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Vera-duthiea capillifolia A.Patzelt, M.Pinter & Mart.-Azorín sp. nov. (Fig. 1) Vera-duthiea capillifolia approaches V. zebrina in general morphology, especially in the basally contracted filaments, though the former species shows very thin leaves to 0.7 mm wide (not 4‒9 mm wide), less flowered racemes with (1)2‒3(5) flowers (not 5‒13 flowers), shorter tepals, filaments and gynoecium and presents a long disjunction in distribution. Type:— OMAN. Jabal Qamar, Wadi Kharfut, 22 m of elevation, 13 February 2012, A . Patzelt, D. Lupton, L. Al Harthy, I. Al Rashdi & A. Al Hinai AP 4963 (OBG holo.). Specimens collected from this accession are in cultivation in Oman Botanic Garden (OBG). Herbaceous, perennial, bulbous plant. Bulb hypogeal, solitary, 2‒3 × 1‒2.2 cm (excl. neck), ovoid to spherical, frequently tapering into a neck; outer tunics pale brown, dry, membranous; inner scales whitish, compact, fleshy, adherent; basal plate elongated; roots whitish-cream, fleshy, thickened, contractile, widest parts to 5 mm in diam. Leaves (2)4‒9, in a basal rosette, mostly hysteranthous, becoming dry to withered at anthesis, filiform, canaliculate, tapering gradually towards a terete acute apex, arching, spreading, 6‒20 cm long, 0.2‒0.7 mm wide, glabrous, glossy, mid to dark green, with darker green maculations forming horizontal stripes abaxially, especially prominent at the base for the lowest 4‒5 cm, usually unspotted adaxially or weakly maculate. Inflorescence a stalked raceme, arching to erect, 1 per bulb, overtopping the leaves; scape slender, up to 25 cm long, ~ 1 mm in diam. at the base, light green to greenish-brown, slightly mottled at base; raceme lax, 3−6 cm long, with (1)2‒3(5) flowers, secund; bracts small, ca. 1.2 mm long, narrowly triangular, clasping, acute, yellowish-brown with a membranous whitish margin, basal spur up to 2 mm long, those from the upper part of the inflorescence showing very short or inconspicuous spurs; bracteoles absent; pedicels 20‒25 mm long at anthesis, slender, arching down, light green with a pale purple tinge, elongating and erect in fruit. Flowers short-lived, lasting only one day, opening in succession, pale yellow to yellowish brown, pentacyclic, trimerous, stellate, nodding, opening in the late afternoon to early evening and closing during night, without a discernible scent; perigone strongly reflexed; tepals 6, biseriate, almost free, only connate for Etymology:—The species is named V. capillifolia based on the very thin leaves, a character previously unknown in the genus. Biology:— Vera-duthiea capillifolia flowers from September to March in the wild. All parts of the plant are toxic to livestock, and it can be fatal to small or sickly animals (Miller & Morris 1988). On the Salalah plain, livestock would occasionally accidentally eat the species while grazing, as its leaves are found amongst grasses. The toxin produced brings on symptoms of tremor, distention of the belly, and staggers (Miller & Morris 1988). The swelling of the stomach can persist over a period of some days, but it is rarely fatal in larger animals. Animals overall avoid the plant on their own accord when the leaves are clearly visible (Miller & Morris 1988). Ethnobotany:—No uses have been recorded. The local Jibbali name of the plant is ‘heysir‘ or ‘hubsir‘. The alternative name, ‘edahin esebera’, meaning little tubers of the spirits, refers to the toxicity of the plant (Miller & Morris 1988). Habitat:— Vera-duthiea capillifolia is found along the coastal plains, extending to rocky outcrops, dominated by xerophytic shrubs up to an elevation of about 700 m. In these habitats a Vachellia -Commiphora woodland is found supporting a rich flora with many endemic species (Patzelt 2014, 2015). Distribution:— Vera-duthiea capillifolia is restricted to south-western Oman. It is found in the Dhofar province, from Mirbat westwards towards Wadi Kharfut, along the coastal area west of Mughsayl, which is reduced to a rather narrow area for most of Jabal Al Qamar with only a small number of larger coastal bays. It is known from ten localities over ca. 100 km (Fig. 2). The precise geographical locations have been omitted for conservation reasons. We studied material resembling a Vera-duthiea species in fruit from Yemen (Lahij Governorate, 40-48 km north of Lahij town, along the road to Dhala, north of Jebel Marif, alluvial soil, 650 m of elevation, 09 June 1987, L. Boulos et al. E00345423: http://psimg.jstor.org/fsi/img/size2/alukaplant/e/phase_01/e0003/e00345423.jpg), being probably the first record of the genus in that country and the second out of Africa. The pressed specimen comprises a single infructescence with three ripe capsules and seeds. The capsules are ca. 12–13 mm long, differing from the capsule size from the Omani V. capillifolia (ca. 8 mm long). Based on the considerable disjunction in distribution, the more inland habitat of the Yemeni plant and the different capsules size, we preliminary exclude the Yemeni material from V. capillifolia. Further