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Background: South African brambles (Rubus L., Rosaceae) represent a complex group of six native species and at least 12 introduced taxa with different ploidy levels and varying tendencies to hybridisation. The role of hybridisation, introgression and apomixis in the ongoing evolution has been hypothesised based on morphological observations, but it has not been rigorously studied to date, and nor has the phylogeny of the group. Objectives and methods: This paper aims to reveal the evolutionary patterns and mechanisms in South African brambles by employing three types of molecular markers: plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences, and nuclear microsatellites. Results: The data confirmed the tetraploid R. thaumasius A.Beek and diploid R. ludwigii Eckl. & Zeyh. as distinct native species, while the other four native species are shown to be closely related and likely derived from three ancestors. Conclusion: Ancient hybridisation and limited gene flow between regions (particularly between winter- and summer-rainfall zones) appear to be the main drivers of current patterns in the tetraploid R. pinnatus Willd. and hexaploid R. rigidus Sm. Current hybridisation is also likely, although rare. The mechanism of ‘octoploid bridge’ is proposed, which overcomes the ploidy reproduction barrier between R. pinnatus (or other tetraploids) and R. rigidus. No gene flow was detected between native and alien taxa, but clonal duplications were discovered in the R. bergii × pinnatus hybrid, which implies the possibility of apomictic spread of homoploid hybrids formed between native and introduced brambles and the potential for a new invasion. On the other hand, heteroploid hybrids (R. bergii × rigidus) are formed recurrently and spread only vegetatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Eight species of Freylinia are recognised. • An infrageneric taxonomy is proposed. • Freylinia brevistyla is described as a new species. • Updated conservation assessments are provided. The taxonomy of Freylinia Pangella ex Colla (Scrophulariaceae) is revised and eight species are recognised. Each species is fully described, with complete nomenclature, typification, ecological notes, and an updated conservation assessment. The subtropical F. tropica S.Moore is segregated as the new sect. Tropicae J.C.Manning, defined by axillary inforescences and flowers with a glandular corolla tube. The remaining species from temperate South Africa share terminal inflorescences and eglandular corollas. Within this group two sections are recognised. Sect. Freylinia comprises the type of the genus F. lanceolata (L.f.) G.Don, and is readily segregated on the basis of its sessile foliage and small capsules, whereas the remaining, strictly shrubby species share petiolate foliage and larger capsules and are recognised as sect. Macrocarpae J.C.Manning. The latter section includes several highly local endemics, most of them of conservation concern, and among which we propose several taxonomic changes. The most significant of these are the inclusion of F. vlokii Van Jaarsv. in F. undulata (L.f.) Benth., and a reappraisal of the identity F. longiflora Benth., which is recognised here as an earlier name for F. helmei Van Jaarsv. The new species F. brevistyla J.C.Manning & N.A.Helme is accordingly described for the populations that were previously misidentified as F. longiflora , and which are readily distinguished from all other species by their short style and unique, obtuse hairs in the corolla throat. This taxon was thought to be restricted to the Hottentots Holland Mtns near Elgin but a recent collection from the northern foothills of the Klein River Mtns represents a significant range extension. Finally, examination of the type of F. undulata var. macrophylla Hiern. shows it to be misplaced in the genus and we identify it as a synonym of Selago myrtifolia Rchb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspects of the nomenclature and classification of the subtribe Strumariinae are corrected and emended as follows: Hessea subgenus Myophila (Snijman) Snijman and Strumaria subgenus Carpolyza (Salisb.) Snijman are described, and Strumaria section Gemmaria (Salisb.) Snijman is validated; the correct author citations for several names in Strumaria that were invalidly published by Jacquin are established; and a complete infrageneric synopsis for the actinomorphic-flowered taxa of subtribe Strumariinae is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While global patterns of bee diversity have been modelled, our understanding of fine‐scale regional patterns is more limited, particularly for under‐sampled regions such as Africa. South Africa is among the exceptions on the African continent; its bee fauna (ca. 1253 species) has been well collected and documented, including mass digitising of its natural history collections. It is a region with high floral diversity, high habitat heterogeneity and variable rainfall seasonality.Here, we combine a South African bee species distributional database (877 bee species) with a geospatial modelling approach to determine fine‐scale (~11 × 11 km grid cell resolution) hotspots of bee species richness, endemism and range‐restricted species.Our analyses, based on the probabilities of occurrence surfaces for each species across 108,803 two‐minute grid cells, reveal three bee hotspots of richness: Winter rainfall, Aseasonal rainfall and Early‐to‐late summer rainfall. These hotspots contain large numbers of endemic and geographically restricted taxa. Hotspots with particularly high bee diversity include the Fynbos, Succulent Karoo and Desert biomes; the latter showing 6–20 times more species per unit area than other biomes. Our results conform with global species‐area patterns: areas of higher‐than‐expected bee density are largely concentrated in Mediterranean and arid habitats.This study further enhances our knowledge in identifying regional and global hotspots of richness and endemism for a keystone group of insects and enabling these to be accounted for when setting conservation priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ledebouria sect. Resnova is revised. • Five species are recognised. • Ledebouria hardyi is described as new. • All taxa are described and fully illustrated. • A new subtribal classification is presented for Massonieae. The species in Ledebouria sect. Resnova are revised, with an identification key, full nomenclature, descriptions, ecological notes, and illustrations. Sect. Resnova is defined by its deeply campanulate flowers with tepals shortly connate basally and erect throughout or spreading distally; biseriate stamens with white, filiform filaments; sessile or subsessile ovary; and diagnostic seeds, obliquely obovoid with an inflated and invaginated raphe, and a finely puberulous-echinulate testa. Five species are recognised, divided between the monotypic ser. Lachenalioides , diagnosed by larger flowers with multi-nerved tepals, and ser. Resnova , with smaller flowers and uni-nerved tepals. Species in ser. Resnova are distinguished primarily by the presence or absence of hairs on one or both surfaces of the leaves, and by the presence or absence of a pseudopetiole. The new species Ledebouria hardyi J.C.Manning is described for a collection of plants from near Burgersfort in Limpopo with mostly solitary, markedly pseudopetiolate foliage. The species in sect. Resnova are geographically and ecologically separated by altitude and climate. A revised subtribal classification is provided for Massonieae, based on available phylogenetic hypotheses. Three subtribes are recognised: the monotypic Merwillineae is described for the genus Merwilla and is diagnosed by its white ovary and beige seeds; the genus Schizocarphus is transferred to join Ledebouria in Ledebouriinae, which is weakly diagnosed by the development of multiple inflorescences in some species and a flexuous scape; and Lachenaliinae is included within Massoniinae, which comprises all remaining genera in the tribe and is diagnosed by its few to many subglobose seeds per locule and often tunicated bulbs. This classification replaces existing hypotheses, which are inconsistent with available morphological and phylogenetic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monotypic genus Bryomorphe Harv. is found to be homotypic with Klenzea lycopodioides Sch.Bip., which is considered to be a later synonym of Dolichothrix ericoides (Lam.) Hilliard & Burtt, and Bryomorphe is thus a synonym of Dolichothrix. The new genus Muscosomorphe J.C.Manning is proposed to accommodate the species previously included in Bryomorphe as B. aretioides (Turcz) Druce, along with the new combination M. aretioides (Turcz) J.C.Manning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophytum boomense (Agavaceae), a local endemic from southern Namibia, is found to be morphologically indistinguishable from C. namaquense, which ranges from southern Namibia to central Namaqualand, and is consequently synonymised in that species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new combinations Colchicum burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. burchellii subsp. pulchrum (Schltr. & K.Krause) J.C.Manning & Vinn. are provided for the taxa currently known respectively under the names C. coloratum subsp. burchellii (Baker) J.C.Manning & Vinn. and C. coloratum J.C.Manning & Vinn., nom superfl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method Relevant literature was surveyed and relevant material was examined. Results Nomenclatural adjustments are provided for recently described taxa of Hyacinthaceae subfamily Urgineoideae in order to accommodate them in the alternative classification system in use in South African herbaria. Conclusion A broadly circumscribed Drimia Jacq. has the advantages of nomenclatural stability and utility. The newly described segregate genera Austronea Mart.-Azorín et al. and Zingela N.R.Crouch et al. are formally included in Drimia , and A. densiflora Mart.-Azorín et al., A. hispidoplicata Mart.-Azorín et al. and A. pinguis Mart.-Azorín et al. are transferred to that genus as D. densiflora (Mart.-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt, D. hispidoplicata (Mart.-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt and D. pinguis (Mart.-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt, respectively, whereas A. grandiflora Mart.-Azorín et al. and A. linearis Mart.-Azorín et al. are treated as synonyms of D. vermiformis J.C.Manning & Goldblatt; A. olifanta Mart.-Azorín et al. is treated as a synonym of D. barkerae Oberm. ex J.C.Manning & Goldblatt; and A. papillosa Mart.-Azorín et al. and A. pygmaea (A.V. Duthie) Mart.-Azorín et al. are treated a synonyms of D. virens (Schltr.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt. Zingela pooleyorum N.R.Crouch is considered to be conspecific with Urginea zambesiaca Baker, for which the new combination D. zambesiaca (Baker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt is provided. The combination D. zebrina (Mart.-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt is provided for an allied species. Examination of recent collections of Ornithogalum toxicarium C.Archer & R.H.Archer confirms that it is actually a species of Drimia and it is accordingly transferred to that genus as D. toxicaria (C.Archer & R.H.Archer) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora periodically reveal the existence of undescribed species. Objectives To describe the new species. Method Relevant literature was surveyed, and herbarium and fresh material were examined. Results Collections of a Massonia (Hyacinthaceae) from the escarpment near Sutherland in Northern Cape with unique, softly hairy foliage represent an undescribed species. Conclusions Massonia villosa J.C.Manning is a new species distinguished by the small, markedly convex leaves with recurved apex and pilose adaxial surface covered with soft, shaggy hairs up to 7 mm long and slender flowers without marked sigmoid coiling of the tepals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recent field work in the Baviaanskloof, Eastern Cape, resulted in several collections of an unknown species of Lithospermum (Boraginaceae), a