Drosera affinis Welw. ex Oliv.

Rjosk, A., Neinhuis, C., Monizi, M. & Lautenschläger, T., 2022, Synopsis of the genus Drosera (Droseraceae) in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants 67 (1), pp. 1-14 : 4-5

1. Drosera affinis Welw. ex Oliv. — Fig. 3

Drosera affinis Welw. ex Oliv. (1871) 402; Diels (1906) 88; J.R. Laundon (1959) 4; (1970) 27; (1978) 66; A.S.Rob. et al. (2017) 1318. —

Type: F.M.J. Welwitsch 1183 (holo LISU), Angola, Distr. Huilla, Lopolo , Jan.1860.

Perennial herb, caulescent. Stems mostly short, up to 10 cm high ( Fig. 3b ). Leaves up to 9 cm long (petiole and lamina), alternate to spirally arranged, clustered, densely arranged, mostly erect, old leaves reflexed; stipules 0.3–1 cm long, ferrugineous, apex lacerated; lamina narrowly spathulate or obovate, 1.5–3 by 0.2–0.5 cm, apex obtuse, gradually narrowing from the apex downwards, bearing tentacles adaxially and around the mar- gins, glabrous or sparsely pilose abaxially ( Fig. 3a ); petiole 3–7 cm long (2–5 times as long as lamina), slender, glabrous or sparsely pilose. Inflorescences cymose, with 3–13 flowers; peduncles 1–3 together; 8–35 cm long, arising laterally from the stem, slightly curved at the base or erect, glabrous, canaliculate; bracts linear to elliptic, 3–5 mm long, caducous; pedi- cels 2–10 mm long, glabrous or sparsely pilose (sometimes glandular). Sepals 5, oblong to lanceolate, 3–7 by 1.5–2 mm, connate at the base, sparsely pilose. Petals 5, elliptic to ob- ovate, 5–8 mm long, apex obtuse, pale pink to purple. Stamens 5, filaments c. 5 mm long and pink. Pollen in tetrads, yellow, tetrads c. 35–55 µm diam, single grains c. 23–30 µm diam, echinate ( Fig. 3e ), echini ± conical, c. 2 µm long, medium density of echini, short gemmate to clavate sculptural elements between echini. Pistil: ovary subglobose, glabrous; styles 3, c. 2.5 mm long, 2-partite to the base, arms filiform. Seeds fusiform, 0.7–0.9 by c. 0.2 mm, testa reticulate.

Distribution — Angola, Congo, DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe ( Fig. 3c ).

Habitat & Ecology — Wet meadows, swamps, perennially wet places in seasonally dry wet-savannahs.

Additional specimens (see Fig.3d for province map). ANGOLA, Bié, Camacupa, Cuemba , quedas, alt. 1200 m, 6 Oct. 1965, Teixeira & Matos 8995 ( BR) ; Huíla, Huíla , Oct. 1898, E. Dekindt 466 ( BR) ; Na margem di rio Nene , a montante da ponte, junto da Estrada de Huíla para Jau, 17 Dec. 1955, E.J. Mendes 1144 ( COI) ; Sà da Bandeira, na subida para o miradouro da Tundavale, nos lugares enchrcados, 13 Oct. 1969, F. Murta & M. Silva 799 ( COI) ; Lunda Sul, Dala , margem do rio Chiumbe,1927, Carrisso & Mendon ҫa 564 ( COI) ; Dala, rio Chiumbe , lugares húmidos, alt. 1200 m, 23 Apr. 1937, A.W. Exell & F.A. Mendon ҫa 1087 ( COI) ; Moxico, quedas de Dala , 17 Aug. 1965, R. Mendes dos Santos 1658 ( COI) . – DRC, Haut-Katanga, Kaziba , Terr. Manono , Parc national de le Upemba , alt. 1500 m, 16 Feb. 1948, G.F. de Witte 3383 ( BR) .

Figures

Fig. 3 Drosera affinis Welw. ex Oliv. a. Leaf shape showing the very long and slender, glabrous petiole and the narrowly obovate lamina; b. general morphology: short caulescent, spiral leaves and laterally arising, glabrous inflorescences; c. distribution (grey) according to the literature; d. province map of Angola and DRC with localities of examined herbarium specimens; e. pollen in tetrads with echinate, conical sculpture elements in medium density. — Scale bars: a = 1 cm; b = 2 cm; e = 10 µm.