Taxonomic Notes on the Rhynchosia Densiflora Group (Phaseoleae, Fabaceae) in South Africa and Its Segregation from Rhynchosia Section Arcyphyllum
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Bothalia - African Biodiversity & Conservation ISSN: (Online) 2311-9284, (Print) 0006-8241 Page 1 of 10 Original Research Taxonomic notes on the Rhynchosia densiflora group (Phaseoleae, Fabaceae) in South Africa and its segregation from Rhynchosia section Arcyphyllum Authors: Background: Rhynchosia section Arcyphyllum is one of the five sections of Rhynchosia as 1,2 Thulisile P. Jaca currently circumscribed. Previous studies in South Africa placed two species of Rhynchosia in Annah N. Moteetee2 this section. Some authors treated the species as a group rather than a section, to avoid Affiliations: phytogeographical confusion because the section is based on the North American generic 1South African National name Arcyphyllum. Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), National Herbarium, Objectives: To formally remove the South African taxa from section Arcyphyllum and to South Africa provide diagnostic features for these taxa, a key to the subspecies, distribution maps and an illustration of their morphological features. 2Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, Methods: Observations were made on herbarium specimens housed at NH, NU and PRE. University of Johannesburg, Several field trips were undertaken in search ofRhynchosia connata. Morphological and South Africa anatomical features were studied and measurements of characters recorded. Corresponding author: Thulisile Jaca, Results: In South Africa, the section was until now represented by two species, Rhynchosia [email protected] densiflora (subsp. chrysadenia) and R. connata. These were separated primarily on stem indumentum, stipule shape, petiole length, leaflet shape and apices. However, this study Dates: revealed that there are no clear discontinuities between the two taxa apart from the lobes of the Received: 29 Sept. 2017 Accepted: 08 May 2018 uppermost calyx lip, which are connate more than halfway in R. connata and up to halfway in Published: 19 June 2018 R. densiflora subsp. chrysadenia. Therefore, R. connata is here relegated to varietal level as R. densiflora subsp. chrysadenia var. connata (Baker f.) Jaca & Moteetee. How to cite this article: Jaca, T.P. & Moteetee, A.N., Conclusions: Two varieties of Rhynchosia densiflora subsp. chrysadenia occur in South Africa 2018, ‘Taxonomic notes on and are treated as part of the R. densiflora group instead of section Arcyphyllum. the Rhynchosia densiflora group (Phaseoleae, Fabaceae) in South Africa and its segregation from Introduction Rhynchosia section Arcyphyllum’, Bothalia 48(1), Rhynchosia sect. Arcyphyllum Torr. & Gray is based on the generic name Arcyphyllum Ell., erected a2305. https://doi.org/ by Elliott (1818) for three species previously placed in Glycine L. by Pursh (1814), viz. Arcyphyllum 10.4102/abc.v48i1.2305 simplicifolium (Walter) Ell. [=Rhynchosia reniformis (Pursh) DC.], Arcyphyllum difforme Ell. Rhynchosia difformis Arcyphyllum erectum =Rhynchosia tomentosa Copyright: [= (Ell.) DC.] and (Walter) Ell. [ (L.) © 2018. The Authors. Hook. & Arn]. However, Elliott (1824) transferred these species back to Glycine without any Licensee: AOSIS. This work reference to the name Arcyphyllum. Torrey and Gray (1838), in their treatment of Rhynchosia in is licensed under the North America, recognised the two sections R. sect. (Eu)Rhynchosia, with one species (Rhynchosia Creative Commons Attribution License. caribaea DC.), and Rhynchosia sect. Arcyphyllum (Ell.) Torr. & Gray, with three species [Rhynchosia menispermoidea DC., Rhynchosia tomentosa Torr. & Gray (with five infraspecific variants) and Rhynchosia latifolia Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray]. The distinction between these species was based on growth habit, stem pubescence, stipule shape, leaflet shape and indumentum, flower number, shape of calyx lobes and the degree of connation of the upper lip, as well as fruit shape and pubescence. Endlicher (1840) presented an account of the genus Rhynchosia for America and Australia, listing six sections: sect. Copisma E.Mey., sect. Arcyphyllum Ell. Torr. & Gray, sect. Phyllomatia Wight & Read online: Arn., sect. Ptychocentrum Wight & Arn., sect. Pitcheria Nutt. and sect. Rhynchosia, but he did not Scan this QR enumerate the species within these sections. code with your smart phone or mobile device Bentham (1859) discussed ten South American species of Rhynchosia, of which four were newly to read online. described, treated in sect. Copisma comprising four species, viz. Rhynchosia phaseoloides (Sw.) DC., http://www.abcjournal.org Open Access Page 2 of 10 Original Research Rhynchosia minima DC., Rhynchosia senna Hook. and species is in North America. Based on Torrey and Gray (1838), Rhynchosia lobata