studies are needed to elucidate the identity of the Yemeni plant. Taxonomic relationships:—The new species shares the distinctive morphological characters of Vera-duthiea, such as the transversally maculate leaves, the nodding nocturnal flowers with reflexed free tepals, the sigmoid filaments that approach the style at the middle and spread above, and the declinate style. However, it represents the only record of this genus out of Africa and differs from any other known species in the genus by the very narrow, filiform leaves, and the overall small plant size with few flowered racemes. Moreover, flowers are comparatively small with regards to the remaining species in the genus. The East African species Vera-duthiea macrocarpa (Stedje 1987: 664) Speta (2016: 155) (≡ Drimia macrocarpa Stedje (1987: 664) = Ornithogalum laikipiense Newton (2003: 18) and other taxa from southern Africa (V. reflexa (K.Krause & Dinter in Krause 1914: 445) Martínez-Azorín et al. (2019b: 296); V. senegalensis (Kunth 1843: 334) Speta (2016: 155); V. vespertina (Manning & Goldblatt 2018: 65) Martínez-Azorín et al. (2019b: 296); V. zambesiaca (Baker 1873b: 223) N.R.Crouch & Mart. -Azorín in Crouch et al. (2020: 261)) differs from V. capillifolia in a distinct feature, such as the flattened and dilatated filaments at the basal portion apart from their much larger sizes. The closest taxon to V. capillifolia seems to be V. zebrina Mart. -Azorín et al. (2018b: 285), based on its narrowed filaments at the basal portion and the overall morphology. However, the latter species differs in the much larger leaves, inflorescences, flowers and capsules and their disjunct distribution, the latter being restricted to eastern southern Africa (Martínez-Azorín et al. 2018b). Moreover, our phylogenetic studies also show clear genetic distance between the two latter species (Martínez-Azorín et al., in prep.) Conservation Status:—Today, the coastal plain in Oman around Salalah is heavily developed, severely overgrazed, significantly impacted by the indiscriminate use of off-road vehicles, and populated by the invasive mesquite Prosopis juliflora (Swartz 1788: 85) De Candolle (1825: 447). The coastal plain once supported a rich flora under open woodlands (Miller & Morris 1988). This is largely gone, however, after exceptional monsoon rains, such as those of 2016 and 2018, the entire plain turns green with a covering of ephemeral grasses and herbs. It is likely that the species is more common than currently known, as the plant is inconspicuous, and all plant parts quickly disappear underground after the end of the moist monsoon season. In addition, the short-lived nature of the flowers contributes to the inconspicuous nature of the species. Using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 3.1 (2012), Vera-duthiea capillifolia has been assessed as Vulnerable, under the name of Drimia sp. (Patzelt 2014). This species is provisionally re-assigned a threat assessment of Endangered, with the following justification EN B2ab(ii,iii), reflecting the limited extent of occurrence and area of occupancy of V. capillifolia as well as the recent substantial residential and commercial development in its area of distribution. Population numbers always seemed to be small, e.g. population in Wadi Kharfut ca. 20 plants seen (A. Patzelt, in 2010 and 2012), 4 plants from west of Mirbat (M. Pinter, in 2018), 3 plants in Wadi Hinna (M. Pinter, in 2018) and 1 plant from Mughsayl to Shaat (M. Pinter, in 2018). The species is threatened by development of housing and urban areas, habitat degradation, and by human intrusion and disturbance via recreational activities. There has been an observed decline in the quality and extent of habitat, and as such, a decline in the number of individuals is inferred. The continuing pressure on this fragile habitat renders the species susceptible to extinction. Additional material studied (paratypes):— OMAN. Dhofar: Jabal Al Qamar, Wadi Kharfut, 14 m of elevation, 08 March 2010, A. Patzelt, I. Al Rashdi, L. MacKinnon AP 3940 (OBG!); Sewerage outlet Wadi 5 km west of Salalah, 20 m of elevation, 26 July 1985 (in leaf), A.G. Miller 7117 (E00345425 digital image!); 5 km west of Salalah, 2 m of elevation, 09 September 1985 (in flower), A.G. Miller 7550B (E00345369 digital image!); Wadi Afal, 0-250 m of elevation, 27 September 1993 (in flower), I. McLeish 2700 (E00106879 digital image!); Mughsayl, 0-250 m of elevation, 27 September 1993, I. McLeish 2713 (E00106875 digital image!); Wadi Aful, 180 m of elevation, 24 September 1993, I.S. Collenette 8904 (ON!); ca. 12 km W Mirbat along rd. 49, 44 m of elevation, 22 January 2018, M. Pinter s.n. (photo); ibidem, 20 June 2019 in leaf ex cult., M. Pinter (ABH!); S of Wadi Hinna, 256 m of elevation, 22 January 2018, M. Pinter s.n. (photo!); ibidem, 20 June 2019 in leaf ex cult., M. Pinter (ABH!); ibidem, 16 July 2019 inflorescence ex cult., M. Pinter s.n. (ABH!); ca. 5,4 km E of military post along rd. 47; hillside, 672 m of elevation, 26 January 2018, M. Pinter s.n. (photo!).

