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| Cyrtanthus novus-annus Snijman, in Snijman, 2022. |
Highlights
• A new species, Cyrtanthus novus-annus adds another narrowly endemic species on the Agulhas Plain, South Africa.
• Based on morphology Cyrtanthus novus-annus is inferred to be sister to C. guthrieae.
• The species pair occupies divergent edaphic sites.
Abstract
Described is a new species of Cyrtanthus within the monogeneric tribe Cyrtantheae (Amaryllidaceae: Amaryllidoideae) from the low-lying Agulhas Plain, Western Cape, South Africa. Known from the Nuwejaars Wetlands area, Cyrtanthus novus-annus occupies habitats transitional between Elim Ferricrete Fynbos and Central Rûens Shale Renosterveld. The erect, mostly solitary-flowered inflorescence has a nearly sessile, funnel-shaped flower in common with C. guthrieae, which occurs on the mountains close to Bredasdorp in acidic soils of Overberg Sandstone Fynbos. The two species differ in the size, colouring, and markings of the flowers and in their flowering times. Their morphological similarity and the close proximity of their habitats suggest that C. novus-annus and C. guthrieae constitute an example of edaphically differentiated sister taxa, a pattern found in several other endemics of the region, as well as in the sister pair Brunsvigia elandsmontana and B. marginata (tribe Amaryllideae) from contrasting habitats in Swartland lowland alluvium and the abutting sandstone mountains, respectively.
Keywords: Core Cape Floristic Region, Edaphic differentiation, Endemics, South Africa, Taxonomy
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| Flowering plants. A–C, Cyrtanthus novus-annus; D, C. guthrieae. Photographs by G. Nichols (A and B); J. Manning (C); C. Paterson-Jones (D). |
Cyrtanthus novus-annus Snijman, sp. nov.
New species allied to C. guthrieae L.Bolus, with which it has few, linear leaves, an erect, mostly solitary-flowered inflorescence and a nearly sessile, funnel-shaped flower. It differs in its lower stature, ± 160 mm when flowering, smaller delicate pink flowers which appear in mid to late summer, smaller tepals 20–25 × 7–8 mm with dark pink keels, and short stamens exserted from the throat by 10–15 mm.
Etymology: The species epithet honours the recent restoration of biodiversity in the Nuwejaars Wetlands area.
D.A. Snijman. 2022. A New Species of Cyrtanthus (Amaryllidaceae: Cyrtantheae) from the Agulhas Plain, Western Cape, South Africa. South African Journal of Botany. 148; 601-604. DOI: 10.1016/j.sajb.2022.05.027
