identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
8D8510F87FD353E0A8372B3492D3792D.text	8D8510F87FD353E0A8372B3492D3792D.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Sabdariffa kounounkan Cheek 2026	<div><p>Sabdariffa kounounkan Cheek sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 3, 4</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Sabdariffa kounounkan is most closely similar to S. sineaculeata (F. D. Wilson) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett of Ghana-Nigeria, differing in the deciduous (vs persistent) stipules; the involucellar bracts 9–13 mm long united into a short tube at base (vs free, 6–10 mm long); the leaf-blades of the primary axis transversally elliptic in outline, 5 (- 7) palmately lobed by 1 / 3,&gt; 80 % covered in softly pubescent stellate hairs (vs orbicular or ovate, 3 (- 5) - lobed by 2 / 3, &lt;10 % covered in stellate hairs).</p><p>In not having a single nectar gland on the abaxial leaf surface, but constantly three (one each at base of midrib and the adjacent lateral pair of ribs), Sabdariffa kounounkan is unusual among the African species of Sabdariffa and similar in this respect only to S. sineaculeata and S. scotellii (Baker f.) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett. However, S. diversifolia (Jacq.) McLay and R. L. Barrett and S. mastersiana (Hiern) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett, also sometimes have three nectar glands, but are otherwise so morphologically different that they are unlikely to be confused.</p><p>Type.</p><p>Republic of Guinea. • Forécariah Prefecture, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-12.854889&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=9.548083" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -12.854889/lat 9.548083)">southern plateau of Kounoukan Massif</a>, 09°32'53.1"N, 012°51'17.6"W, 3 Feb 2019 (fl, fr), X. M. van der Burgt P. M. Haba, Konomou, &amp; Xanthos 2255 (holotype: K barcode K 000593394; isotype: HNG) .</p><p>Description.</p><p>Deciduous perennial shrubs to 1.2 m tall, stems woody, branched. Stems of main axis, with internodes 2–3 cm long, c. 4 mm diam. (c. 30 cm from apex); lateral branches arising from almost every node, ascending, 10–15 cm long, proximal internodes c. 4 cm long, contracting to 0.5 cm long distally; stems densely and softly pubescent, ± completely covered with golden to pale brown stellate hairs, hairs 3–7 (- 10) - armed, arms erect, distally spreading, 0.4–0.7 (- 1.3) mm long, hair bases swollen, red, subglobose, 0.2–0.3 mm diam., simple hairs and aculeae absent. Stipules caducous, not seen. Leaves of primary axis larger than those of lateral branches, spirally inserted; petioles terete 6–22 (- 31) × 1–1.5 mm, indumentum as that of the stems; blade transversely elliptic in outline, 5 (- 7) - palmately lobed by up to a third the radius of the blade, 35–52 × 45–65 mm, median lobes of primary-axis leaves triangular, 12–22 × 15–20 mm, apex glandular, central lobes with (1 -) 2 shallow dentate teeth per side; leaf blades of lateral branches 3 (- 5) - lobed, the proximal leaves the same shape as those of the primary axis but c. 2.5 × 3 cm, the distal leaves becoming lanceolate, with reduced lateral lobes, and smaller, 1.4–1.9 × 0.7–1.8 cm; base of blade shallowly cordate, sinus c. 90–120 °, 0.5–0.8 mm deep (main axis leaves); abaxial surface of blade white to pale green, nerves 5 (- 7) - palmate, raised, pale-brown, midrib and the two flanking nerves each with a nectar gland, nectar glands inserted c. 1 mm above petiole, longitudinally elliptic, c. 1 × 0.5 mm, white, glabrous, the aperture longitudinal, narrowly elliptic, 0.25–3 mm long; central 3 nerves c. 0.3–0.4 mm wide, ± moderately densely covered in 3–6 - armed stellate hairs, hairs bases subglobose, arms stout, yellow, spreading, 0.4–0.75 mm long; intercostal areas completely covered in minute white stellate hairs, arms erect, 0.1–0.2 mm long; mixed with sparse larger stellate hairs as on the nerves, adaxial