Within the framework of a taxonomic revision of subfamily Urgineoideae based on morphological, genetic and phytogeographic data covering numerous samples from its whole range of distribution, we here describe a new genus and species from Pella se Berge in northwestern South Africa. Triandra gen. nov. is easily characterized by the absence of stamens associated with the outer tepal whorl, therefore having only three stamens per flower, a character previously unknown in Hyacinthaceae. Triandra pellabergensis sp. nov. produces hypogeal bulbs with filiform proteranthous leaves, spurred bracts, lax racemes with few, nodding, nocturnal flowers and erect capsules with the withered tepals persisting atop. The new species resembles Urginea revoluta in general morphology, although this latter species has six stamens per flower, a different seed morphology, a distinct phytogeographic pattern, and a distant phylogenetic relationship. A complete morphological description is presented for the new genus and species, including data on its biology, ecology and distribution. This work was partly supported by H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: ‘Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications’ (FlyHigh), and the grants ACIE18–03 UAUSTI18–02 and UAUSTI19-08 from the University of Alicante.

A new species of the southern Africa endemic genus Eliokarmos, that includes the well-known chincherinchees, is described from the vicinity of Kotzesrus, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Eliokarmos humanii sp. nov. is unique in the genus based on its single, slightly fleshy, suborbicular, convex leaf with ciliate margin, and the short subspiciform inflorescence with almost sessile flowers. A complete description is presented for this species, and data on morphology, ecology, and distribution are reported. In addition, Ornithogalum richtersveldensis, recently described from northwestern South Africa, is transferred to Eliokarmos based on its morphology and biogeography, and a new combination is presented for this species in the latter genus. This work was partly supported by H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: ‘Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications’ (FlyHigh), and the grants ACIE18–03 UAUSTI18–02 and UAUSTI19-08 from the University of Alicante.

Urginea zambesiaca Baker (1873: 223) (Hyacinthaceae, Urgineoideae) was originally described from Mozambique and has been erroneously taxonomically interpreted in recent decades (e.g. Polhill 1962, Kativu & Drummond 1994, Manning & Goldblatt 2018, Manning 2019). Among those interpretations, the recently described Zingela pooleyorum Crouch et al. (2018: 36) has been reduced to its synonymy (Manning 2019); the inappropriateness of that step requires clarification.

