34 Bothalia 31,1 (20()1) WESTERN CAPE.—3321 (Ladismith): Attakwas- REFERENCES kloof, near summit of old Voortrekker Pass, (-DD), DYER. R.A. 1977. Cyrtanthus montanus. The Flowering Plants of Oliver 4134 (NBG, PRE). 3322 (Oudtshoom): northern Africa 44: t. 1756. slopes of Outeniqua Mountains, along Groot Doomrivier, DYER. R.A. 1980. A new species of Cyrtanthus from the Baviaans­ (-CC), Viviers & Vlok 370 (NBG); Outeniqua Mountains, kloof, southeastern Cape. Bothalia 13: 135. near summit of Robinson Pass, Snijman & Vlok 1717 (K, NORDAL. I. 1979. Revision of the genus Cyrtanthus (Amaryllidaceae) in East Africa. Norwegian Journal of Botany 26: 183-192. NBG, PRE); Ruytersbosch, Gemmell sub BLFU5032 REID. C. & DYER. R.A. 1984. A review o f the southern African species (BLFU, PRE); Jonkersberg on south-facing slopes of o/Cyrtanthus. American Plant Life Society, La Jolla. Bolleberg, Vlok 814 (PRE). SAUNDERS. R. & SAUNDERS. R. 2000. Does fynbos need to bum? Veld & Flora 86: 76-78. SNIJMAN. D.A. 1999. New species and notes on Cyrtanthus in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS southern Cape, South Africa. Bothalia 29: 258-263. SNIJMAN. D.A. & VAN JAARSVELD. E.J. 1995. Cyrtanthus flam- I am grateful to the Western Cape Nature Conservation mosus. Flowering Plants of Africa 54: 100-103. Board for granting me permission to collect plants in the wild; Jan and Anne Lise Vlok for their generous help and D.A. SNIJMAN* hospitality; and Colin Paterson-Jones for invaluable * Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X7, assistance in the field. Claire Linder Smith is sincerely 7735 Claremont, Cape Town. thanked for the line drawing. MS. received: 2(XK)-()8-l(). A NEW SPECIES OF BRUNSVIGIA (AMARYLLIDEAE) FROM WESTERN CAPE. SOUTH AFRICA INTRODUCTION interest in the critically transformed Coastal Renoster­ veld, which is now largely confined to the Elandsberg Brunsvigia Heist., a genus of about 23 species, is Private Nature Reserve between Wellington and Tulbagh endemic to southern Africa. Although the genus is wide­ (Rebelo 1996). Recent collections from this botanically spread, the highest concentration of species is in the rich site have generated many new and unexpected northwest region of Western Cape and the midlands of records. Most significant for the family Amaryllidaceae KwaZulu-Natal (Vorster 1999). When last reviewed. has been the discovery of an unknown species of Bruns­ Dyer (1950, 1951) recognized 17 species, one of which vigia, which is formally described here as B. elands- was later formally described by Barker (1963). Since montana. then studies in the genus have been limited to the winter rainfall region. Goldblatt (1972) and D. & U. Miiller- Doblies (1994) transferred two further species to Bruns­ Brunsvigia elandsmontana Snijman, sp. nov., vigia after their respective re-assessments of Nerine species insignis perigonio actinomorpho, tubo perigonii Herb, and Boophone Herb. In addition, D. & U. Miiller- (2-5 mm longo), staminibus centralis, a speciebus nobis Doblies (1994) described two new Brunsvigia species notis bene distincta; differt a B. marginato (Jacq.) Aiton from Namaqualand and the western Cape. floribus roseis vividis et staminibus brevibus (10-16 mm). Figura 4. Independent cladistic analyses of morphological and molecular data based on nrDNA ITS sequences have TYPE.—Western Cape, 3319 (Worcester): Wellington. indicated that Brunsvigia is closely allied to Nerine Elandsberg Private Nature Reserve, on well-drained peb­ (Snijman & Linder 1996; Meerow & Snijman 2000). bly flats, (-AC), I4-3-2(XX), Snijman 1731 (NBG. holo.; Both genera are recognized by their pink, rarely red or E. K, MO. PRE). white, more or less zygomorphic flowers, in which the filaments are fused into a short basal tube. Brunsvigia is Deciduous bulbous herb. 110-200 mm tall when flow­ distinguished from Nerine by its specialized fruiting ering. Bulb solitary, hypogeal, ± ovate, 30-45 mm diam., heads. These have long, stiff pedicels that radiate out­ extended into a stout neck 30-50 mm long; outer tunics ward in all directions and carry large, transversally tan-coloured and brittle; inner tunics cream-coloured and veined capsules which are tardily dehiscent. When dry', fleshy. Foliage leaves 4-6. usually absent at flowering, the infructescence detaches from the bulb at ground level distichous, prostrate, overlapping at first becoming fal­ and seed is dispersed while the entire head tumbles in the cate and outspread when mature, elliptical, up to 1250 x wind. Other specialized features, shared by many, but not 25-70 mm, adaxial surface dark green, somewhat rough, all Brunsvigia species, are the brittle, yellowish brown abaxial surface pale green with darker green veins, bulb tunics and the flattened leaves that are pressed to the smooth, margin cartilaginous, pink, crisped, apex obtuse soil surface. The possible adaptive significance of the or somewhat acute. Inflorescence 6-18-flowered. initial­ prostrate-leaved habit, a particularly characteristic ly compact, ultimately hemispherical, 80-130 mm diam., growth form of many geophytes in southern Africa’s enlarging to 200 mm diam. in fruit; scape erect, elliptical winter rainfall region, has been fully discussed by Esler in cross section, 50-140 x 5-10 mm. dull rose pink, et al. (1999). breaking at ground level when dry; spathe valves 2, oblong-lanceolate, 20-35 x 8-20 mm, leathery, spread­ The current re-assessment of species for the IUCN ing, greenish pink: bracteoles at base of flowers linear, Red List of threatened plants has stimulated renewed 20-35 mm long; pedicels straight, ± radiating, 20-45 mm Bothalia 31,1 (2001) 35 FIGURE 4.