New and noteworthy species of Indigofera (Leguminosae) from NE Africa

Six new species of Indigofera are described: I. eremophila Thulin from E Ethiopia, I. mooneyi Thulin from the highlands of SW Ethiopia, I. boranica Thulin from SE Ethiopia and NE Kenya, I. gyrata Thulin and I. ammophila Thulin from NE Kenya, and I. cana Thulin from north–central Ethiopia. I. cavallii Chiov., previously known only from the type from S Somalia, is reported also from NE Kenya.     

Eight new species and a new record of Indigofera and Microcharis (Leguminosae-Indigofereae) from Somalia

The following new species are described: Indigofera bayensis (south-west Somalia, on sand or gravel in Acacia-Commiphora bushland), I. gypsacea (central and south-west Somalia, on gypsum), I. karkarensis (north-east Somalia, on limestone), I. lamellata (south-west Somalia, on and around granitic outcrops), I. lughensis (south-west Somalia, on gypsum), I. phymatodea (south-west Somalia, on granitic outcrops), I. scopiformis (central Somalia, on sand in Acacia-Commiphora bushland), and Microcharis nematophylla (central Somalia, on sand in Acacia-Commiphora bushland). Indigofera pseudointricata , previously known only from Socotra, is reported also from Somalia.     

Indigofera rubromarginata sp. nov. (Leguminosae) from southern Arabia, with a note on I. eremophila

Thulin, M. 1995. Indigofera rubromarginata sp. nov. (Leguminosae) from southern Arabia, with a note on I. eremophila. — Nord. J. Bot. 15: 519–521. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107–055X.
The new species Indigofera rubromarginata , widespread along the coast of southern Arabia in Yemen and Oman, is described and illustrated. The closely related I. eremophila , previously known only from eastern Ethiopia and Somalia, is reported also from Yemen.     

Bauhinia leucantha sp. nov. (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) and notes on B. ellenbeckii

Bauhinia leucantha sp. nov. is described from central Somalia. The new species is related particularly to B. ellenbeckii in Ethiopia and Somalia, B. teitensis in Kenya, and B. natalensis in eastern South Africa. B. somalensis is reduced to a synonym of B. ellenbeckii and the distribution of this species is shown to extend to northern Somalia.     

Diversity of bradyrhizobia from 27 tropical Leguminosae species native of Senegal

We isolated 71 slow-growing bacterial strains from nodules of 27 native leguminous plants species in Senegal (West-Africa) belonging to the genera Abrus, Alysicarpus, Bryaspis, Chamaecrista, Cassia, Crotalaria, Desmodium, Eriosema, Indigofera, Moghania, Rhynchosia, Sesbania, Tephrosia, and Zornia playing an ecological role and having agronomic potential in arid regions. The isolates were characterised by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rDNA and comparative SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins; reference strains of the different known rhizobial species and groups were included as references. We conclude that these nodule isolates are diverse, and form several phylogenetic subgroups inside Bradyrhizobium. Nodulation tests performed on 5 plant species demonstrated host specificity among the strains studied.     

Indigofera platyspira (Leguminosae), a new species from Kenya with Medicago-like fruits

The new species Indigofera platyspira , from silty or sandy soils in the Wajir and Isiolo Districts in Kenya, is described and illustrated. I. platyspira is probably a member of I. sect. Alternifoliolae , but differs from all previously known species in this section in its flat and spirally coiled pods that much resemble the fruits of certain species of Medicago.     

Genotypic characterization of Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating small Senegalese legumes by 16S-23S rRNA intergenic gene spacers and amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprint analyses

We examined the genotypic diversity of 64 Bradyrhizobium strains isolated from nodules from 27 native leguminous plant species in Senegal (West Africa) belonging to the genera Abrus, Alysicarpus, Bryaspis, Chamaecrista, Cassia, Crotalaria, Desmodium, Eriosema, Indigofera, Moghania, Rhynchosia, Sesbania, Tephrosia, and Zornia, which play an ecological role and have agronomic potential in arid regions. The strains were characterized by intergenic spacer (between 16S and 23S rRNA genes) PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (IGS PCR-RFLP) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting analyses. Fifty-three reference strains of the different Bradyrhizobium species and described groups were included for comparison. The strains were diverse and formed 27 groups by AFLP and 16 groups by IGS PCR-RFLP. The sizes of the IGS PCR products from the Bradyrhizobium strains that were studied varied from 780 to 1,038 bp and were correlated with the IGS PCR-RFLP results. The grouping of strains was consistent by the three methods AFLP, IGS PCR-RFLP, and previously reported 16S amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis. For investigating the whole genome, AFLP was the most discriminative technique, thus being of particular interest for future taxonomic studies in Bradyrhizobium, for which DNA is difficult to obtain in quantity and quality to perform extensive DNA:DNA hybridizations.     