surface with indumentum similar, but hairs sparser and larger. Flowers solitary, axillary on the distal nodes of the lateral branches, buds narrowly elliptic c. 1.8 × 0.5 cm; at anthesis c. 3–3.5 cm diam., yellow, with purple-brown centre; peduncles-pedicels 3.5–5.5 × 1.5 mm, articulated at base, indumentum as stem. Involucellar bracts of the epicalyx 6–8, entire not bifurcate, plano-convex in section, the abaxial surface convex, subulate 9 (- 13) × (0.9 -) 1.2–2 mm, even in width, but widening at base and forming a short tube 1–1.2 mm long, apices obtuse and slightly reflexed, often with a red-glandular patch, epidermis drying dull pink or flesh-coloured, 50–70 %, covered in 3–6 - armed stellate hairs, arms erect, slightly spreading, gold or white, 0.25–0.5 mm long evenly spread over entire surface, covering epidermis. Calyx exceeding epicalyx, (11.5 -) 12–16 cm long, divided by c. ⅔ into 5 sepals, the united part cupular, 4–5 × 10–12 mm; sepals lanceolate, 11–14 × 3–3.7 cm, apices acute, abaxial surface with midrib flat, raised, c. 1 cm broad, not fleshy; marginal nerves sometimes inconspicuous, nectary gland inserted 2–5.5 mm from the base either in distal part of the united calyx or the proximal part of the free sepal, nectary white, aperture circular or elliptic, c. 0.7 mm long; indumentum minutely soft white stellate hairy, dense, covering the entire surface, hairs 3–6 - armed, arms filamentous, c. 0.1 mm long; nerves with larger, sparse, golden, stiff, simple, 2–3 - fid and rarely stellate hairs, 0.5–1 mm apart, on globose, thickened bases c. 0.2 mm diam., arms thick, erect or slightly spreading, 0.4–1.1 (- 2) mm long. Petals 5, yellow, internally with purple-brown base, c. 1.5–1.8 × 1.2 cm, abaxial surface in bud densely simple hairy, hairs crisped, erect, c. 0.1 mm long, covering 30–50 % of the surface.</p><p>Androecium and gynoecium unknown (material too scarce to dissect). Capsules 5 - valved, 12–14 × 10–12 mm, the valves 4 mm wide, widest in the distal half, spreading after dehiscence, apex rostrate, rostrum 1–2 mm long, valves c. 3 mm deep, inner surface glabrous, glossy lemon-yellow, outer surface densely covered in golden straight, appressed, thick, simple setose hairs 2–3 mm long, soon falling from the distalmost part leaving a naked glossy, pale-brown surface. Seeds subreniform to orange-segment shaped, c. 4 × 2.2 × 2.4 mm, the ventral hilum sinus slit-like, c. 1 mm deep, glabrous; surface deep purple-black, stellate hairs white, 15–25 % cover, 0.2–0.5 mm diam., 5 (- 20) - armed, arms filamentous.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet is a noun in apposition that honours the Kounounkan area of Guinea which harbours the largest number of the site-specific global endemics in the nation.</p><p>Distribution and ecology.</p><p>Sabdariffa kounounkan appears endemic to the sandstone table mountain of the southernmost Fouta Djalon highlands at Kounounkan, Guinea. It occurs in fissures in the bedrock, in sparsely wooded (bowal) grassland at 990 m alt. This is perhaps the last sandstone table mountain with pristine areas remaining in the country. The lead collector, van der Burgt (pers. obs. to Cheek 2025) states that although one collection was made, the species was common and widespread at the site, with potentially thousands of plants present. Some plants were in areas that had been burned artificially (fires set by people are almost ubiquitous in Guinea) and appeared to have survived, so the species may not be as sensitive to fire as some other of the rare sandstone table mountain species of Kounounkan appear to be.</p><p>Associated plant species observed with Sabdariffa kounounkan included Memecylon afzelii G. Don (van der Burgt 2252, Melastomataceae), Tricalysia okelensis var. pubescens Aubrév. &amp; Pellegr. ex Keay (van der Burgt 2251, Rubiaceae), Keetia kounounkan Cheek (van der Burgt 2262, Rubiaceae; Simbiano et al. 2025), Ternstroemia guineensis Cheek (van der Burgt 2258, Pentaphylacaceae), Warneckea fascicularis (Planch. ex Benth.) Jacq. - Fél. (van der Burgt 2249, Melastomataceae), Psorospermum febrifugum Spach (van der Burgt 2253, Hypericaceae)), Ficus ovata Vahl, Cailliella praerupticola Jacq. - Fél. (van der Burgt 2263, Melastomataceae), Glenniea africana (Radlk.) Leenh. ( Sapindaceae), Kotschya uniflora (A. Chev.) Hepper ( Leguminosae), Keetia mannii (Hiern) Bridson, and Keetia susu Cheek (both Rubiaceae).