Argyrella richardsiae, a new species of Melastomataceae from the wet miombo woodlands of south-central Africa

By

Veranso-Libalah, Marie Claire
Stone, Robert Douglas
Kadereit, Gudrun

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

82

Pages

113-121

Subjects

Africa , Angola , Argyrella , Dissotis , Heterotis , Melastomataceae , new species , Tanzania

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.82.12914

 

Abstract

A new species from the wet miombo woodlands of Tanzania and Angola, Argyrella richardsiae Veranso-Libalah & G.Kadereit, sp. nov. (Melastomataceae, Melastomateae), is described and illustrated. Although the widespread Argyrella canescens also occurs in Tanzania and northeastern Angola, A. richardsiae is morphologically most similar to Argyrella bambutorum known only from the Northwest of Cameroon, but differs by its indumentum of glandular trichomes on the entire plant (versus a mixture of stellate and glandular trichomes in other species of Argyrella), leaf-blades with serrulate margins (versus entire margins in A. bambutorum) and lateral nerves that become faint mid-way and never reach the leaf apex (versus conspicuous lateral nerves percurrent from the base to the apex in A. bambutorum). A preliminary conservation status of Endangered (EN) is proposed for A. richardsiae following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. A taxonomic key and distribution map of all Argyrella species is also included.