Open AccessRevision of the genus Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) in Africa, Madagascar and adjacent islands
Author(s) -
DE GROOT HOLGER,
WANKE STEFAN,
NEINHUIS CHRISTOPH
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2006.00511.x
Subject(s) - biology , genus , taxon , aristolochia , taxonomy (biology) , aristolochiaceae , botany , ecology , zoology
A taxonomic revision of the genus Aristolochia in Africa, Madagascar, the West African islands, the Comores and the Mascarenes is presented. In total, 11 indigenous species are accepted: A. albida , baetica , bracteolata , embergeri , heppi , hockii , fontanesii , paucinervis , pistolochia , rigida and sempervirens . Descriptions, distribution maps and a complete taxonomic synonymy are presented. The investigation revealed three clades: (1) A group from northern Africa, including the West African islands ( A. baetica , A. sempervirens , A. fontanesii , A. pistolochia , A. paucinervis ). Those taxa are characterized by unilabiate flowers with a sessile utricle. (2) A group from central and East Africa as well as Madagascar and adjacent islands. Those plants also have unilabiate flowers, but with a stiped utricle ( A. bracteolata , A. albida , A. embergeri , A. heppii and A. hockii ). The latter four species are endemic to the region. (3) A single species restricted to Somalia ( A. rigida ). Its flower characters do not match those of the remaining African species. The flower is trumpet‐like and bilabiate, resembling species from the Near East. These relationships are also supported by the molecular analysis of the trn L–F region. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 151 , 219–238.