</p><p>Phenology.</p><p>Sabdariffa kounounkan flowers and fruits in early February. However, the collection notes indicate that at that time, most plants were without leaves and flowers. It is likely therefore that this was the tail end of flowering that likely began at the start of the dry season in October. It is likely that the species is a perennial and that it survives the dry season in a leafless, dormant state.</p><p>Conservation status.</p><p>Here we follow the provisional assessment made for Keetia kounounkan (Simbiano et al. 2025), also a shrub known from a single collection and collected at the same time and place as Sabdariffa kounounkan (the two specimens are separated by only 6 numbers of plants collected), by the same team. The extent of occurrence (EOO) of S. kounounkan is estimated to be no greater than 16 km 2, based on the area of the southern plateau of the Kounounkan Massif (see Discussion) from which the only known collection and observations have been made. Its area of occupancy (AOO) across the plateau area is also likely to be highly restricted but may narrowly exceed 10 km 2. The plateau is considered to represent a single location threatened by dry-season bushfires set by cattle herders. As a result of this threat, the species is inferred to be undergoing a continuing decline in habitat quality. The number of mature individuals cannot be reliably estimated, but it is suspected that the true value may exceed 1,000.</p><p>Given the availability of other similar submontane habitats in neighbouring Kindia and Dubréka prefectures, it is possible that this species occurs at other sites; however, it has not yet been reported from collecting trips to neighbouring plateaus. Pending more precise data on its distribution and population size and adopting a precautionary approach on the basis that its distribution may prove to be highly restricted, Sabdariffa kounounkan is here provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) B 1 ab (iii), following IUCN criteria. Further survey work is essential to refine this conservation assessment; for example, confirmation of its presence on other plateaus may permit assessment at a lower category of extinction risk, though it would likely remain threatened.</p><p>Seeds of Sabdariffa kounounkan are held at the national seed bank of the Republic of Guinea at the National Herbarium of Guinea (HNG) and also the Millenium Seed Bank Partnership at Wakehurst Place, Sussex, UK (van der Burgt pers. obs. to Cheek 2025).</p><p>Discussion.</p><p>In Wilson (1999), our Guinea material, since it lacks aculeate stems, bifid involucellar bracts and a fleshy calyx, yet has foliar nectaries and subulate, involucellar bracteoles, c. 2 mm wide at base, apex pointed, calyx both finely stellate pubescent and with simple to stellate stiff bristles on enlarged red bases, keys to Sabdariffa sineaculeata (F. D. Wilson) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett . The two species can be separated using features in the diagnosis and in Table 1 below.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8D8510F87FD353E0A8372B3492D3792D	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Thiam, Aminata;Magassouba, Sekou;Couch, Charlotte;Cheek, Martin	Thiam, Aminata, Magassouba, Sekou, Couch, Charlotte, Cheek, Martin (2026): A key to the Sabdariffa scotellii (Baker f.) Mwachala & R. L. Barrett group (Malvaceae, Hibisceae) in West Africa with descriptions of two new, threatened species from bowal habitats in the Republic of Guinea. PhytoKeys 271: 15-35, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.271.181271