A taxonomic revision of Socotran Indigofereae (Leguminosae—Papilionoideae) with insights into the phytogeographical links of the Socotran Archipelago

This revision of Socotran Indigofereae (Leguminosae) treats two genera, Microcharis and Indigofera , and 16 species, one with two varieties. Indigofera coerulea var. coerulea and I. nugalensis are new records for the archipelago. Indigofera nephrocarpoides, I. marmorata (lectotypified here) and I. socotrana are endemic, whilst Microcharis disjuncta vat. fallax and Indigofera nugalensis are near-endemic to the Socotran islands. This study indicates that the closest relatives of the Socotran Indigofereae are to be found in African lineages. The strongest affinities are between Socotra and extreme NE Somalia ( Indigofera pseudointricata, I. nugalensis ) and, to a lesser extent, with SW Oman ( Microcharis disjuncta var. fallax ), SW Pakistan ( I. nephrocarpa ) and Southern Yemen. Socotran Indigofereae are mainly derived from Tertiary African palaeotropical and drought-adapted lineages. We also suggest that following the separation of the islands from mainland Africa some Indigofereae would have reached the archipelago as a result of recent, long-distance dispersal events.     

Pentzia (Asteraceae-Anthemideae) in the Horn of Africa region

The two new species Pentzia somalensis , from areas of gypseous soil in northern Somalia, and P. arabica from the limestone plateau of Hadramaut in southern Yemen, are described and illustrated. P. somalensis is the only member of Anthemideae known from Somalia, and the occurrence of Pentzia on both sides of the Gulf of Aden in the Horn of Africa region represents a major extension of the distribution of the genus that is otherwise restricted to southern Africa except for two species in Morocco, Algeria and Tchad.     

Four new species of Commicarpus (Nyctaginaceae) from NE tropical Africa

The new species Commicarpus hiranensis from the inland of central Somalia, C. mistus from Somalia, SE Ethiopia, NE Kenya and S Arabia, C. parviflorus from the coastal and subcoastal parts of central Somalia, and C. ramosissimus from NE Somalia are described and illustrated.     

Two new species of Justicia sect. Ansellia (Acanthaceae) from E and NE tropical Africa

The new species Justicia ornatopila from Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and J. lorata from Kenya are described and illustrated. Information on pollen morphology is also provided     

A new species of Isoglossa (Acanthaceae) from NE tropical Africa

The first species of Isoglossa known from Somalia, I. congesta is described om material from central Somalia and SE Ethiopia. It is related to I. parvifolia Rendle, occurring in E Ethiopia, but differs in the contracted inflorescences and long calyx lobes with long glandular hairs.     

Three new species of Portulaca sect. Neossia from east and northeast Africa

Three new species of Portulaca sect. Neossia are described: P. constricta from SE Ethiopia and Somalia; P. commutata , widespread in the Somali-Masai phytochorion of east and northeast Africa, and P. bulbifera from S Ethiopia and N Kenya.     

The genus Iphionopsis (Compositae - Inuleae)

The new genus Iphionopsis A . Anderb. (Compositae-Inuleae-Inulinae) is described with its two species, transferred from the genus Iphiona Cass., I. rotundifolia (Oliv. & Hiern) A. Anderb. from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya, and I. ilicifolia (Humbert) A. Anderb. from Madagascar. The genus is monophyletic, defined by a number of synapomorphies.     

Three new species of Heliotmpium (Boraginaceae) from the Horn of Afiica region

Heliotropium subspinosum sp. nov., from the coastal and subcoastal zones of Yemen, Oman and Somalia, is described and illustrated. This is a woody species with small leaves, and particularly the only 1–4–flowered inflorescences, the axes of which become subspinescent, are remarkable in the genus. H. laxum sp. nov., a slender shrublet from central Somalia, is described, and H. personatum sp. nov., a shrublet that is widespread and scattered, particularly on gypseous ground, in eastern Ethiopia, most parts of Somalia and in southern Yemen, is described and illustrated.     

A new species of Zehneria (Cucurbitaceae) from Somalia

The new species Zehneria somalensis , from shady limestone rocks in north-eastem Somalia, is described and illustrated.     

A new species of Scutellaria (Lamiaceae) from Somalia

The new species Scutellaria somalensis, from limestone slopes in north-eastem Somalia, is described and illustrated.     

Synopsis of Satanocrater (Acanthaceae)

Four species are recognized in the tropical African genus Satanocrater: S. fellatensis (= S. berhautii) in Sudan, Ethiopia and Guinea, S. ruspolii in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya, S. somalensis (= S. coccineus) in Ethiopia and Somalia, and S. paradoxus in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Three lectotypes and one neotype are selected. A key to the species and an illustration of S. ruspolii are provided.     

New species of Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) from northeast tropical Africa

The new species Cucumis hastatus (widespread in southern Somalia, in deciduous bushlands), C. pubituberculatus (central Somalia, on open coastal dunes), C. Jeffrey-anus (southwestern Somalia and eastern Ethiopia, on alluvial soils), and C. baladensis (south-central Somalia, on fixed dunes), are described and illustrated. C. figarei is shown to be illegitimate, the correct name for the species apparently being C. pustulatus.     

Two new species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae) from Somalia

The new, closely related species Crotalaria mudugensis and C. camptosepala , with vicarious distributions in central Somalia, are described and illustrated. The two species are regarded as members of C. sect. Crotalaria along with the related C. verdcourtii and C. deflersu that have previously been placed in sect. Hedriocarpae.