genus that is taxonomically relatively poorly understood in southern Africa. Objectives To describe the Baviaanskloof collections and characterise them against currently known species of Lithospermum. Method Relevant literature was surveyed and herbarium and fresh material was examined. Results Recent collections of Lithospermum from the Baviaanskloof Mountains in Eastern Cape represent an undescribed species. Conclusion Lithospermum sylvestre J.Cohen & J.C.Manning is a new species recognised by its well-branched stems with adpressed-scabrid pubescence, and relatively long-tubed flowers with long styles that are ± as long as the corolla tube and only shortly included within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correct author citations for several names in the genera Drimia (Hyacinthaceae) and Eriospermum (Ruscaceae) that were invalidly published by N.J. Jacquin are provided. The later validation dates for these names do not have implications for their nomenclatural priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives: To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method: Relevant literature was surveyed and type material located and examined. Results: The combination Senecio sonchifolius (L.) J.C.Manning & Magoswana (2017), based on Othonna sonchifolia L., is an illegitimate later homonym for S. sonchifolius (L.) Moench (1802). Conclusions: The name Senecio cymbalarifolius (L.) Less. is the earliest legitimate name in Senecio for the taxon previously known as S. sonchifolius (L.) J.C.Manning & Magoswana, nom. illeg. On internal evidence, we conclude that S. sonchifolius (L.) Moench was intended as a combination based on Cacalia sonchifolia L. and that the citation of the basionym as Cineraria sonchifolia L. was an error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives: To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method: Relevant literature was surveyed and type material located and examined. Results: A nomenclatural correction is necessary in Othonna L. and Senecio L. (Asteraceae). Conclusions: Othonna sonchifolia L. is recognised as the earliest name for Senecio cymbalarifolius (L.) Less. and the new combination Senecio sonchifolius (L.) J.C. Manning & Magoswana is provided for the species. Othonna cymbalarifolia is lectotypified and Senecio hastifolius (L.) Less. is reinstated from synonymy as a species distinct from S. sonchifolius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Tecophilaeaceae (27 species distributed in eight genera) have a disjunct distribution in California, Chile and southern and tropical mainland Africa. Moreover, although the family mainly occurs in arid ecosystems, it has colonized three Mediterranean-type ecosystems. In this study, the spatio-temporal history of the family is examined using DNA sequence data from six plastid regions. Methods Modern methods in divergence time estimation (BEAST), diversification (LTT and GeoSSE) and biogeography (LAGRANGE) are applied to infer the evolutionary history of Tecophilaeaceae. To take into account dating and phylogenetic uncertainty, the biogeographical inferences were run over a set of dated Bayesian trees and the analyses were constrained according to palaeogeographical evidence. Key Results The analyses showed that the current distribution and diversification of the family were influenced primarily by the break up of Gondwana, separating the family into two main clades, and the establishment of a Mediterranean climate in Chile, coinciding with the radiation of Conanthera. Finally, unlike many other groups, no shifts in diversification rates were observed associated with the dispersals in the Cape region of South Africa. Conclusions Although modest in size, Tecophilaeaceae have a complex spatio-temporal history. The family is now most diverse in arid ecosystems in southern Africa, but is expected to have originated in sub-tropical Africa. It has subsequently colonized Mediterranean-type ecosystems in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but well before the onset of the Mediterranean climate in these regions. Only one lineage, genus Conanthera, has apparently diversified to any extent under the impetus of a Mediterranean climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pollinator-driven ecological speciation model has frequently been invoked to explain plant richness in biodiversity hotspots. Here, by focusing on Gladiolus (260 species), a flagship example of a clade with diverse pollination biology, we test the hypothesis that high species diversity in southern Africa, one of the world's most floristically rich regions, has primarily been driven by ecological shifts in pollination systems.We use phylogenetic methods to estimate rates of transition between the seven highly specialized pollination strategies in Gladiolus. We find that pollination systems have evolved multiple times and that some pollination strategies arose by a variety of evolutionary pathways. Pollination shifts account for up to one-third of all lineage splitting events in the genus, providing partial support for the pollinator-driven speciation model. Transitions from the ancestral pollination mode to derived systems have also resulted in increased rates of diversification, suggesting that certain pollination systems may speed up speciation processes, independently of pollination shifts per se. This study suggests that frequent pollination shifts have played a role in driving high phenotypic and species diversity but indicates that additional factors need to be invoked to account for the spectacular diversification in southern African Gladiolus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses hopliine beetles as specialized pollinators of the Southern African flora. It says that hopliine pollination is restricted in Hypoxidaceae to only three species of Spiloxene, S. canaliculata and forms of S. serrata and S. capensis. According to the author, hopliine beetles are the primary or sole pollinators of more than 75 specialist species in no less than 10 plant families. The physical parameters and behavior of hopliine beetles are also discussed.