3534C70EC015550DA44460FD39042AB7.text	3534C70EC015550DA44460FD39042AB7.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Sabdariffa sangaredi Thiam & Cheek 2026	<div><p>Sabdariffa sangaredi Thiam &amp; Cheek sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 1, 2</p><p>Type.</p><p>Republic of Guinea • Boké Prefecture, Sangaredi, Para Gogo, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.852944&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.131306" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.852944/lat 11.131306)">Bowal Dalagahe</a>, 11°7'52.7"N, 013°51'10.6"W, 228 m elev., 19 Nov 2013 (fl, fr), K. Guilavogui, L. Lopez Poveda &amp; M. B. Bah 613 (holotype: K barcode K 000749855; isotype: HNG) .</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Similar to Sabdariffa sineaculeata (F. D. Wilson) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett and S. scotellii (Baker f.) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett in the non-aculeate stems, entire involucellar bracts, non-fleshy calyx, palmately lobed leaves, nectar glands on leaves and calyx, differing in the involucellar bracts 3 mm wide (not 2 mm or less), the calyx with only simple broad-based bristle hairs (not stellate hairy), the leaves 3 - lobed by c. 8 / 10 ths their radius (not shallowly 3 - lobed by &lt;1 / 3 or 5 - lobed by&gt; 9 / 10 ths).</p><p>Description.</p><p>Annual herbs, generally erect, (10 -) 20–35 (- 120) cm in height. Stem internodes 2–3.5 cm long, pale yellow, c. 2 mm in diam., lateral branches frequent in larger plants, ascending, 1–11.3 cm long, indumentum of distal 5–9 nodes sparsely hairy c. 10 % cover, hairs soft, translucent or white, patent or retrorse, simple, bifid and trifid, (0.2 -) 0.3–0.4 (- 0.5) mm long, mixed with 4–7 - armed stellate hairs 0.125–0.5 mm diam., the arms suberect or spreading and with minute red, sessile, globose glands 0.05 mm diam.; longitudinal hair band grey-brown, c. 0.4 mm wide, 80–100 % cover of minute soft, simple and stellate subappressed, reflexed hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long; proximal (basal) nodes of stems glabrous with network of corky ridges. Stipules deciduous, subulate to linear-oblong, 0.75–1.75 × 0.25 mm, apex rounded, indumentum sparse, simple, translucent, stiff, appressed hairs 0.1–0.3 mm long. Petioles plano-convex, 1.5–4 cm long, 0.3–1 mm wide, indumentum as stem, adaxial surface with longitudinal hairband. Leaves on the main axis subtending flowers are deeply 3 - lobed (very rarely 5 - lobed), triangular in outline, 3–5.5 × 4.2–5 (- 8) cm, while the lower (proximal) leaves are entire, ovate, or elliptic-oblong, 2.5–5 × 2.2–3.5 cm, leaves on the lateral branches are slightly smaller; lobes oblong-elliptic, lateral lobes 2–4 × 0.5–0.8 cm, extending to 8 / 10 th of the radius of the blade, at c. 90 degrees from the median lobe, median lobe 10–20 % longer and broader than the laterals, sometimes with a secondary lobe, lobes with 2–12 shallowly dentate to serrate teeth per side, teeth 0.1–0.3 mm long, apices red; secondary nerves conspicuous on both surfaces, reticulate, cells c. 2 mm diam.; nectar gland on the abaxial surface inserted on midrib c. 2 mm above the lateral nerve junction, gland 1.8 × 0.8 mm, broader than the midrib, the stoma longitudinal slit 0.5 mm long, glabrous apart from minute marginal, simple to stellate hairs c. 0.1 mm long, adaxial blade surface with very sparse (&lt;5 % cover) minute simple to stellate hairs c. 0.1 mm long, densest on midrib, abaxial surface as adaxial but cover and hair length slightly greater, stellate hairs 5–8 - armed, 0.4 mm wide. Flowers yellow, with black adaxial markings (not dissected due to limited material). Peduncles-pedicels 0.4–1 × 0.25–3 mm, indumentum similar to that of the stem, not articulated. Involucellar bracts (epicalyx) 7–8, reflexing in mature fruit, dorsiventrally flattened, narrowly triangular, 1.25–1.6 × 0.3 cm wide at base, tapering gradually to the acute apex, united at base for c. 1 mm, midrib thickened, lateral