect. Androcymbium s.str. now has 30 spp.The largest series A. ser. Eghimocymbia was already earmarked for a subdivision into subseries, a plan which is realized in the present paper. For another 10 new species (numbered # 11–# 20 in the present paper) diagnoses and drawings are given. Furthermore the postponed drawings of five new Androcymbium species described in Müller‐Doblies (1998) are added here. Eight of the present new spp. were collected alive in the field for cultivation, whereas each of the remaining two are only known from a herbarium specimen.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 [retaining the numbering 05–48 of Müller‐Doblies (1998) for Androcymbium sect. Androcymbium and including the new Pedrola species for the time being as 13A and 14A]. Thus, the current list of Southern African Androcymbium species embraces a total of 50 spp. in 11 series.Only two of the 50 Southern African Androcymbium species do not occur in the Republic of South Africa (RSA): i.e. the Namibian endemics A. etesionamibense and A. buchubergense. Of the remaining 48 Androcymbium species 38 are endemic to RSA. The 10 non‐endemic species occur in addition to RSA also in Namibia, or in Lesotho and/or Swaziland. The highest concentration of Androcymbium species is found in the Northern and the Western Cape: in each of them more than 50% of the 48 South African species occur (28 and 26 spp. respectively including 12 and 10 endemic spp.), whereas in the other seven provinces only 0–6 spp. occur of which only two species are endemic to Kwazulu‐Natal.