Kniphofia princeae (A.Berger) Marais (1973: 470)

Fischer, Eberhard & Ackermann, Markus, 2019, A new species of Kniphofia (Asphodelaceae) from Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, Phytotaxa 391 (1), pp. 39-56 : 49

Kniphofia princeae (A.Berger) Marais (1973: 470) ( Figs. 5A–B , 6A , 7A–B , 8 )

Basionym:— Aloe princeae Berger (1905: 64)

Type:— TANZANIA. Uhehe, Utschungwe (=Uzungwa) Berg, 1600 m, 1899, Frau Hauptmann Prince s.n. (holotype B!, photo K!, BR!)

While K. vandeweghei grows in Afromontane swamps, often in water, K. princeae grows in drier and often stony grassland. Kniphofia vandeweghei flower mainly between December and January, while K. princeae is found in flower between March and May to July.

As it is often the case in Kniphofia , the general aspects of K. vandeweghei and K. princeae are very different and both species can be readily distinguished even at a first glance ( Figs. 5–7 ). In addition, they are geographically separated ( Fig. 8 ). Kniphofia vandeweghei occurs in the mountains of the Albertine Rift around Lake Kivu, while K. princeae occurs from southern Tanzania to the mountains of the Nyika Plateau in Malawi.A very localised distribution pattern is not unusual in Kniphofia , as numerous species are restricted to small areas. Examples are K. nana Marais (1973: 478) and K. marungensis Lisowski & Wiland-Szymanska (2002: 236) that are confined to the Marungu Plateau, K. goetzei that is only known from Udzungwa Mountains to Rungwe in southern Tanzania, K. mulanjeana Blackmore (1980: 793) that is endemic to Mt. Mulanje, and K. paludosa that is restricted to the Elton Plateau in southern Tanzania ( Ramdhani et al. 2008, Whitehouse 2002, 2016).

Specimens examined:— TANZANIA. T7. Ufipa Distr., Sumbawanga, Mbizi Forest , 13 March 1957, Richards 8680 ( K) ; Mbeya Distr., Poroto Mts , Richards 9799 ( K) ; Mbeya Mt. , 13 May 1956, Milne-Redhead & Taylor 10319 ( K) ; Mbeya – Chunya road, 25–30 km from Mbeya, 23 May 1990, Carter, Abdallah & Newton 2395 ( K) ; Iringa, Station Kyimbila, Kwibasa , 24 July 1914, Stolz 2738 (B) . MALAWI. Rumphi, Nyika Plateau, Sangule kopje, 15 May 1970, Brummitt 10749 ( K) ; Nyika Plateau, Businande Road , 03 April 1976, Phillips 1626 (M, SRGH) .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Kniphofia princeae.A.Habit.B.Inflorescence.Kniphofia vandeweghei. C. Inflorescence.Photographs:A–B.R.v.Blittersdorf, A. 24 March 2009, B. 14 February 2012, Tanzania, Sumbawanga, Mbizi Forest (see Blittersdorf 2009–2012); C. E. Greenbaum, D.R. Congo, Itombwe, 06 January 2011.

FIGURE 6. Kniphofia princeae. A. Habit. Kniphofia vandeweghei. B. Habit. Photographs: A. R. v. Blittersdorf, Tanzania, Sumbawanga, Mbizi Forest, 24 March 2009 (see Blittersdorf 2009–2012). B. E. Fischer & M. Ackermann, Rwanda, Rwasenkoko swamp, 06 January 2018.

FIGURE 7. Kniphofia princeae. A. Inflorescence. B. Detail of infructescence with mature capsules. Kniphofia vandeweghei. C–D. Inflorescence. E. Peduncle with bracts and pedicels. F. Mature capsule. G. Detail of infructescence. Photographs:A–B. R. v. Blittersdorf, A. 31 March 2009, B. 14 February 2012, Tanzania, Sumbawanga, Mbizi Forest (see Blittersdorf 2009–2012). C–G. E. Fischer & M. Ackermann, Rwanda, Rwasenkoko swamp, 06 January 2018.

FIGURE 8. Known distribution of Kniphofia vandeweghei (yellow dots) and K. princeae (white dots).