There has been much debate over the origin of species diversity in biodiversity hotspots, particularly the rate of speciation over extinction and the geographic mode of speciation. Here, we looked at speciation with varying degrees of sympatry in a biodiversity hotspot, focusing on a distinct morphological clade in the Cape Floristic Region in southern Africa, the Gladiolus carinatus species complex (Iridaceae). We investigate the mechanisms involved in population and species differentiation through a combination of ecological and genomic approaches. We estimated spatial and phenological overlap, differences in floral morphology, genetic isolation and genomic selection. A genetic coalescent analysis estimated that the time of divergence between lineages followed the establishment of available habitat in the Cape littoral plain where these species currently overlap geographically. Marked shifts in flowering time and morphology, which act as barriers to gene flow, have developed to varying degrees over the last 0.3-1.4 million years. An amplified fragment length polymorphism genome scan revealed signatures of divergent and balancing selection, although half of the loci consistently behaved neutrally. Divergent species outliers (1%) and floral morph outliers (3%) represent a small proportion of the genome, but these loci produced clear genetic clusters of species and significant associations with floral traits. These results indicate that the G. carinatus complex represents a continuum of recent speciation. We provide further evidence for ecological adaptation in the face of gene flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many plant species have been introduced from their native ranges to new continents, but few have become naturalized or, ultimately, invasive. It has been predicted that species that do not require the presence of compatible mates and the services of pollinators for reproduction will be favored in establishment after longdistance dispersal. We tested whether this hypothesis, generally referred to as Baker's law, holds for South African species of Iridaceae (iris family) that have been introduced in other regions for horticultural purposes. Fruit and seed production of flowers from which pollinators had been experimentally excluded was assessed for 10 pairs of species from nine different genera or subgenera. Each species pair comprised one naturalized and one nonnaturalized species, all of which are used in international horticulture. On average, species of Iridaceae that have become naturalized outside their native ranges showed a higher capacity for autonomous fruit and seed production than congeneric species that have not become naturalized. This was especially true for the naturalized species that are considered to be invasive weeds. These results provide strong evidence for the role of autonomous seed production in increasing potential invasiveness in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the Nylandtia, Polygalaceae, a small South African genus of two or more species distributed mainly in the Cape region. A close relationship between Nylandtia and Muraltia, a genus of 117 species that is nearly endemic to South Africa was established based on anatomical, morphological and molecular data gathered.

Floral morphology and observations on insect and avian visitors to species of the southern African and largely Western Cape genus Tritoniopsis indicate that short-tubed pink flowers, ancestral in the genus, are pollinated by anthophorine bees forging for nectar; Multiple shifts to more specialized pollination systems have occurred in the genus during its evolution. Four species with elongate floral tubes and a pink to red bilabiate perianth are pollinated either by sunbirds (Nectarinia) alone or by sunbirds and the satyrid butterfly Aeropetes tulbaghia. Another red-flowered species with an actinomorphic flower is inferred to be pollinated only by Aeropetes, while two species with pale pink flowers with red markings are pollinated by long-proboscid flies in the genus Prosoeca (Nemestrinidae). Tritoniopsis parviflora is unique in the African Iridaceae in producing floral oils as a reward to the short-tongued bee Rediviva gigas (Melittidae), as well as conventional sugar nectar Tritoniopsis nervosa has white, sweetly scented, long-tubed flowers and is assumed to be pollinated by night-flying moths. Although relationships within Tritoniopsis are poorly understood, it is clear that at least five shifts in pollination strategy have occurred in this genus of just 24 species. Studies also show that bimodal pollination systems using two different pollinator groups occur in several species, using sunbirds and Aeropetes, anthophorine bees and nemestrinid flies, or oil-collecting Rediviva and nectarivorous bees. Such bimodal systems are probably important for the successful reproduction of these plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the author's views on the state of elementary school reading programs in the United States. Priority of reading in the schools; Quality and efficiency of remedial reading programs; Quality and effectiveness of staff development programs; Incidence and quality of independent pupil reading in the schools.