vein pair parallel, abaxial surface glabrous apart from 6–12 patent bristle hairs c. 1 mm long. Calyx lobes 5, slightly longer than epicalyx, ovate triangular, 1.3–1.6 × 0.6 cm, acuminate, united at base for c. 2 mm, midrib and marginal nerves thick, prominent, with 0.9–1.1 mm long spreading or patent bristle hairs on thick red fleshy bases c. 0.25 × 0.25 mm, intercostal areas glabrous apart from a few bristle hairs on subsidiary nerves, abaxial surface glabrous apart from the densely puberulent acumen, hairs patent, c. 0.1 mm long. Capsules solitary, axillary, sometimes on a very short branch, borne on the distal nodes of the main stem and short lateral branches; fruit oblate, c. 1.5 × 1.2 cm, rostrum 0.7–2 mm long, abaxial surface densely covered in fine appressed simple hairs 0.2–0.4 mm long. Seeds subreniform, dull black, c. 3.25 × 1.8 × 2.5 mm, hilar / funicular cavity 0.75 × 0.75 mm, occluded by dense, patent, interlocking, broad white simple hairs 0.2–0.4 (- 0.5) mm long, outer surface glabrous, chalazal (cotyledonary) half with longitudinal ridges 0.1–0.2 mm apart, lined with brown transversely ellipsoid to globose smooth convex structures 0.06–0.12 mm long; micropyle (radicular) half lacking ridges, with globose black structures 0.05 mm diam.</p><p>Additional sight records.</p><p>Republic of Guinea • Boké Prefecture, Sangaredi, Kourawel, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.8741665&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.152583" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.8741665/lat 11.152583)">Feloparawol Aliou, N of Para Gogo</a>, 11°9'9.3"N, 013°52'27"W, 24 Nov 2013, F. Fofana &amp; L. Lopez Poveda CBG Z 7.1 L 03 (observation) • Fetore, W of Para Gogo, georeference not recorded, 21 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui &amp; L. Lopez Poveda CBG Z 6 L 04 . • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.940056&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.159055" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.940056/lat 11.159055)">c. 7 km W of Kewel Bondi, 3.5 km northeast from Boulere</a>, 11°9'32.6"N, 013°56'24.2"W, C. Couch &amp; F. Fofana CBG Z 7 C 07 . • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.874833&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.004361" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.874833/lat 11.004361)">Haure diari de, 1.04 km of Kagnana</a>, 11°0'15.7"N, 013°52'29.4"W, 23 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui &amp; L. Lopez Poveda CBG Z 5 L 02 • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.943666&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.151416" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.943666/lat 11.151416)">Konakrede forest, next to Murmutu bowal</a>, 11°9'5.1"N, 013°56'37.2"W, 22 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui &amp; L. Lopez Poveda CBG BOUL 04 • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.865556&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.013861" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.865556/lat 11.013861)">Banire, 2 km of Kagnana</a>, 11°0'49.9"N, 013°51'56.0"W, 23 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui &amp; L. Lopez Poveda CBG Z 5 L 06 • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.961306&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.111667" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.961306/lat 11.111667)">Boulere, 0.5 km south west from the village; Area 25 × 50 m (100 × 50 m)</a>, 11°06'42.0"N, 013°57'40.7"W, 22 Nov 2013, C. Couch &amp; F. Fofana CBG BOULCI • <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=-13.948556&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=11.149472" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long -13.948556/lat 11.149472)">Saberb Boulere (3 km more or less N of Boulere)</a>, 11°8'58.1"N, 013°56'54.8"W, 22 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui CBG BOUL 01 . These sight observations are related to the fertile specimen cited, extracted from the Wet Tropics Africa database at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (see Gosline et al. 2023 a). No other species of Sabdariffa was recorded on the survey (see below under Conservation Status).