Acanthopale cuneifolia (Benoist) Callm. & Phillipson, comb. nova.

≡ Strobilanthes cuneifolia Benoist in Not. Syst. (Paris) 12: 6. 1945.

Typus: MADAGASCAR. Prov. Antsiranana: Massif du Tsaratanana, 1700 m, XII.1923, Perrier de la Bâthie 15270 (holo-: P [P00089259]! ; iso-: K [K000394193]!, P [P00089260, P00089261]!).

= Strobilanthes mediocris Benoist in Not. Syst. (Paris) 12: 8. 1945. Typus: MADAGASCAR. Prov. Antsiranana: Massif du Tsaratanana, c. 2000 m, I.1923, Perrier de la Bâthie 15589 (holo-: P [P00089272] !).

Observations. – Strobilanthes cuneifolia and S. mediocris were described from the same locality in the Tsaratanana massif in north-eastern Madagascar. The two taxa have been segregated on the basis of the presence of trichomes on the sepals “au moins dans la partie terminale” in S. mediocris and their absence in S. cuneifolia: (BENOIST, 1967: 98) . Examination of the herbarium collections available now shows that this character is not clear-cut and we therefore prefer to recognize a one species at mid to high elevation in the Tsaratanana and Manongarivo massifs and further north in Montagne d’Ambre.