ASPHODELACEAE: ALOOIDEAE Considered by Various Authors To
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Bothalia 30,1 (2000) 53 REFERENCES OLIVER, E.G.H & OLIVER, l.M. 1996. Studies in the Ericaceae (Ericoideae) XIX. Two new species of Erica from southern Africa. Feddes Repertorium 107: 305-310. OLIVER. E.G.H. 1988 Studies in the Ericoideae (Ericaceae). VI. The generic relationship between Erica and Philippia in southern Africa. Bothalia 18: 1-10. E.G.H. OLIVER* and l.M. OLIVER* OLIVER, E.G.H 1994. Studies in the Ericoideae (Ericaceae). XV. The * Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X7, generic relationship between Erica and Ericinella. Bothalia 24: 7735 Claremont, Cape Town. 121-126. MS. received: 1999-05-17. ASPHODELACEAE: ALOOIDEAE THE GENUS POELLNITZ1A INCLUDED IN ASTROLOBA Considered by various authors to be a species of Aloe nation and is hexose-dominant whereas the nectar of L., Astroloba Uitewaal or Haworthia Duv., the monotyp- Astroloba is sucrose-dominant (Van Wyk et al. 1993). ic Poellnitzia rubriflora (L.Bolus) Uitewaal has had a Adaptations for specialised pollination strategies alone particularly chequered taxonomic history since its origi are insufficient grounds for the recognition of genera and nal description in the genus Apicra Willd. (Smith 1994). we believe that Poellnitzia is best treated as a species of Vegetatively the species shows close affinities to some Astroloba adapted to pollination by sunbirds. species of Astroloba and accords completely with the genus in its tubular, actinomorphic flowers with includ Astroloba rubriflora (LBolus) G.F.Sm. & J.C.Man ed stamens. A close relationship between the two genera ning, comb. nov. is also supported by the results of a preliminary survey of Apicra rubriflora L.Bolus, The Annals of the Bolus Herbarium 3: 13, lipophilic anthranoid aglycones in the roots of subfamily t. 2D (1923). Type: South Africa, Western Cape, Bonnievale, Smith s.n. Alooideae (B-E. van Wyk pers. comm.). The genus (BOL, holo.!). Poellnitzia was distinguished from Astroloba on the basis of the red flowers with connivent, reduplicate-val- REFERENCES vate tepals (Smith 1995; Smith et al. 1995). Careful examination of the flowers, however, shows that the aes BOLUS, H.M.L. 1923. Novitates africanae. The Annals of the Bolus Herbarium 3: 13, t.2D. tivation is in fact imbricate and the species thus differs GOLDBLATT, P & MANNING, J.C. 1999. Evidence o f bird pollina from Astroloba only in the more or less horizontal tion in Iridaceae of southern Africa. Adansonia 21: 25-40. racemes bearing secund, orange-red flowers with con SMITH, G.F. 1994. Taxonomic history of Poellnitzia Uitewaal, a unis pecific genus of Alooideae (Asphodelaceae). Haseltonia 2: 7 4 - nivent tepals. These floral adaptations are now recog 78. nised as part of the syndrome of sunbird pollination SMITH, G.F. 1995. FSA contributions 3: Asphodelaceae/Aloaceae, i 028010 Poellnitzia. Bothalia 25: 35, 36. which is widespread in southern Africa (Goldblatt & SMITH, G.F., VAN WYK, B-E. & CONDY, G. 1995. Poellnitzia rubri Manning 1999) and the resemblance between the flowers flora. Flowering Plants of Africa 54: 94-98. of Poellnitzia and the bird-pollinated genus Microloma VAN WYK. B-E., WHITEHEAD, C.S., GLEN, H.F., HARDY, D.S., VAN JAARSVELD. E.J. & SMITH, G.F. 1993. Nectar sugar R.Br. (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) is particularly composition in the subfamily Alooideae (Asphodelaceae). striking. In the wild the species is visited by Lesser dou Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 21: 249-253. ble-collared sunbirds, which insert just the tip of their beak into (he flowers before extending the tongue into J.C. MANNING* and G.F. SMITH** the tube to extract the nectar. Species of Astroloba arc pollinated by anthophorine bees and have smaller, dull- * Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X7, 7735 Claremont, Cape Town coloured flowers. The sugar composition of the nectar of ** National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, 0001 Pretoria. Poellnitzia also reflects a shift from insect- to bird-polli- MS. received: 1998-12-14. ALOE DELPHINENS1S IN ALOE SECT LOMATOPHYLLUM The genus Lomatophyllum Willd. has been disting to this move to reduce Lomatophyllum to the synonymy uished from Aloe L. primarily by the former having of Aloe. fleshy, indehiscent fruit (berries) with unwinged seeds and (he latter having dehiscent fruit (capsules) with Rowley (1996) has proposed that species included in the winged seeds. Smith & Van Wyk (1991) following a genus Lomatophyllum be transferred to Aloe as members cladistic analysis of the subfamily Alooideae (As of Aloe sect. Lomatophyllum G.D.Rowley. Various new phodelaceae), concluded that Lomatophyllum could be combinations and new names have been proposed to vali easily included in Aloe but that a comprehensive taxon date this proposal (Rowley 1996; Newton & Rowley omic revision of the species concerned was required. 1998). These automatic transfers have done little to resolve Evidence from chromosome morphology, leaf surface the species relationships in the group. However, Rauh anatomy, pollen morphology (Schill 1973) and leaf sap (1998) has recently provided an identification key to the 18 flavanoid chemistry (Viljoen et al. 1998) all lend support species he included in his concept of Lomatophyllum..