Bardotia ankaranensis Eb.Fisch., Schäferh. & Kai Müll., 2012

Bardotia ankaranensis Eb.Fisch., Schäferh. & Kai Müll. View in CoL sp. nov.

Suffrutex foliis pinnatifidis 3–7 lobis instructis. Flores albae, calyx sepalibus acutis, corolla tubo glabro, lobis subaequalibus rotundatis vel acutis. Stamina filamentis clavato-pubescentibus, thecae extus pilosae, subaequales.

TYPE:─ MADAGASCAR, Tsingy of Ankarana , Bardot-Vaucoulon s.n., (holotype P, isotypes KOBL, TAN)

Shrub to 30–50 cm tall, stem woody. Plant entirely covered with short and simple whitish hairs and short glandular hairs. Leaves opposite, pinnatifid, with 3–7 lobes, acuminate at apex, up to 2–2.5 cm long, the lobes 5–6 x 2 mm. Inflorescence thyrsic, lower bracts pinnatifid, reduced to apical lobe and thus becoming simple above, 1–2 flowers in leaf axils. Pedicel 1 mm long. Calyx 4 mm long, lobes acute, 2 mm long. Corolla white, to 9–10 mm long, with glabrous and narrow (4 × 0.5 mm) tube, slightly 2-lipped, its lobes rounded to acute, 2–2.5 × 2–2.5 mm, two lobes above forming a weak upper lip and three lobes below forming a weak lower lip almost subequal in size. Stamens 4, with clavate hairs on filaments, abaxial stamens with 4 mm long filaments, adaxial stamens similar, filaments shorter, 3–3.5 mm long, anthers hairy, with acuminate to apiculate thecae, 1.5–1.8 × 0.8 mm. Ovary bilocular, with 1 ovule per locule, style up to 10 mm long, stigma capitate, only slightly thicker than style.

Habitat: ─Understory of dry forest in calcareous Tsingy.

Etymology: ─Named after Martine Bardot-Vaucoulon who first collected the plant.

Distribution: ─Only known from the calcareous Tsingy of Ankarana in northern Madagascar. Tsingy are Mesozoic limestones that have been submitted to long periods of karst processes giving rise to jigsaw or knife-edged pinnacles overlying extensive cave systems. The Tsingy of Ankarana are famous for their endemism. For a description of the vegetation of the Tsingy d’Ankarana see Bardot-Vaucoulon (1997).

Transfer of Parastriga alectroides to Harveya

The monotypic Parastriga alectroides ( Fig. 3d View FIGURE 3 ) was described from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo based on a specimen from the Virunga Volcanoes. The plant is an annual hemiparasitic herb, glabrous, but pilose in inflorescence, with erect quadrangular stems 8–25 (48) cm tall, the leaves are opposite, sessile, broadly ovate, 0.7–1.4 cm × 0.6–1.5 cm, and acuminate with entire margins. The flowers are subsessile with a white to pink 5 lobed corolla, the upper lip is 2-lobed, 0.4 cm long, the lower lip is 3 lobed, 0.4 cm long, the tube is 0.6–0.8 cm long. The fruit is a capsule, 5–7 mm × 4–6 mm. The shape and structure of the corolla and the shape of the seeds are common characters with Harveya . As stated above, Parastriga alectroides closely resembles Harveya alba in flower, especially regarding the horseshoe-shaped style with linear stigma and the monothecous anthers, which are bithecal with the second theca sterile and reduced as in all other species of Harveya . The style and stigma resemble that of Alectra , which resulted in the transfer of H. alba to this genus ( Burtt 1999). The sister relationship of these two species in our phylogeny is further supported by this character and monothecous anthers. The main difference from Harveya alba lies in the green bracts and upper leaves of Parastriga alectroides , which indicate hemiparasitism. Also the ecology of both species is different: Harveya alba is restricted to montane rainforest where it has not been observed above 2000 m. Parastriga alectroides is an afromontane to afroalpine species of open habitats, especially swamps, Hagenia-Hypericum - forest or Erica -forest between 2000 and 3500 m. In the molecular phylogenetic analysis this taxon nests within Harveya . Thus we transfer Parastriga alectroides to Harveya .