Abstract
Three new species of Aizoaceae from the Western Cape are described. Octopoma tanquanum Klak and Vlokia montana Klak are dwarf shrubby or mat-forming succulents which belong to the Ruschieae in the Ruschioideae. Mesembryanthemum knolfonteinense Klak of the Mesembryanthemoideae is a geophyte. Octopoma tanquanum inhabits relatively low lying arid areas within the Tanqua Karoo and the Little Karoo and is thought to be closely allied to the two species of Octopoma found in the Little Karoo. Both V. montana and M. knolfonteinense grow at relatively high altitudes within the fynbos biome. In addition, Ruschia littlewoodii L.Bolus is transferred to Phiambolia, and two new combinations are made in Antimima for Ruschia hexamera L.Bolus and Ruschia radicans L.Bolus.
Highlights
The tribe Ruschieae of Aizoaceae subfamily Ruschioideae incorporates ± 1560 species of shrubby succulents (Hartmann, 2001), predominantly found within the Succulent Karoo region of Southern Africa
In terms of overall size of the plant, M. knolfonteinense is most similar to M. resurgens (20–45 × 50–110 mm), but differs from that species considerably in its floral morphology
In M. resurgens the reproductive parts are hidden by the petaloid staminodes and there are no filamentous staminodes, but in M. knolfonteinense the stamens and stigmas are visible and filamentous staminodes are present (Fig. 2)
Summary
The tribe Ruschieae of Aizoaceae subfamily Ruschioideae incorporates ± 1560 species of shrubby succulents (Hartmann, 2001), predominantly found within the Succulent Karoo region of Southern Africa. The tribe has diversified extensively in the more arid parts of the winter rainfall region of the Succulent Karoo, there are currently 550 species of Ruschieae listed as occurring in the more mesic Cape Flora (Goldblatt and Manning, 2000). Within the Cape Flora the majority of the Ruschieae prefer more arid places at lower altitudes, often shales, and only a few species are found at high altitudes in fynbos vegetation, including Esterhuysenia alpina L.Bolus or Vlokia ater S.A.Hammer. These species are frequently covered with snow during the winter. Specimens from BOL and NBG were examined for this study (acronyms follow Holmgren et al, 1990)
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