Background Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives The objective of this study was to effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method Relevant literature was consulted and type specimens were examined. Results One nomenclatural correction is required in Justicia L. (Acanthaceae). Conclusion The replacement name Justicia conferta J.C.Manning & Goldblatt is provided for the illegitimate homonym Justicia densiflora (Hochst.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt, and the validity of the combination Justicia andromeda (Lindau) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt is clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invalidly published name Massonia sect. Whiteheadia (Harv.) J.C.Manning is validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives: To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method: Relevant literature was surveyed and type material was located and examined. Results: A new combination is published in Dimorphotheca Mairia Vaill. ex Moench (Asteraceae). Nomenclatural adjustments are provided for five recently described species of Hyacinthaceae in order to accommodate them in alternative classification systems currently in use. Conclusions: The new combination Dimorphotheca pinnata var. brevis (Norl.) J.C.Manning is made for Osteospermum pinnatum var. breve Norl. Eliokarmos craibii Martínez-Azorín et al. and Nicipe rosulata Martínez-Azorín et al. are transferred to Ornithogalum as Ornithogalum craibii (Martínez-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning and Ornithogalum rosulatum (Martínez-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning, respectively; Stellarioides exigua Martínez-Azorín et al. and S. littoralis N.A.Crouch et al. are transferred to Albuca as Albuca exigua (Martínez-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning and Albuca littoralis (N.A.Crouch et al.) J.C.Manning, respectively and the genus Desertia Martínez-Azorín et al. is included in Massonia with the new combination Massonia luteovirens (Martínez-Azorín et al.) J.C.Manning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exaggerated traits of pollinators have fascinated biologists for centuries. To understand their evolution, and their role in coevolutionary relationships, an essential first step is to understand how traits scale allometrically with body size, which may reveal underlying developmental constraints. Few pollination studies have examined how traits can adaptively diverge despite allometric constraints. Here, we present a comparative study of narrow‐sense static and evolutionary allometry on foreleg length and body size of oil‐collecting bees. Concurrently, we assess the relationship between scaling parameters and spur lengths of oil‐secreting host flowers. Across species and populations, we found low variation in static slopes (nearly all <1), possibly related to stabilizing selection, but the static intercept varied substantially generating an evolutionary allometry steeper than static allometry. Variation in static intercepts was explained by changes in body size (∼28% species; ∼68% populations) and spur length (remaining variance: ∼36% species; ∼94% populations). The intercept–spur length relationship on the arithmetic scale was positive but forelegs did not track spur length perfectly in a one‐to‐one relationship. Overall, our study provides new insights on how phenotypic evolution in the forelegs of oil‐collecting bees is related to the variability of the allometric intercept and adaptation to host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gnidia linearifolia (Wikstr.) B.Peterson group is revised. • Five species are recognized: G. linearifolia (Wikstr.) B.Peterson , G. nana (L.f.) Wikstr. , G. penicillata Licht. ex Meisn., G. scabrida Meisn. and G. tomentosa L. • All taxa are described and fully illustrated. • Distribution maps are provided. • Gnidia penicillata and Gnidia scabrida are lectotypified. A taxonomic revision of the Gnidia linearifolia group (Thymelaeaceae: Thymelaeoideae) is presented. Species in this group are diagnosed by punctate leaves that are ciliate when young, a densely hairy hypanthium, and petaloid scales with a basal callus. We recognize five species: G. linearifolia (Wikstr.) B.Peterson , G. nana (L.f.) Wikstr. , G. penicillata Licht. ex Meisn., G. scabrida Meisn. and G. tomentosa L. This account includes descriptions, complete nomenclature and typification, illustrations, geographical distribution, and a key to the species. A lectotype is designated for Gnidia scabrida and Gnidia penicillata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ongoing systematic studies in the African flora necessitate periodic nomenclatural adjustments and corrections. Objectives To effect requisite nomenclatural changes. Method Relevant literature was surveyed and requisite nomenclatural transfers provided. Results The new combination Sesamum byngianum Christenh. proposed for Josephinia africana Vatke is superfluous as an available synonym exists. Conclusions The new combination Sesamum rosaceum (Engl.) J.C. Manning & Magee is also provided for Josephinia africana Vatke. Three new sectional combinations are provided to accommodate the species previously placed in Ceratotheca Endl., Josephinia Vent. and Dicerocaryum Bojer in the current infrageneric classification of Sesamum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background While working towards a taxonomic revision of the genus Lasiosiphon (Thymelaeaceae), it became clear that the current application of the name Lasiosiphon microphyllus did not correspond to the identity of the type material. Objectives To effect the requisite nomenclatural changes. Method Herbarium specimens from NBG and PRE as well as the type collections of L. microphyllus and Lasiosiphon suavissimus were studied. Results Nomenclatural corrections are required for the taxa currently treated as L. microphyllus and L. suavissimus. Conclusions Lasiosiphon microphyllus is recognised as the earliest name for the tetramerous species currently known as L. suavissimus. Gnidia kuntzei is the earliest available name for the pentamerous taxon currently treated as L. microphyllus and the new combination Lasiosiphon kuntzei (Gilg.) R.Kolokoto & Magee is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A taxonomic revision is presented for the two geophytic species of Othonna L. (Asteraceae: Senecioneae: Othonninae) distinguished by a condensed caudex without evident internodes. These species are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from the