</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>Noun in apposition for the town of Sangaredi, a centre of bauxite mining in Guinea, in the vicinity of the area in which the species is restricted based on current information.</p><p>Distribution and ecology.</p><p>Restricted to bowal grassland (tree free) plateau habitats with occasional savannah woodland patches (with Strychnos spinosa Lam. ( Loganiaceae), Hymenocardia acida Tul. ( Phyllanthaceae), Piliostigma thonningii (Schumach.) Milne-Redh. ( Leguminosae), Crossopteryx febrifuga (Schumach.) Milne-Redh. ( Rubiaceae), Nauclea latifolia Sm. ( Rubiaceae) and gallery forest (e. g. Napoleonaea vogelii Hook. &amp; Planch. ( Lecythidaceae), Uapaca heudelotii Baill. ( Phyllanthaceae), Tiliacora leonensis (Scott Elliot) Diels ( Menispermaceae), Malouetia heudelotii A. DC. ( Apocynaceae), Mostuea hirsuta (T. Anderson ex Benth. &amp; Hook. f.) Baill. ( Gelsemiaceae), Geophila obvallata (Schumach.) Diedr. ( Rubiaceae), Bolbitis gemmifera (Hieron.) C. Chr. ( Dryopteridaceae), on bauxitic substrate, rainfall c. 1,100 mm p. a.; 200–300 m alt. The species is deduced to be an annual because of the impoverished root systems and absence of perennating structures detected in the specimens collected.</p><p>Phenology.</p><p>Fruiting and flowering in late November.</p><p>Conservation status.</p><p>The species can be locally common (25 % cover recorded in one plot 23 Nov 2013, K. Guilavogui and L. Lopez Poveda CBG Z 5 L 02) and frequent, recorded at nine different sites over the four-day survey of the Sangaredi area in 2013 (see additional records above). Indeed, of the 973 specimen linked records made on this survey, nine, nearly 1 %, were of Sabdariffa sangaredi . The type gathering consists of several individuals per sheet, but information from the additional records cited above suggests that many hundreds of plants, if not thousands, were in the area surveyed.</p><p>Discussion.</p><p>The collector of the type specimen speculates that it is likely to occur on nearby plateau that have not yet been botanically surveyed (Guilavogui pers. obs. to Cheek, Oct 2025). Yet this is not yet supported by evidence and the IUCN advocate adopting the precautionary principle in making conservation assessments (IUCN 2012). Further, the Sangaredi area is heavily impacted by open cast mining of bauxite, with 14 million tonnes being exported p. a. (Sangaredi 2025). There are 10 other bauxite mining operations in coastal Guinea and in total&gt; 100 million tonnes are exported p. a. with the totals rising steadily year on year (Nandi 2023). This poses a threat to Sabdariffa sangaredi and other threatened species of bauxitic bowal habitats in the area and is likely to already have resulted in the loss of many plants and much habitat of this species from previous mining. Open cast mining is a major source of income for Guinea (Thapar 2016) and is set to continue and increase in the future. Plotting the eight points known for this species (see above) with georeferences available on Google Earth Pro shows that all still have intact habitat for the moment, but that between May and December 2023, terrain was cleared in preparation for mining in the Kagnaka area, which is only 1.4 km from two of the sites for S. sangaredi . Moreover, these two sites are in an area with cleared grid lines (clearly visible in Google Earth imagery), suggesting that it has been prospected for bauxite and might also be mined. Similarly, sites for the species N of Boulere are only c. 1.5 km from a new mining area opened since January 2016 (Google Earth Pro time slider function). New areas for mining are steadily being opened up as older areas are exhausted by surface strip mining, the bauxite layer in Guinea being close to the surface and 8–10 m deep (Nandi 2023). The mined areas do not support the natural habitat that formerly existed. The bowal habitat of the species has become severely fragmented due to losses from bauxite mining.