—Brunsvigia elands­ montana'. A, bulb and mature leaves; B, inflorescence; C, flower with two lateral tepals and stamens removed; D, in- fructescence. Drawn from Snijman 1731 by John Man­ ning. Scale bar: A, B, D, 10 mm; C, 0.5 mm. long, elongating to 40-75 mm in fruit, greenish pink, bright pink flowers, an actinomorphic perigone with an turning pinkish when dry. Perigone actinomorphic, elongated tube, and centrally arranged filaments which 17-23 x 20-30 mm, vivid rose-pink, throat usually con- are upturned towards the apex. colorous with tepals, abaxial surface with paler midrib, unscented; tube 2-5 mm long, expanding slightly to 2-3 Only two other species of Brunsvigia have an actin­ mm diam. at throat; tepals oblong-lanceolate, 15-20 x omorphic perigone: B. pulchra (W.F. Barker) D. &. U. 5-7 mm, separate or slightly overlapping at base, out­ Mull.-Doblies from northern Namaqualand and B. mar­ spread, sometimes somewhat recurved towards apex, ginata (Jacq.) Aiton from Western Cape, between the margin plain or slightly undulate; stamens 6, centrally Kouebokkeveldberge and Franschhoekberge (Figure 5). arranged, the inner almost as long as tepals, the outer With respect to the widely flared tepals, B. elandsmon­ somewhat shorter; filaments 10-16 mm long, pale and tana is most like the highly ornamental B. marginata. swollen at base, otherwise slender and pink, tightly clus­ This scarlet-flowered species, however, is characterized tered in lower third then slightly spreading and upturned by a long perigone tube (5-10 mm) and well-exserted towards apex; anthers dorsifixed, 4 mm long, dusky pink stamens (30-45 mm long), whereas in B. elandsmon­ before opening; pollen cream-coloured. Ovary turbinate tana, the perigone tube reaches only 2-5 mm long and and 3-angled, 4-5 mm across, greenish pink; ovules axile, the 10-16 mm long stamens never exceed the tepals. 5 or 6 per locule; style 20-25 mm long, slender, central, Both species occupy fire-prone fynbos habitats but at dif­ slightly upturned towards apex when mature; stigma tri­ ferent elevations. Brunsvigia marginata, a montane fid, papillate. Capsule inflated, turbinate, 10-25 x 10-15 species, is found at 450-1 200 m above sea level, where­ mm, 3-angled with papery, transversally veined walls, the as B. elandsmontana is restricted to the lowlands at alti­ angles thinly ribbed, rounded near apex, loculicidally tudes of ± 100 m. dehiscent in upper two thirds, pinkish to straw-coloured. Seeds non-dormant, greenish, ± 5 mm diam. Most species in the genus have pink flowers. Field studies in the Western Cape suggest that colour intensity Diagnostic features is often variable within a species while the floral mark­ ings are usually constant. Thus in B. bosmaniae Brunsvigia elandsmontana is distinguished from Leighton, B. minor Lind, and B. striata (Jacq.) Aiton, the other species in the genus by the combination of its flowers vary from pale to dark pink but the tepal colour 36 Bothalia 31,1 (2001) on the adaxial surface is always broken by darker veins bos, renosterveld and sandveld. Brunsvigia elandsmon­ or borders. In contrast, the flower colour of B. tana is typically confined to marginal fynbos on well- elandsmontana is pure, and the adaxial tepal surface is drained, pebbly flats. The habitat is remarkably rich in unbroken by darker streaking. geophytes, among which is a pink-flowered form of Haemanthus sanguineus that extends eastwards into the It is well established that the major pollinator of the Breede River Valley. When the vegetation is mature the red-flowered B. marginata is the big brown butterfly, overstorey is dominated by Cliffortia ruscifolia, Aeropetes tulbaghia (L.) (Johnson & Bond 1994). Less is Leucadendron corymbosum, L. lanigerum, and Serruria known about the pollination ecology of the pink-flow­ acrocarpa. ered species of Brunsvigia. Preliminary work has shown that the scented flowers of B. bosmaniae are regularly The population’s area of occupancy is extremely visited at dusk by noctuid moths and two species of hawk small (less than 1 km2). Consequently, the IUCN Red moth: Agrius convolvuli (L.) and Hippotion celerio (L.) Data status of B. elandsmontana has been assessed as (Raimondo 1998). Occasionally noctuid moths visit the Vulnerable D2. unscented flowers of B. striata but they mainly attract butterflies and the anthophorid bee, Amegilla niveata Etymology (Friese) (J.C.