Vol. 79 No. 1 (2024)
Articles

New taxa of Barleria sect. Prionitis (Acanthaceae) from the Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspot in Somalia

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  • Ellie Defty,
  • Iain Darbyshire
Ellie Defty
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and University of Leeds
Iain Darbyshire
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AE
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/jopt-15729

Published 2024-03-19

Keywords

  • Barlerieae,
  • conservation,
  • diversity,
  • IUCN Red List,
  • taxonomy

How to Cite

Defty, E., & Darbyshire, I. (2024). New taxa of Barleria sect. Prionitis (Acanthaceae) from the Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspot in Somalia. Webbia, 79(1), 19–29. https://doi.org/10.36253/jopt-15729

Copyright (c) 2024 Ellie Defty, Iain Darbyshire

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Funding data

Abstract

Two new taxa in Barleria L. sect. Prionitis Nees (Acanthaceae) are described from Somalia, namely Barleria biramosa Defty & I.Darbysh. from central Somalia and B. compacta Malombe & I.Darbysh. subsp. minima I.Darbysh. & Defty from the northeast coastal region. These taxa are further endemics of the Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspot and have highly restricted ranges. Barleria biramosa was previously included within B. punctata Milne-Redh., another range-restricted endemic of the Horn of Africa region form northeast Ethiopia and northern Somalia; an updated description of B. punctata is therefore provided. Notes on the habitat requirements and conservation status (extinction risk) of the species are provided. Barleria biramosa is considered to be globally Endangered whilst B. compacta subsp. minima is currently assessed as Least Concern; the published assessment of Vulnerable for B. punctata is confirmed. With these additions, 11 taxa in 10 species of Barleria sect. Prionitis are currently recognised in Somalia.

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