</p><p>The extent of occurrence (EOO) for Sabdariffa sangaredi was calculated as 96 km 2, and the area of occupation (AOO) as 24 km 2 using GeoCAT. Since the EOO is below the threshold for Critically Endangered status, and there are clear threats from bauxite mining, projected to result in a decline in EOO, AOO, quality of habitat, and number of mature individuals, we here assess the species as Critically Endangered (CR B 1 a, b (i-ii + v)). We plan to contact Compagnie des Bauxite de Guinée (CBG) to alert them to the existence of this species in the area which they manage, provide information to enable the identification of plants, and to request that they take measures to minimize risks to the species, including a public information campaign. It is to be hoped that further surveys might find this species to be more widespread and common, and less threatened.</p><p>The type specimen was initially identified as Hibiscus scotellii Baker f. by the last author. All the records of this species were made and material collected as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment for the bauxite mining company CBG. The variation in height of plants of this species can be attributed to variation in soil depths and water availability, plants being smaller where depth and water availability are lower than elsewhere.</p><p>Sabdariffa sangaredi is distinctive for the deeply trilobed leaves that subtend the flowers, succeeding entire ovate or oblong leaves at the base of the main stem (Fig. 1 A). This is the inverse of the usual condition in the genus where lobed leaves occur towards the base of the stem and entire leaves above them (Hanes et al. 2024). The lateral leaf lobes extend at almost 90 degrees from the axis of the larger median lobe (Figs 1, 2). The absence of uniformly stellate hairs on stem and calyx lobes, and the presence on the stem of a longitudinal hair band of minute simple hairs, separate it immediately from S. sineaculeata and S. scotellii even in the absence of reproductive material. In many respects, the species resembles S. aspera (Hook. f.) Mwachala and R. L. Barrett, which also has a stem hair band and similar seed surfaces. However, that species has aculeate stems (aculeae are defined as being&gt; 1.5 mm long by Barrett et al. (2025), the aculeae being antrorse, while the non-aculeate hairs on S. sangaredi are &lt;0.5 mm long and retrorse or patent. Furthermore, all the West African material of S. aspera has 5 - lobed leaves subtending the flowers and on the vegetative stem, unlike S. sangaredi (3 - lobed). Moreover, in S. aspera, the involucellular bracteoles are free or scarcely united at the base (strongly united in S. sangaredi) and the calyx is usually twice as long as the involucellar bracts (subequal in S. sangaredi). Both species, together with S. sineaculeata, have red, fleshy, thickened bases to the calyx bristle hairs.</p><p>Sabdariffa aspera is widespread in West Africa. It has been recorded in bowal habitats on other substrates (sandstone and iron ore, usually at submontane elevations) in Guinea, but not on bauxitic bowal at low elevations (the habitat of S. sangaredi). In contrast, in Guinea, S. scotellii is mainly restricted to granite inselberg habitats.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3534C70EC015550DA44460FD39042AB7	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Thiam, Aminata;Magassouba, Sekou;Couch, Charlotte;Cheek, Martin	Thiam, Aminata, Magassouba, Sekou, Couch, Charlotte, Cheek, Martin (2026): A key to the Sabdariffa scotellii (Baker f.) Mwachala & R. L. Barrett group (Malvaceae, Hibisceae) in West Africa with descriptions of two new, threatened species from bowal habitats in the Republic of Guinea. PhytoKeys 271: 15-35, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.271.181271