Two new rupicolous species of Pinguicula are described from the limestone and dolomitic mountain ranges of central and southern Iberian Peninsula, which were previously identified as P. submediterranea, P. mundi or P. dertosensis. First, the name P. tejedensis sp. nov. is applied to populations concealed to the high elevation areas of Sierra de Tejeda and Sierra de Almijara, in Granada Province (Andalusia, southern Iberian Peninsula). They resemble P. submediterranea, a name here revived for the Subbetic populations of Jaen Province, but its floral features, fruits and seeds allow easy differentiation. Second, P. casperiana is proposed to name populations occurring in the medium to high elevation areas of Serranía de Cuenca, between Cuenca and Guadalajara Provinces (Castilla-La Mancha, central-eastern Iberian Peninsula). Members of the Castillian species are closer to P. dertosensis and also akin to P. mundi, but again their floral features, fruits and seeds allow safe recognition. Both species are significantly different to each other and with regard to their morphologically close relatives, and they also show molecular divergences that support recognition at species rank. Data on morphological traits, ecology, distribution, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships are also presented. This work was partly supported by the research project AICO-2019-003 from Generalitat Valenciana, and the grants ACIE18-03 and ACIE19-01 from Universidad de Alicante.

Nomenclatural types of eleven names of Paniceae described from the Old World are indicated and discussed. This includes designation of ten new types (i.e. four lectotypes, one second-step lectotype, three epitypes and two neotypes) for names currently accepted at different ranks in Cenchrus, Digitaria, Echinochloa, Oplismenus and Setaria. Furthermore, seven new combinations of infrageneric groups are also validated in Cenchrus (namely C. sect. Beckeropsis, C. sect. Brevivalvula, C. sect. Dactylophora, C. sect. Gymnotrix, C. sect. Kikuyuochloa, C. sect. Penicillaria, and C. sect. Pleurostigma) to accommodate the representatives of that genus occurring in the Iberian Peninsula and the Old World. This work was partly supported by the research project Flora iberica XI (CGL2017-85204-C3-1-P) from Mº de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Spanish Government), and the grant ACIE18-03 from Universidad de Alicante.

In the framework of a revision of the Iberian Paniceae Brown (1814: 582) for the Flora iberica project, we came across the aggregate of the “Natal grass”, Melinis repens (Willdenow 1797: 322) Zizka (1988: 55), a group of annual to short-lived perennial grasses being native and widely distributed in Tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India, Cape Verde, and the Canary Islands. Only M. repens s.str. is currently naturalised in the Mediterranean basin, America, Australia, southeastern Asia and the Pacific Islands, where it was mostly introduced for ornamental use, forage or stabilization and cover on disturbed sites, and has become an invasive alien species (Kaufman 2012). This work was partly supported by the Research project Flora iberica XI (CGL2017-85204-C3-1-P) from Mº de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Spanish Government).

Hyacinthaceae subfam. Ornithogaloideae (= tribe Ornithogaleae of Aparagaceae sensu APG 2009, 2016, Chase et al. 2009) includes about 300 species of bulbous plants mainly distributed throughout Europe, Africa and south-west Asia. The latest comprehensive study in Ornithogaloideae (Martínez-Azorín et al. 2011) demonstrates the existence of 19 monophyletic genera which are characterised by a clear syndrome of morphological characters related to biogeographic patterns. This work was partly supported by H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: 'lnsect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications' (FlyHigh), and the grants ACIE18-03 UAUSTI18-02 from the University of Alicante.

Se cita por primera vez la presencia de Calicotome villosa en los territorios iberolevantinos. Es ésta una especie ampliamente repartida por la Cuenca Mediterránea, que en la Península Ibérica presenta una distribución Bética y Luso-Extremadurense, con preferencia por suelos ácidos, en el piso de vegetación termomediterráneo subhúmedo-húmedo. En esta ocasión se ha recolectado en la partida de las Albarizas, en el término municipal de Villena (Alicante), dentro del piso mesomediterráneo seco, y sobre suelos arcillosos básicos. Esta nueva localidad, que es la primera referencia de C. villosa en la flora de la Comunidad Valenciana, permite ampliar considerablemente tanto el área corológica como el comportamiento ecológico de esta especie en la Península Ibérica. The presence of Calicotome villosa is cited for the first time in the Ibero-Levantine territories of the Iberian Peninsula. This is a species widely distributed through the Mediterranean Basin, which is found in the Betic and Luso-Extremadurensian territories of southern Iberian Peninsula, where it mostly occurs in acid soils within the thermomediterranean subhumid-humid bioclimatic stage. The species was recently gathered in Las Albarizas area, in the municipality of Villena (Alicante Province), growing on basic clayish soils within the mesomediterranean dry stage. The new location, which is the first record of C. villosa for the Valencian flora, allows to considerably expand both the chorological area and the ecological behaviour of this species in the Iberian Peninsula.