Desv., and sect. Arcyphyllum consisting of sections Rhynchosia and Arcyphyllum differ essentially in six species, viz. Rhynchosia platyphylla Benth., Rhynchosia features of the calyx. In sect. Rhynchosia, the stems are always claussenii Benth., Rhynchosia corylifolia Mart., Rhynchosia twining and the calyx is marcescent with subulate segments, leucophylla Benth., Rhynchosia lineata Benth. and Rhynchosia of which the lowest one is the longest, while in sect. reticulata DC. Bentham (1865) recognised 72 species of Arcyphyllum the stems are sometimes erect, or commonly Rhynchosia worldwide and placed them in 11 sections [sect. twining or trailing, and the calyx is persistent and foliaceous, Arcyphyllum (Ell.) Torrey & Gray (12 spp.), sect. Chrysoscias with linear or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate segments which E.Mey. (4 spp.), sect. Copisma (30 spp.), sect. Cyanospermum are nearly equal. Grear (1978), supported by Fortunato (2000), Wight & Arn. (2 spp.), sect. Nomismia Wight & Arn. (3 spp.), has concluded that in sect. Arcyphyllum the stems are mostly sect. Orthodanum E.Mey. (4 spp.), sect. Phaseoloides Mart. erect or prostrate and rarely twining. In the South African (4 spp.), sect. Phyllomatia Wight & Arn. (2 spp.), sect. Polytropia taxa formerly included in sect. Arcyphyllum, the calyx lobes Presl. (2 spp.), sect. Pseudocajan Jacq. (4 spp.) and sect. are foliaceous, linear or linear-lanceolate, and equal or longer Ptychocentrum Wight & Arn. (5 spp.)]. These 11 sections were than the corolla, but the lowermost lobe is the longest again presented by Taubert (1894), but he estimated that and the stems are climbing as in sect. Rhynchosia. However, there were now more than 100 species. In his treatment of the the R. densifloragroup differs from sect. Rhynchosia in the Flora of Tropical Africa, Baker (1871) placed two African densely clustered flowers. According to Grear (1978), taxa species (Rhynchosia debilis Hook. and R. densiflora DC.) in with trifoliolate leaves in sect. Arcyphyllum tend to have section Arcyphyllum based on their twining habit and the unifoliolate older leaves, but no specimens of the R. densiflora densely clustered flowers. The former species was reduced group have this kind of leaf structure (we have also examined by Verdcourt (1971) to a subspecies of R. densiflora. In his some specimens of the East African taxa, i.e. R. densiflora revision of the genus in South Africa, Baker (1923) retained subsp. debilis and subsp. stuhlmannii). For these reasons, we R. densiflorain this section and added a new species R. connata follow Gillett et al. (1971) and Verdcourt (2001) in segregating Baker f. The distinction between these two species was the R. densiflora group from sect. Arcyphyllum, but refrain based on the shape of the terminal leaflet (broadly ovate from recognising sectional status because preliminary and acuminate in R. densiflora and rhombic-ovate and molecular data indicate that Baker’s (1923) sectional obtuse in R. connata). A summary of the history of sectional classification of the South African species ofRhynchosia is not classification of Rhynchosia section Arcyphyllum is presented supported (Manyelo 2014). Furthermore, molecular and in Table 1. Baker (1923) further merged sect. Copisma and sect. detailed morphological analyses are currently underway. Orthodanum into sect. Eurhynchosia, now treated as sect. Rhynchosia. In recent checklists and floristic treatments (Germishuizen et al. 2006; Gillett et al. 1971; Verdcourt 1971), R. densiflora In two treatments of African Rhynchosia species (Gillett, has been considered to comprise four subspecies, that is, Polhill & Verdcourt 1971; Verdcourt 2001), R. densiflora was R. densiflora subsp. densiflora, R. densiflora subsp. chrysadenia not placed in sect. Arcyphyllum, but treated as a separate (Taub.) Verdc., R. densiflora subsp. stuhlmannii (Harms) group (the R. densifloragroup) to avoid phytogeographical Verdc. and R. densiflora subsp. debilis (G.Don) Verdc., confusion because the centre of diversity for sect. Arcyphyllum with only R. densiflorasubsp. chrysandenia occurring in TABLE 1: Summary of the history of sectional classification of Rhynchosia section Arcyphyllum (current names are indicated in brackets). Author(s) Generic name Sections Number of species in Species in Arcyphyllum Arcyphyllum Elliott (1818) Arcyphyllum Ell. - 3 spp. A. simplicifolium (Walter) Ell. (=Rhynchosia reniformis (Pursh) DC.), A. difforme Ell. (=Rhynchosia difformis(Ell.) DC.), A. erectum (Walter) Elliott (=Rhynchosia tomentosa (L.) Hook. & Arn) Torrey and Gray (1838) Rhynchosia Lour. EuRhynchosia Arn., Arcyphyllum Ell. 3 spp. R. menispermoidea DC., R. tomentosa Torr. & Gray (with five infraspecific variants), R. latifolia Nutt. ex Torr. & Gray. Endlicher (1840) Rhynchosia Lour. Arcyphyllum Ell., Copisma E.Mey., Eurhynchosia No species enumerated in these sections Endl., Phyllomatia