Affiliation:
1. 1Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
2. 2Compton Herbarium, South Africa National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Private Bag X7, Claremont, 7735, Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract
Abstract— The southern African species of Chamaecrista were all treated under Cassia in Gordon-Gray’s treatment for the Flora of Southern Africa. However, given the subsequent generic recircumscriptions in the subtribe Cassiinae, and the expanded
collections of these taxa, there is a need to revisit the taxonomy of the group. The present study aimed to conduct a detailed taxonomic revision of the species of Chamaecrista indigenous to the flora of southern Africa region. Extensive fieldwork was carried out to study the taxa in
their natural environment and morphological characters were additionally studied using herbarium material. The revision presented here includes comprehensive descriptions, a key to the species, nomenclature, typifications, diagnostic characters with illustrations, and geographical distribution
maps of all recognised taxa. Eleven species of Chamaecrista are recognised for the flora of southern Africa, two of which are described as new, i.e. Chamaecrista grandiglandulata and C. gordon-grayei. In addition, one new subspecies is described, namely
C. gordon-grayei subsp. longipedicellata, while Chamaecrista comosa var. capriconia is raised to the rank of subspecies, viz. Chamaecrista comosa subsp. capriconia. The typifications published here include lectotypes designated for Chamaecrista
plumosa and C. stricta, neotypes designated for C. capensis var. flavescens, C. comosa, and C. plumosa var. diffusa, and an isolectotype designated for C. stricta.
Publisher
American Society of Plant Taxonomists
Subject
Plant Science,Genetics,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Reference36 articles.
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