Plant Ecology and Evolution 143(1): 70–99, 2010 doi:10.5091/plecevo.2010.369 REGULAR PAPER Revision of the African genus Anthonotha (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) Frans J. Breteler Herbarium Vadense, Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Foulkesweg 37, NL – 6703 BL, Wageningen, the Netherlands Email:
[email protected] Background and aims – The African genus Anthonotha (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) is poorly known. The species are revised. Methods – Normal practices of herbarium taxonomy have been applied to study all herbarium material available, mainly at BM, BR, BRLU, COI, FHO, G, K, LBV, LISC, LISU, MA, MO, P, WAG and YA. Key results – Seventeen species are recognized, including three new ones: A. mouandzae from Gabon and A. wijmacampensis and A. xanderi from Cameroon. The species are almost completely confi ned to the Guineo-Congolian region. A full taxonomic treatment with key to species is given. Some important characters which are used in this key are depicted. The new species are fully illustrated. The fruits of all species are illustrated as well. Distribution maps of all taxa are given. Anthonota cladantha is neotypifi ed. For four other species (A. ferruginea, A. lamprophylla, A. noldeae and A. truncifl ora), a lectotype is designated. Key words – Anthonotha, Caesalpinioidea, Leguminosae, taxonomy, three new species, tropical Africa. INTRODUCTION other four sections of Anthonotha are, all but two (Breteler 2006), placed in the genus Isomacrolobium (Breteler 2008). In the framework of the taxonomic study of the African Le- guminosae, Caesalpinioideae (Breteler & Nguema 2008), the revision of the genus Anthonotha in its narrow circumscrip- RESULTS tion (Breteler 2008) is presented. The genus was described in 1806 by Palisot de Beauvois and based on Anthonotha mac- Chorology rophylla P.Beauv.