Barleria kaessneri S. Moore, 1909

Dominique Champluvier, 2011, New and overlooked Acanthaceae taxa from D. R. Congo, Rwanda and Burundi: (1) the genus Barleria, Plant Ecology and Evolution 144 (1), pp. 82-95 : 94-95

Barleria kaessneri S. Moore

(Moore 1909)

– Type: D.R.Congo, District du Haut-Katanga, Niembe river, 27 May 1908, Kässner 3010, fl (holo-: BM; mixed with a specimen belonging to the genus Phaulopsi s).

Suffrutescent plant or subshrub 15–30 cm high from a woody rootstock; stem with short stiff antrorse hairs. Lamina of the leaves chartaceous or thick-fleshy, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 5–10.5 × 1.4–3 cm, obtuse to rounded at the tip, cuneate to slightly attenuate at the base, glabrous or subglabrous, scabridulous above, with adpressed stiff hairs on the nerves to subglabrous, pellucid-punctate below, glaucousgreen at least when dry; leaves subsessile or petiole up to 5 mm long. Inflorescences terminal, capitate or in short spikes up to 7 cm long; bracts orbicular, more rarely elliptic, similar to the largest calyx lobes of many Barleria , imbricate, obtuse to rounded or more rarely acute at the tip, puberulent and glandular outside and with sparse short stiff hairs and sometimes glandular inside, 12–23 × 10–18 mm, the smaller towards the apex of inflorescence, median nerve and lateral curved nerves well marked; calyx with posticous lobe elliptic, acute at the tip, 16–17 × 5–6.5 mm; anticous lobe narrowly elliptic, acute or shortly bifid at the tip, 17–18 × 5 mm; lateral lobes linear-elliptic 17 × 2 mm, all puberulent and glandular, light green; corolla violet, mauve, pale blue or white flushed with violet and with violet markings, 3.3 cm long, with very unequal lobes; tube 14 mm long, (4–)5–6 mm wide at the throat, upper lobes narrow, elliptic-oblong or oblanceolate, 15 × 3.5 mm; median lower lobe widely elliptic, 17 × 10 mm; lateral lobes elliptic, 18 × 8 mm; stamens two, filament 19 mm long, anther 2.75 mm long; style 24 mm long, stigma cylindrical. Capsule pale cream to yellowish, pyriform, puberulent, 13 mm long, including a beak 6 mm long. Seeds two, with scale-like waved fascicules of light brown or cream hairs. Fig. 3D .

Distribution – Linking species of the Zambezian centre of endemism and the Guineo-Congolian/Zambezian Regional Transition Zone. Fig. 12 .

Other collections examined – D.R.Congo. District du Bas-Katanga: Lupiala, alt. 890 m, Jun. 1948, de Witte 4037, fl (BR, K). District du Haut-Katanga: Muniama, Apr. 1957, Detilleux 778, fl (BR); Moba–Kapona, Jul. 1957, Devred 3495, fr (BR); Katanga, s.l., s.d., Duvigneaud 3636, 3649 (BRLU); entre Ruwe et Wasela, alt. 1350 m, Apr. 1971, Malaisse 6918, fl (BR); rivière Luiswishi, près de Kumanwa, alt. 1150 m, May 1985, Malaisse & Goetghebeur 466, fl (BR); Kafubu, Apr. 1927, Quarré 283, fl (BR); rivière Kisanga, Katuba, Jun. 1935, Quarré 4533, fl (BR); piste Kolwezi–ancien bac de la Lualaba, à 11,875 km du début de piste, Apr. 1987, Schaijes 3464, fl (BR).

Zambia: Walamba distr., May 1954, Fanshawe 1255, fr (K, BR); Kitwe, Mar. 1955, Fanshawe 2223, fl (K); ibid., May 1967, Fanshawe 10072, fl (K); ibid., Jul. 1967, Mutimushi 1975, fr (K); ibid., Apr. 1969, Mutimushi 3036, fl (K); Ndola, alt. 1220 m, May 1961, Wilberforce 113, fl (K).

Habitat – Miombos, e.a. with Brachystegia bussei, chipya woodlands, bushy savannas, on outcrops or sandy-gravelly soils, alt. 890–1350 m.

Figures

Figure 3 – Plants in flower. A, Barleria velutina (photo: Michel Schaijes); B, Barleria cinnabarina (photo: Luc Pauwels); C, Barleria pauciflora (photo: Michel Schaijes); D, Barleria kaessneri (photo: Michel Schaijes).

Figure 12 – Distribution map of Barleria kaessneri.