remaining geophytic species. This account includes descriptions, complete nomenclature and typification, illustrations and geographical distribution. We recognise the following two species: O. auriculifolia with radiate capitula and mature pappus 3–25 mm long, and O. taraxacoides (DC.) Sch. Bip. with disciform capitula and mature pappus 3–8 mm long. Both species are vegetatively variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Adaptation to different pollinators has been hypothesized as one of the main factors promoting the formation of new species in the Cape region of South Africa. Other researchers favour alternative causes such as shifts in edaphic preferences. Using a phylogenetic framework and taking into consideration the biogeographical scenario explaining the distribution of the group as well as the distribution of pollinators, this study compares pollination strategies with substrate adaptations to develop hypotheses of the primary factors leading to speciation in Lapeirousia (Iridaceae), a genus of corm-bearing geophytes well represented in the Cape and presenting an important diversity of pollination syndromes and edaphic preferences. Methods Phylogenetic relationships are reconstructed within Lapeirousia using nuclear and plastid DNA sequence data. State-of-the-art methods in biogeography, divergence time estimation, character optimization and diversification rate assessments are used to examine the evolution of pollination syndromes and substrate shifts in the history of the group. Based on the phylogenetic results, ecological factors are compared for nine sister species pairs in Lapeirousia. Key Results Seventeen pollinator shifts and ten changes in substrate types were inferred during the evolution of the genus Lapeirousia. Of the nine species pairs examined, all show divergence in pollination syndromes, while only four pairs present different substrate types. Conclusions The available evidence points to a predominant influence of pollinator shifts over substrate types on the speciation process within Lapeirousia, contrary to previous studies that favoured a more important role for edaphic factors in these processes. This work also highlights the importance of biogeographical patterns in the study of pollination syndromes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a research on the genus Anemone (Ranunculaceae). It provides an introduction on the genus including its species, location and classifications. It offers a formal reclassification of Anemone s. 1. using materials and methods such as combined sequence data using Bayesian inference. It also presents new combinations and taxa of Anemone subgenus Anemone including subsections, series Carolinianae of subsection Anemone and combination Anemone balliana.

ABSTRACT Aim The causes of geographical variation in species richness in clades that do not follow the latitudinal diversity gradient have rarely been investigated. Here, we examine spatial asymmetries of diversity in Gladiolus (Iridaceae), a large genus (> 260 species) that is present in two mediterranean climate biomes: the Cape of southern Africa (106 species) and the Mediterranean Basin (7 species). Despite convergence of climatic conditions between the two regions, the species density of Gladiolus is over one order of magnitude higher in the Cape than in the Mediterranean Basin. We investigate whether the diversity disparities observed in the genus are better explained by recent colonization of species-poor areas (temporal hypothesis) or by differential rates of diversification (evolutionary hypothesis). Location Africa, Madagascar and Eurasia Methods We employ a recently developed Bayesian method for the estimation of diversification rates and a biogeographical optimization approach within a phylogenetic framework. Results In Gladiolus, the 'diversity anomaly' between the two Mediterranean climate regions cannot be explained solely by the time available for speciation in the Cape, but is also due to locally reduced rates of diversification in the Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore, high overall diversity in southern Africa stems from an ancient origin in the Cape allied with high rates of diversification in the summer-rainfall region of the subcontinent. Main conclusions Both evolutionary and temporal hypotheses must be taken into account in order to explain the diversity anomaly between the Mediterranean Basin and the Cape. Our results suggest that regions at comparable latitudes and/or with similar climate may not converge in diversity levels due to heterogeneity of diversification rates and contrasting biogeographical histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Othonna cerarioides Magoswana and J.C. Manning is described as a new species from Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province of South Africa. It is an erect shrub with rod‐like stems and branches, bearing numerous spur‐shoots with obovate‐oblanceolate leaves clustered at the tips, and up to nine disciform capitula per spur‐shoot. Othonna cerarioides is anomalous in the genus in that the style of some of the disc florets is bifid. Othonna is diagnosed within subtribe Othonnineae by female‐sterile disc florets with simple (or very rarely minutely bifid) styles. The disc florets in the closely related genus Hertia are bisexual with well branched styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An appreciation of body size allometry is central for understanding insect pollination ecology. A recent model utilises allometric coefficients for five of the seven extant bee families (Apoidea: Anthophila) to include crucial but difficult-to-measure traits, such as proboscis length, in ecological and evolutionary studies. Melittidae were not included although they are important pollinators in South Africa where they comprise an especially rich and morphologically diverse fauna. We measured intertegular distance (correlated with body size) and proboscis length of 179 specimens of 11 species from three genera of Melittidae. With the inclusion of Melittidae, we tested the between family differences in the allometric scaling coefficients. AIC model selection was used to establish which factors provide the best estimate of proboscis length. We explored a hypothesis that has been proposed in the literature, but which has not been tested, whereby body and range sizes of bees are correlated with rainfall regions. We tested this by using body size measurements of 2109 museum specimens from 56 species of Melittidae and applied the model coefficients to estimate proboscis length and foraging