Among the recently described genera in Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae (= Asparagaceae subfam. Scilloideae tribe Urgineeae), Austronea Mart.-Azorín, M.B.Crespo, M.Pinter & Wetschnig in Martínez-Azorín et al. (2018: 105) includes 20 species restricted to southern Africa (Martínez-Azorín et al. 2018, 2019a, 2019b). Some such species were traditionally included in Urginea Steinheil (1834: 321) or Drimia Jacq. ex Willdenow (1799: 165) sensu lato and resemble those of Fusifilum Rafinesque (1837: 27), a phylogenetic relationship supported by molecular data (Martínez-Azorín et al. in prep.). However, species of Austronea are easily identified by a unique syndrome of morphological characters, the most characteristic being the subcorymbose or congested raceme that commonly nods during early developmental stages, the green to yellowish ovary (in contrast to the white gynoecium of Fusifilum) and the tetrahedrally folded seeds with narrowly winged angles (see Martínez-Azorín et al. 2018). This work was partly supported by H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: 'lnsect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications' (FlyHigh), and the grants ACIE18-03 UAUSTI18-02 and UAUSTI19-08 from the University of Alicante.

Within the framework of a taxonomic revision of Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae (Asparagaceae tribe Urgineeae) combining morphological and genetic data from numerous samples across its whole range of distribution, we here present a taxonomic revision of Tenicroa. Species of Tenicroa have a very intricate history and therefore, unlike many others, they have been placed by time in eight different genera. Tenicroa is characterized by having (mostly) synanthous leaves and sheathing cataphylls with raised darker transversal ridges, diurnal stellate flowers with white tepals having a distinct narrow, reddish-brown or greenish band, subbasifixed anthers, and the ovary elliptic-oblong to oblong, with an elongate, deflexed and often sigmoid style, and a papillate stigma. In this context, we here describe four new species (T. applanata, T. fibrosa, T. namibensis, T. polyantha) and present two new combinations (T. flexuosa, T. unifolia) in this genus. An identification key is provided for the 12 accepted species in the genus. This work was partly supported by the University of Graz (Austria), Fundación Ramón Areces (Spain), H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: ‘Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications’ (FlyHigh), the grant ACIE18–03, UAUSTI18–02 and UAUSTI19–08 from the University of Alicante (Spain).

Se cita por primera vez la presencia de Calicotome villosa en los territorios iberolevantinos. Es ésta una especie ampliamente repartida por la Cuenca Mediterránea, que en la Península Ibérica presenta una distribución Bética y Luso-Extremadurense, con preferencia por suelos ácidos, en el piso de vegetación termomediterráneo subhúmedo-húmedo. En esta ocasión se ha recolectado en la partida de las Albarizas, en el término municipal de Villena (Alicante), dentro del piso mesomediterráneo seco, y sobre suelos arcillosos básicos. Esta nueva localidad, que es la primera referencia de C. villosa en la flora de la Comunidad Valenciana, permite ampliar considerablemente tanto el área corológica como el comportamiento ecológico de esta especie en la Península Ibérica.

In the frame of a taxonomic revision of Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae (Asparagaceae tribe Urgineeae) combining morphological and genetic data from numerous samples across its whole range of distribution, we here present a taxonomic revision of Geschollia, a genus originally accepted as monotypic to include G. anomala. This genus was characterized by the single, synanthous, terete leaf; long racemose inflorescence; tepals connate for ca. 1 mm and reflexed at anthesis; spreading to patent stamens; and small polygonal seeds. Our morphological studies in combination with phylogenetic analyses evidence that Geschollia is indeed a strongly supported monophyletic group, which includes eight species matching most of the features cited above. In this context, we here describe five new species in this genus and accordingly expand the original characterization of Geschollia to accommodate these new taxa. Furthermore, two new combinations are presented for previously described species. An identification key is provided for all accepted species in the genus. This work was partly supported by H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange Programme of the European Commission, project 645636: ‘Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications’ (FlyHigh) and the grants ACIE18-03 and UAUSTI18-02 from University of Alicante.