Cynoglossum austroafricanum Weim. ex Hilliard & B.L. Burtt in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard., Edinburgh 43(3):347 (1986).

Madika, Lydia K. & Moteetee, Annah Ntsamaeeng, 2022, Taxonomic revision of the southern African species of the genus Cynoglossum L. (Boraginaceae), PhytoKeys 193, pp. 9-42 : 9

3. Cynoglossum austroafricanum Weim. ex Hilliard & B.L. Burtt in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard., Edinburgh 43(3):347 (1986).

Cynoglossum austroafricanum Weim., Jacot Guillarmod, Fl. Lesotho: 233 (1971); Gibbs Russell et al., in Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. 48:109 (1984), nom. nud.

Type.

South Africa ♀ ♂, KwaZulu-Natal, Underberg (2929): Cobham Forest Reserve, Sipongweni , c. 6500ft (-CB), 21 Feb 1981, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 14072 (E-image! [2 sheets], holotype; K-image!; NU-image! [3 sheets], isotype) .

Perennial or biennial herbs, 0.3-0.5 m in height. Basal leaves 100-190 × 15-30 mm, lanceolate-obtuse, softly hairy, persistent margins entire. Stem leaves 45-100 × 10-21 mm, narrowly lanceolate to linear lanceolate shaped, acute apex, cuneate base, margins undulate, covered with stiff hairs. Trichomes unicellular, with thick round base on the adaxial surface, simple on the abaxial surface. Inflorescences dichotomously branched, loose cymes at the apex, pedicels 4-9 mm long, and lengthens considerably in fruit. Calyx ca. 2-3 mm long, lobes obtuse, pubescent on the outer surface, glabrous on the inner surface, apex acute. Corolla pale blue; lobes 2.75-4.25 mm in diameter, cruciform, apex obtuse. Nutlets ovoid, 3.0-3.5 × 2.5-3.0 mm; glochidia more spread towards the margins, thin, tip multi-angular (Figure 7 ).

Phenology.

December to April.

Conservation status.

Least Concern ( Raimondo et al. 2009).

Diagnostic characters.

Amongst the southern African species, Cynoglossum austroafricanum can be confused with either C. lanceolatum or C. coeruleum var. mannii . This species differs from the two by the colour of the corolla (white corolla with pale blue throat vs pale blue corolla throughout in C. austroafricanum ). This latter observation was also noted by Hilliard and Burtt (1986).

Distribution and habitat.

The species is distributed in South Africa (North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free-State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape Provinces), eSwatini and Lesotho (Figure 8 ), where it occurs in shady, disturbed areas, and sandy, dry riverbanks.

Additional specimens examined.