distance. Our results from testing differences across bee families show that with the addition of Melittidae, we retained the overall pattern of significant differences in the scaling coefficient among Apoidea, with our model explaining 98% of the variance in species-level means for proboscis length. When testing the relationship between body size and rainfall region we found no relationship for South African Melittidae. Overall, this study has added allometric scaling coefficients for an important bee family and shown the applicability of using these coefficients when linked with museum specimens to test ecological hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Othonna koos-bekkeri Van Jaarsv. is recognised as a synonym of O. cerarioides Magoswana & J.C.Manning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five Mediterranean regions of the world comprise almost 50,000 plant species (ca 20% of the known vascular plants) despite accounting for less than 5% of the world's land surface. The ecology and evolutionary history of two of these regions, the Cape Floristic Region and the Mediterranean Basin, have been extensively investigated, but there have been few studies aimed at understanding the historical relationships between them. Here, we examine the biogeographic and diversification processes that shaped the evolution of plant diversity in the Cape and the Mediterranean Basin using a large plastid data set for the geophyte family Hyacinthaceae (comprising ca. 25% of the total diversity of the group), a group found mainly throughout Africa and Eurasia. Hyacinthaceae is a predominant group in the Cape and the Mediterranean Basin both in terms of number of species and their morphological and ecological variability. Using state-of-the-art methods in biogeography and diversification, we found that the Old World members of the family originated in sub-Saharan Africa at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary and that the two Mediterranean regions both have high diversification rates, but contrasting biogeographic histories. While the Cape diversity has been greatly influenced by its relationship with sub- Saharan Africa throughout the history of the family, the Mediterranean Basin had no connection with the latter after the onset of the Mediterranean climate in the region and the aridification of the Sahara. The Mediterranean Basin subsequently contributed significantly to the diversity of neighbouring areas, especially Northern Europe and the Middle East, whereas the Cape can be seen as a biogeographical cul-de-sac, with only a few dispersals toward sub-Saharan Africa. The understanding of the evolutionary history of these two important repositories of biodiversity would benefit from the application of the framework developed here to other groups of plants present in the two regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cape region of South Africa is one of the most remarkable hotspots of biodiversity with a flora comprising more than 9000 plant species, almost 70% of which are endemic, within an area of only &pm; 90,000 km2. Much of the diversity is due to an exceptionally large contribution of just a few clades that radiated substantially within this region, but little is known about the causes of these radiations. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of plant diversification, using near complete species-level phylogenies of four major Cape clades (more than 470 species): the genus Protea, a tribe of legumes (Podalyrieae) and two speciose genera within the iris family (Babiana and Moraea), representing three of the seven largest plant families in this biodiversity hotspot. Combining these molecular phylogenetic data with ecological and biogeographical information, we tested key hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the radiation of the Cape flora. Our results show that the radiations started throughout the Oligocene and Miocene and that net diversification rates have remained constant through time at globally moderate rates. Furthermore, using sister-species comparisons to assess the impact of different factors on speciation, we identified soil type shifts as the most important cause of speciation in Babiana, Moraea, and Protea, whereas shifts in fire-survival strategy is the most important factor for Podalyrieae. Contrary to previous findings in other groups, such as orchids, pollination syndromes show a high degree of phylogenetic conservatism, including groups with a large number of specialized pollination syndromes like Moraea. We conclude that the combination of complex environmental conditions together with relative climatic stability promoted high speciation and/or low extinction rates as the most likely scenario leading to present-day patterns of hyperdiversity in the Cape. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Molecular phylogenetic studies of Haemodoraceae in the Greater Cape and Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR) using trnL, trnL-F and matK sequence data affirm the presence of old and young rapidly radiated lineages in both regions. Commencement of tribal and generic divergence in the subfamilies occured in the Eocene in the two regions, but subsequent patterns of radiation differ slightly. The hypothesis of rapid recent speciation in these regions from the late Pliocene as the major explanation for endemic species richness is still repeated by several contemporary authors despite increasing molecular phylogenetic evidence to the contrary. Our estimates of the age of lineages in Haemodoraceae show significant lineage turnover occurring over the last 15 million years, since the mid-Miocene, with divergence of the major clades beginning in the Eocene. The search for independent evidence to date speciation episodes reliably and investigation of molecular analyses across a broad spectrum of these clades must be pursued to advance ideas rigorously concerning origins of species richness. These regions continue to confound attempts to develop theory concerning origins of global species richness, with consequent implications for conservation biology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article outlines the phylogeny, biogeography and divergence of Iridaceae based on its plastid DNA sequences. The phylogenetic analyses of sequences of five plastid DNA regions confirms that most aspects of this classification and the evolutionary patterns they imply. Study shows that uniting a widely circumscribed Niveniodeae and Crocoideae seems undesirable since Niveniodeae have none of the synapomorphies of Crocoideae.

