Tetradenia bainesii (N.E.Br.)

Phillipson, Peter B. & Steyn, Catherine F., 2008, Tetradenia (Lamiaceae) in Africa: new species and new combinations, Adansonia (3) 30 (1), pp. 177-196 : 181

1. Tetradenia bainesii (N.E.Br.)

Phillipson & C.Steyn, comb. nov.

Iboza bainesii N.E.Br. , in Thiselton-Dyer (ed.), Flora Capensis v. I: 301 (1910). — Type: South Africa. South African Gold-field, 1870, Baines s.n. (holo-, K! [2 sheets: one male, one female]).

Tetradenia riparia (Hochst.) Codd sensu Codd, Bothalia 14 (2): 181 (1983); Flora of Southern Africa 28: 114 (1985) pro parte.

SELECTED REPRESENTATIVE MATERIAL. — Mozambique. Lower slopes of Mt. Zembe, 16.VI.1959, Leach 9127 ( K) .

South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal, Pongola Port, 20 km E of Pongola town, 35 m, 27°20’45”S, 31°45’53”E, 21.II.2002, Phillipson 5432 ( GRA). — Pietersburg, Blauberg, 29.IV.1961, Strey & Schlieben 8616 ( K, PRE) .

Swaziland. Mbabane district , Spokasini, 20.V.1955, Compton 25131 ( NBG) . — Mankaiana district , Ntondozi, 760 m, 3.V.1957, Compton 26910 ( PRE, NBG) . — Palwane Hills , 19.IV.1956, Compton 25899 ( K, PRE) . — Usutu Forest , 22.IV.1958, Compton 27765 ( K, NBG, PRE) . — District Hlatikulu , Vondo Hill, 10.IV.1959, Compton 28776 ( K, NBG, PRE) . — Mbabane district , Gobolo, Dhlamini s.n. ( PRE) . — Swaziland , Mbabane district, Mukusini Hills, 1220 m, Karsten s.n. ( PRE) . — Frequent along road from Stegi southwards, VII.1936, Verdoorn 1677 ( P, PRE) .

Zimbabwe. Vumba Mountain , 3.VIII.1988, Carter & Coates-Palgrave 2118 ( K) . — Umtali , on high granite hill Dora Farm, 12.VI.1949, Chase 1625 ( K) . — Chimanimani , on mtn. slope, V.1956, Coates Palgrave s.n. ( K) . — Marandellas , 1.VI.1924, Eyles 4404 ( K) . — Umtali , 8.VII.1927, Galpin 9248 ( K) . — Without locality, Gilliland 310 ( K) . — Tarka Forest Reserve , Melsetter district, VIII.1968, Goldsmith 120/68 ( K, MO) . — Stapleford district , 15.V.1941, Hopkins s.n. ( K) . — Environs d’Umtali , Vumba Mountains, 18- 19.IV.1934, Humbert 15557 ( P) . — Stapleford au N d’Umtali, 20.IV.1934, Humbert 15731 ( P) . — Tokwe Riv. 5 mls E of Chibi, 16.VI.1957, Leach 8084 ( K) . — Umtali , X.1957, Leach 8184 ( K) . — Stapleford Forest Reserve , Mullin 34/56 ( K) . — Odzani River Valley , district Monica, Div. Umtali, 28.III.1905, Teague 143 ( K) . — Mpingi Pass , Great Dyke, Wild 5785 ( K, MO) . — Melsetter , Pasture Research Station, 5.VI.1950, Williams 91 ( K) .

REMARKS

Tetradenia bainesii occurs in the extreme north of KwaZulu in South Africa on the Ubombo Mountains and on the Lebombo Mountains in Swaziland, with scattered populations through the northern provinces of South Africa and northwards into eastern Zimbabwe and neighbouring parts of Mozambique. It has been recorded on moist stream banks, roadsides, forest margins, boggy areas and sandy areas, on serpentine or norite.

The species can be recognised by the dense white woolly indument on the lower side of the leaves and dense brown woolly indument on the young stems and inflorescence branches. Flowering is known to occur from May to July, and at this period of the year the leaves are usually still present. Both the male and female spikes are dense, and the male flowers are only slightly larger than the female ones. The male flowers are the smallest of any of the southern species, with both the corolla tube and the lower lobe ± 1.0 mm long. Tetradenia discolor has a similar leaf indument to T. bainesii , but has a fine hispid indument on the stems and villous indument on the inflorescence; also it occurs further north than T. bainesii .

Tetradenia bainesii appears to share an unusual feature with the Malagasy species T. goudotii , in that at least some populations of both species comprise a mixture of male, female and hermaphrodite individuals. This type of breeding system appears to be very uncommon in the flowering plants as a whole, and unknown in other Lamiaceae ( Johnson & Phillipson 1999) .