South Africa. Limpopo: 2430 (Tzaneen): Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve (-AA), 7 Oct 1986, N. Stalmans 1404 (PRE). North-West: 2626 (Lichtenburg): Lichtenburg (-AA), Feb 1918, L. Kretzshmar 17065 (PRE). Gauteng: 2528 (Pretoria): Brooklyn (-CA), 1 Feb 1931, A.O.D. Mogg 16451 (PRE). Mpumalanga: 2430 ( Pilgrim’s rest): Pilgrim’s rest, next to the old railway line (DD), 31 Jan 2019, A.N. Moteetee and L.K. Madika AL06 (JRAU). 2530 (Mashishing): Mashishing (-AB), Apr 1910, M. Crosby 1989 (PRE); Mashishing District (-CA), 8 Feb 1904, J. Burtt-Davy 1472 (PRE). 2630 (Carolina): Between Oshoek border post and Carolina (-BA), Jan 1906, H. Bolus 12161 (PRE). Free State: 2828 (Bethlehem): Golden Gate (-AB), 22 Jan 1951, A. Wiezer 22485 (NBG). (Fouriesburg): Bethlehem (-CA), 8 Jan 1918, G. Potts 3246 (PRE); Witsieshoek (-DB), 28 Feb 1975, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 8665 (NU). Kwazulu-Natal: 2730 (Vryheid): Oshoek District, Wakkerstroom (-AC), 18 Jan 1961, N.J. Devenish 480 (PRE); Amajoba District Municipality area, Luiperdkloof farm, Natural Heritage site no.47 (-AD), 25 Jan 2011, A.M. Ngwenya 3601 (NH). 2829 (Harrismith): Cathedral Peak (-CC), 18 Feb 1983, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 16298 (NU); 12 Jan 1984, J. Scott 76 (NH). 2830 (Dundee): Hattingspruit Station (-AA), Dec 1929, D. Johnston 268 (NU). 2929 (Underberg): Mpendhle District, upper Loteni Valley (-AD), 5 Feb 1985, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 18103 (NU, PRE); Loteni Nature Reserve (-BC), 24 Dec 1978, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 11803 (PRE); Polela River (-CB), 21 Apr 1973, M.A. Rennie 379 (NU); 23 Mar 1977, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 9793 (NU); 17 Feb 1982, O.M. Hilliard and B.L. Burtt 15520 (NU). 2930 (Pietermaritzburg): Gate farm Keerom-Cottingham (-CC), 23 Mar 1969, R.G. Strey 8420 (NH). 2931 (Stanger): Tugela valley (-AA), 14 Feb 1926, Bayer 47 (NU). 3029 (Kokstad): Hillside (-CA), Jan 1956, P. Thompson 2 (NU); on banks of streams near Kokstad (-CB), Dec 1883, W. Tyson 1839 (NBG), 17 Jan 1957, L.E. Taylor 5473 (NBG). 3030 (Dumisa): Port Shepstone (-AD), 22 Oct 1997, J. Arkell 353 (NH). Eastern Cape: 3128 (Umtata): Transkei, on the summit of Baziya Mt. (-AD), 23 February 1988, T. Strever 917 (PRE); Walter Sisulu University, Area 3: East of In-Service centre (-DB), 14 Feb 2001, N. Nombekela 102 (NH). 3126 (Queenstown): Hangklip (-DD), Feb 1960, H. Koepowitz 13147 (GRA). 3129 (Port St. John’s): Ntabankulu Mountain, Gome Forest Station, Tabankulu (-AB), 11 Nov 1996, T. Dold, E. Cloete and R. White 2940 (GRA). 3227 (Stutterheim): Fort Cunynghame Station (-AD), Nov 1894, T.R. Sim 1860 (NU); no date 1897, T.R. Sim 20420 (NU).

eSwatini. 2631 (Mbabane): Forbes Reef (-AA), 14 Apr 1960, R.H. Compton 30035 (NBG); Mbabane (-AC), 17 Jan 1951, A. Wuze 22393 (NBG) .

Lesotho. 2828 (Bethlehem): Leribe District, LHDA Phase 1A (-AD), 11 Jan 1996, P.B. Phillipson, C. Mokuku, R. Judd, and C. Hobson 4473 (GRA); Leribe (-AD), no date, M. Dieterlen 70 (NBG; NH). 2927 (Maseru): Thaba Bosiu (-BC), 1 Mar 1978, M. Schmitz 8205 (PRE); Mahlatsa (-BB), 18 Jan 1941, A. JacotGuillarmod 51 (GRA); Sefikeng Ha Fako (-BD), Oct 2018, A.N. Moteetee 56 (JRAU); 30 Dec 2018, A.N. Moteetee 59 (JRAU). 2929 (Underberg): Mokhotlong (-AC), Mar 1949, A. Jacot Guillarmod 1072 (PRE), 25 Feb 1949, W.J. Barker 21515 (NBG) .

No locality details: 27 Nov 1888, H. Medley 4576 (NH); Dec 1946, E. Meston 50 (NU).

Taxonomic notes.

According to Hilliard and Burtt (1986), this species was described by Dr. H. Weimarck who did not select a type specimen; therefore, in typifying it they retained the specific epithet.

Figures

Figure 7. Vegetative and reproductive morphological features of Cynoglossum austroafricanum A line drawing of the branching pattern of the fruit stalk, and the alternating stem leaves B SEM micrograph of the adaxial surface of a fruit nutlet, with the arrangement of glochidia around the nutlet C SEM micrograph of the glochidia. Voucher specimen: O. M. Hilliard and B. L. Burtt 11803 (PRE). Drawing scale bar: 7.5 mm. SEM scale bar: 1 mm (B); 100 µm (C).

Figure 8. Known distribution of Cynoglossum austroafricanum in southern Africa based on the specimens examined.