One of the biggest challenges for conservation biology is to provide conservation planners with ways to prioritize effort. Much attention has been focused on biodiversity hotspots. However, the conservation of evolutionary process is now also acknowledged as a priority in the face of global change. Phylogenetic diversity (PD) is a biodiversity index that measures the length of evolutionary pathways that connect a given set of taxa. PD therefore identifies sets of taxa that maximize the accumulation of ‘feature diversity’. Recent studies, however, concluded that taxon richness is a good surrogate for PD. Here we show taxon richness to be decoupled from PD, using a biome-wide phylogenetic analysis of the flora of an undisputed biodiversity hotspot—the Cape of South Africa. We demonstrate that this decoupling has real-world importance for conservation planning. Finally, using a database of medicinal and economic plant use, we demonstrate that PD protection is the best strategy for preserving feature diversity in the Cape. We should be able to use PD to identify those key regions that maximize future options, both for the continuing evolution of life on Earth and for the benefit of society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cape Region (here treated as the winter rainfall region of southern Africa, thus including fynbos, renosterveld and succulent karoo vegetation) is the world's foremost centre of geophyte diversity. Some 2100 species in 20 families have been recorded from this area, 84% of them endemic. The most important families, with more than a hundred geophyte species each, are Iridaceae, Oxalidaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Orchidaceae, Amaryllidaceae and Asphodelaceae. Although southern Africa does not appear to have been the main diversification centre for the plant orders with highest geophyte representation (Asparagales and Liliales), it represents an active centre of transition to geophytism, such transitions having occurred independently in numerous plant groups, often followed by rapid speciation. Several Cape geophyte groups have consequently expanded across Africa to the Mediterranean Basin, and possibly to other winter rainfall regions. Remarkably high local species diversity in renosterveld vegetation, even in relatively homogeneous environments, suggests that pollinator specificity and phenology play an important role in niche partitioning. However, character diversity is also high in storage organs and leaves, and this could account for the high species diversity values recorded at larger spatial scales, especially across environmental gradients. Long-term climatic stability, combined with topoclimatic and edaphic diversity and regular fire occurrence, is likely to be responsible for the remarkable geophyte diversity of the Cape, as compared to other mediterranean-climate regions. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 87, 27–43. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic analyses of four plastid DNA regions, the rbcL exon, trnL intron, trnL–trnF intergenic spacer, and rps16 intron from each of 73 species in the African genus Moraea (Iridaceae: Irideae) including accessions of all major species clusters in the genus, show Moraea to be paraphyletic when Barnardiella, Galaxia, Hexaglottis, Homeria (all southern African), and Gynandriris (Eurasian as well) were recognized as separate genera. There are several small, isolated species clusters at the basal nodes of the tree that are all restricted to the winter-rainfall zone of southern Africa (the Greater Cape floral kingdom) and a few, highly derived, large species groups that have radiated extensively within the winter-rainfall zone. Mapping of floral traits shows that an Iris-type flower is ancestral in Moraea. Floral changes are associated with shifts in pollination systems, either from passive pollen deposition on long-tongued bees foraging for nectar to active pollen collection by female bees foraging for pollen, fly, or hopliine scarab beetle pollination. Dating the nodes of the phylogenetic tree using non-parametric rate smoothing with a calibration point derived from broad dating of the angiosperms indicates that the divergence between Moraea and its sister genus Ferraria occurred about 25 mya in the early Miocene. The early radiation of Moraea took place against a background of aridification and the spread of open habitats, such as desert, shrubland, and fynbos. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]